Hi all ...

I was asked to read 75 pages daily for my phd classes .. is it possible?

if so , how can I do it ? 8 hours of reading everyday? I will be going nuts :-(

I'd say that's perfectly possible - I've read probably around 200 pages today! 75 pages even with highlighting/note taking shouldn't take you more than a couple of hours

stressed, thank you for sharing..

I thought I would be trying to understand everything perfectly..
i am not sure if i can do it in 2 hours, but u really gave me hope (up)

Yeah, 75 pages is definitely possible a day. I'm with Stressed, 75 pages should take a couple of hours.

I could read 75 pages of Harry Potter, but I'm not sure if I could read 75 pages of scientific papers! :p

I agree with Claudia. Whilst it's perfectly possible, don't feel bad if it seems a lot - it really depends on what you're reading and how well you're reading it. There are some papers I can whiz through, and others that require more time and thought if I'm reading them properly. Still, if you commit yourself to the 75 pages per day, it'll get easier the more you do it (up).

so Claudia how do u do it ?

Well, I don't think I've ever read 75 pages worth of scientific papers in a day, so I really can't comment I'm afraid! :-)

Same. I mean I could technically do it, but either I wouldn't fully understand them, be able to remember them, or have made decent notes on them... so I'd just have to read it again properly. :$

First, yes, it is possible to read 75 pages a day.

Second, however, it depends on what the material is.

Third, it depends how well written it is.

Fourth, it also depends on how you are as a reader/learner.

On this last point my personal experience is that within my family me and my mum are the "hardcore" readers. My mum has finished many a book in a single sitting and I can read a good 1000 page book in a day if the feeling takes me. However, my brother, sister and dad, while being readers, are far slower. In fact, I've ended up borrowing my brother's books just after he's bought them and reading them before he needs a new book (actually, my mum also prereads books before giving them as presents.) Course, this spiel is all about fiction books and academic books are far harder to read, but it does kinda back my point up; it just depends.

What course are you doing?

You need to learn how to read journal articles - read the abstract, read the introcucion, read the discussion and conclusion, read the rest - don't feel bad about stopping if it turns out not to be of use. If it is of use then read the whole thing and make notes. I can easily cover 10 articles (c150-200 pages) in a few hours that way

When I started out my PhD I read Tony Buzan's book on speed-reading. I though I was a quick reader anyway, but now I can devour books and articles.
It gives you lots of good techniques to change your own behaviours. Lots of slow readers pretend they are reading out loud - one thing I remember is he advised holding a pencil gently between your teeth to stop yourself 'mouthing' each word as you read it. If the paper is well constructed you should be able to get the gist of a paragraph from a few sentences...then go back if you really need to take notes.
Another thing I use is voice dictation software.....as I read I can speak my notes to the computer, and it makes quoting sections much faster. But I am in humanities, not sure how this might work in sciences where equations are needed etc? also you have to get over the fact that you look like a worker in a call-centre!

Most libraries these days have group working areas so you can happily chat to the computer screen, or if that is too embarassing book an individual study room if your uni library has these.

Hope this helps
Matilda

matildal what dictation software did you use?

I'm not MatildaL but I sue Dragon natrually Speaking - available from Software for students - only had a few months (and had a big break in the middle but once you get used to feeling a bit daft I find it good.)

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I use Dragon NaturallySpeaking too JepsonC
I'm not sure of the cost of this as I was given it 3 years ago by the Disabilities service at the university.
I have installed it on my laptop and home PC - the support centre at the manufacturers have always been great on the few occasions when I did have problems ( for example when upgrading my home PC to Vista OS)
However if you have an up-to-date version of Microsoft Office I think there is in-built voice recognition in their accessibility package.
I just use the cheapo headset that I use with Skype.
Hope this helps, I am not too technically minded and I find it simple to use.
The best bit is that it learns your speech patterns and any odd words or names that you frequently use, so once you correct it via the microphone once it is quite intuitive and recognizes it later.
M