You’ve probably heard an endless amount of advice regarding college readiness. You should join internships and take AP classes, take extracurriculars similar to your major, and so on and so forth. However, many people overlook the simple activities that anyone can do at home to make sure they are ready for the academic rigor college offers. However, arguably the most simple task is often the most overlooked by the average high school student. Rose Horowitch, an assistant editor at The Atlantic, interviewed over two dozen professors, all with the claim that the reading skills of the average freshman, even at Ivy League institutions, have significantly decreased. However, as a specialized high school, we are anything but average. But how do we compare to the millions of high school students across the United States, and how prepared for the college English setting are HSMSE students really? 

The Atlantic’s article, “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books,” states that the curriculum at top colleges expect students to read multiple books in a semester—often even dense novels in the span of a week. Professor Dames teaches the required Literature Humanities class at Columbia University and claims that twenty years ago, students would easily be able to read and engage in “sophisticated discussions of Pride and Prejudice one week and Crime and Punishment the next.” The chair of the English department at Georgetown (Daniel Shore) said students can even struggle reading a sonnet. This article goes on to say that students are having increasing difficulties understanding vocabulary and language. In an article published by Slate, Adam Kotsko, a professor at North Central College in Naperville, Illinois, said students are “intimidated by anything over 10 pages.” He blames this decrease in students’ reading comprehension on phones and the COVID-19 pandemic. Once in college, it can be difficult to correct this mindset. However, high school is the perfect time to establish a solid foundation in reading comprehension and English skills. 

Although it is one of the most simple actions a high school student can take to improve their reading proficiency, a study conducted by the Campanile, a non-profit newspaper based in California, shows 86% of students surveyed have noticed that the frequency of their reading has decreased as they went through high school. Additionally, only 13% of 13-year-olds say they read for fun every day. As children and teens grow older, they often do not increase their reading time per day, with only 45% of 17-year-olds saying they read by choice only once or twice a year. So how do some of the best schools in NYC compare to the rest of the nation’s students? U.S. News conducts a yearly, in-depth report on the rankings of high schools in the United States based on test scores, state test results, and college acceptance rates. At Brooklyn Tech, 95% of students exhibit full reading proficiency, while 97% Bronx Science students are proficient in reading and reading comprehension, and 98% of students at Stuyvesant score proficiently in reading comprehension. 

HSMSE, however, has 100% of students exhibiting proficiency in reading and reading comprehension. But test scores aren’t always everything. Being able to and enjoying reading novels in one’s free time truly shows how our students are prepared, not only for college, but the rest of their lives. We conducted a poll throughout all grades at HSMSE during lunch, and our results show that over 50%of students read books for pleasure 5–7 times a week, 27% read 2–4 times a week, and 23% only read close to once a week.

After reading about HSMSE, various universities, and so many other students nationally, do you feel inspired to pick up a book? With so many genres to choose from and so many great writers, reading is the simplest way to include enhanced vocabulary and exposure to great writing within your daily life. Even as STEM students, we need the Humanities to understand great writing, write great research papers, and analyze the history behind certain sciences and methodologies. So if you really want to improve your reading comprehension skills and college readiness, here’s the easiest thing to do after a long HSMSE school day: Relax at home and read a book to open your eyes to a whole new world of magic—or go to the C5 library and get a fun read where you can borrow a book without even having to leave Baskerville Hall.