Reading Textbooks

Active Reading (Website, Dartmouth)

A useful resource that summarizes several textbook reading techniques including the SQ3R method, Read and Write, and the Pivotal Words method.

UBC Mindmapping Resources (Website, UBC Wiki)

The UBC Wiki describes what mind maps are, their learning benefits, and how they can be used in your study strategy.

Active Reading Strategies (Website, Princeton University)

Princeton University outlines tips to help you remember and analyze what you read in your textbooks.

Do You Actually Need to Read Your Textbooks (YouTube, College Info Geek)

This informational video covers the importance of reading assignments, how to balance readings from multiple courses, and how to evaluate reading sources.

How to Read an Academic Paper (YouTube, UBC iSchool)

The UBC iSchool describes the difference in reading an academic paper compared to a textbook and the best strategy to absorb the most information from a paper in this video.

Academic and Professional Writing Resources (Website, CWSC)

From writing guides to annotated abstracts, check out all the online writing resources that UBC Library has to offer on this website.

Taking Notes

Notes are another inescapable part of getting a university education. We might not be able to make them fun, but we can offer tips on how to make them useful.

Managing Your Time

Wasting a lot of time online? Pulling too many all-nighters? Getting better at managing your time is easier than you think!

Thinking Critically

You can’t get the most out of university without learning to think critically. It isn’t easy, but with our handy guide, we’ll have you thinking up a storm in no time!