Duke Common Experience

As a welcoming gift, all incoming Duke first-year students in Pratt and Trinity will receive the selected book this summer before they arrive on campus. Throughout the year, the common experience book will be included in panels, lectures, and discussions. For more information, contact the Common Experience coordination team at fsengagement@duke.edu.

Reading in College vs. Reading in High School

In high school, you might read to ‘get through the chapter,’ and if you missed something, teachers often cover it in class the next day. In college, most professors expect you to show up having already read, processed, analyzed, and formed an opinion on the material.

To do this successfully, you need to shift from passive reading to active reading. You want to use strategies such as using interactive annotation (writing arguments, tracking patterns, questioning claims). When you’re done reading, take time to process your notes and annotations.

Try This: Look for 3 things in your reading you can bring to class, either as an observation or a question. This activity can help you focus on and engage with the material. Check out this page on the Academic Resource Center website for more great resources on reading!

Reading Strategies

You learn and retain information best when you use active and metacognitive reading strategies rather than re-reading text. These are a few strategies to try: 

• ask questions while reading  
• summarize sections in your own words 
• connect new ideas to what you already know 
   

Knowing What’s Important

Adjust your reading strategy based on what you are reading for:  

• General comprehension or lecture 
  Focus on reading headings, titles, and the Table of Contents to identify main ideas and key concepts.  
   
• Discussion or seminars 
  Take a slower, more analytical approach to find main arguments and identify questions and comments for class.  
   
• Research papers or writing assignments 
  Focus on evaluating arguments, comparing sources, and identifying quotes or evidence. Take organized notes that can later support your writing process.  
   

Reading Scientific Journals and Articles

• Abstract
• Introduction
• Materials & Methods
• Results
• Discussion
   

• Read the Title - Titles often contain important context info. If you don’t understand a word or term in the title it’s worth looking it up.
• Skim the abstract and each section to get a general sense of the content.
• Scan the tables and figures - you don't have to understand them, just notice what you see.
• Make notes about what you observe and what stands out.

Reading for Wellness

Recommended "Never Caught" Reading Timeline

Pace yourself and leave time for reflection. Below is the guide that students can follow to read the book over the summer.

*The "Reading Group Questions" can be found on the last printed page of the paperback or toward the end of the book in a section titled "A Readers' Club Guide."