Many of us like to think successful students are born with the ability to remember whatever they want to whenever they need to. Not so, according to Hjortshoj:  “Not remembering is actually the norm, and forgetting occurs very rapidly unless you take some active measures to retain information” (34).

Use the following strategies to help yourself remember what you’ve read. You will have to write in your books, including your rental texts (you have permission from the bookstore to do so).

1. Highlight the route you take as a “predatory” reader, using one color for main points and a contrasting color for supporting points.
2. Make notes in the margins of difficult and/or obviously important sections. Include as many of the following as possible:
1. Your rewording of the material;
2. Questions to ask your professor or fellow students;
3. Counter-arguments you can think of;
4. Connections you can make to a related, more familiar topic;
5. Concrete, specific examples you can think of.
3. Remember as a rule of thumb: You can only put information you understand into your own words, but at the same time, challenging yourself to put new information into your own words invites you to wrestle toward a more complete understanding.

Next: Further Reading Assistance