Tip #33: It's OK to skim every once in a while.

Shh.... I have a secret... don't tell anyone... but...

It's OK to skim every once in a while.

There will be times during your university career (oh say, fourth year) when you will be expected to read a book a week... per class. Although I would strongly encourage you to read everything, some weeks it's just not going to happen because of other commitments and schoolwork.

In these exceptional cases, it is OK to skim. Professor K calls it a "reconnaissance mission." Open the book, get what you need, and get out. Here's how:

Start by reading the table of contents and introduction. This will give you a good overview of what the book is going to be about. Don't read it leisurely, go on a mission to get the thesis (ie. what the author wants to prove with the book), and how they plan to prove it. Often, you will also be able to find a brief overview of the other chapters. Then, skip right to the conclusion and do the same thing. Make sure that the same thesis you found in the introduction is there. This is the bare minimum you can do to just survive a class in the pinch.

The next best thing is to "get your feet wet" in each of the chapters. Some chapters have specific intros and conclusions which are helpful, but usually you'll just have to skim into each of the chapters to get a sense of what's going on. If you still have time, you can read full chapters, basing which ones you choose based on the overview in the introduction. Read chapters that might be pertinent to the themes of the class.

What you should strive for, however, is to read the entire text and think critically. Come prepared to class with questions of things you didn't quite understand, important or interesting passages. Be sure to have the answer to the question: "What is the author's thesis?" It will be asked.

Some other things to consider. You just can't skim when it comes to philosophy or theory texts. You'll just have to suck it up and read the whole thing, or else you will be completely lost. I would also just like to remind you that skimming is just a fall-back when everything doesn't quite get done. If you plan to be in class, then you should plan to have done your readings.