Lelish Depaso

As a student in high school I had a very difficult time with reading. I did not read much. I found reading boring and a waste of time because I usually did not understand what I was reading. I only read when I had to. I hated reading so much that when I got reading homework, I tried to find an easy way out, like Spark Notes or Google. Somehow I was able to get what I needed from those web sites so I kept on not reading. Soon, my habits came back to haunt me. Once I got to college I realized that I couldn’t keep doing what I used to do in high school. This was a different game and it required a lot more than just Spark Notes.

My career goal after graduating from college is to become an Engineer. As an engineer I need to read a lot of reports, newspapers and magazines. From Reading Secrets I learned many reading strategies I could use to be a successful reader. College has changed my outlook on reading. I realize that I need to read on a daily bases, whether if it was for English class or philosophy. Two of the most important strategies that helped me become successful in reading were: taking notes and highlighting important words. Taking notes is a great way of helping me identify the most important concepts in class. Even if I had a great memory I would not be able to remember everything I read, but if I have a small written record of notes then I can reflect back on it when I need some information. Highlighting important words can be helpful for most people especially if you have a lot of reading to do. I would recommend highlighting certain words you think are important or words that you couldn’t understand, so later on you can come back to them.

After I started using the strategies I learned in class, I started noticing changes in my grades. Reading assignments became easy for me and I actually started to enjoy reading. I started reading magazines and stories online during my free time because I could easily understand the text. As a result, when I have an assignment due, I easily work on it and I make sure I do it on time, which means my procrastination habit decreased greatly.

I have a little brother in high school. And every time I see him I would tell him not to be like me, to read more often and use strategies such as taking notes and doing his work on time because I don’t want him to end up like me by the time he gets to college. I guess the most important lesson I learned from this class was that you might be a doctor, an engineer or a teacher, but no matter where you go in life or what you would become, reading is a critical and the most important weapon you can acquire.