Timeless Business School Reading List – Part III: How to Read Featured
How to Read
If you have not read our previous posts on "Why you should read this summer", and "What you should read- Our Timeless Summer Reading list", please check them out. "How to read" picks up once you have selected a book that will help you demonstrate "Lifelong Learning"
1. While you are reading your selected book, take notes in the book
Taking notes while you read is important because it forces you to reflect on key themes in the book as well as it provides a quick reference to help you summarize the ideas. One great reference for an effective way to do this is found in Tim Sanders book, Love is the Killer App, p.78-83. All e-books also permit this type of note taking, so technology can only enhance your note taking process.
2. Reflect on your professional or personal experiences that dealt with similar themes
This reflection is best done while you are reading the book and taking notes. Good notes will describe the key idea/topic in the book, but will also highlight a similar experience or application of that idea to your own life.
3. Summarize three key take-aways from the book that either changed your thinking, educated you in a tangible way, or made you more effective in your professional or personal life
We suggest that you actually write these take-aways in a professional journal or at the end of the notes page in your book.
If you have three bullet point take-aways, it will be remarkably easy to demonstrate what you learned from a book. When asked "What was the last book you read", you will be able to mention the name of a relevant Title and Author, describe three key concepts from the book, and show how these concepts changed your thinking or allowed you to improve your personal or professional environments. While improving your business schools applications is one benefit of this process, the real hope is that this practice does become the pattern that Admissions committees desire in you. Regular reading will continuously improve you personally and professionally, and these tips for selecting and processing material will help optimize your learning.
Happy Reading!
