Do you have to do the "essential" reading for a degree?

I absolutely hate reading long texts and I get bored very easily when reading anything that is longer than a page

My lecturers all say you must read the essential reading before the lecture but i'm deffo going to forget anything that i read

like are they serious, there's oer 10 different texts I have to read and some of them are 100+ pages long. each week too....

I just prefer to google **** and learn the easy way from a trusted source ofc and maybe from videos.

would I get away with doing that instead or must I push myself to read all that stuff?
I dont want to be reading some dead article or book from 1974 :/

Yes you have to read the books if you want to get at leasst 2:1 or higher. There is only so much google can do as well as the lecture notes.

The key point is to find out the main learnng points that is examinable in that topic and then read selectively on the relevant chapters to add some detail. You arent being told to memorise the entire chapter, just only the key points from it.

i didn't no. looking back i wish i did, it would've helped me out a lot. i got a 2:1 btw. if you lack the concentration to read a book then maybe get some ritalin or something. you should really embrace having the ability to be able to read and there are really some great books out there too ones which can change your life if you let them.

I never did the essential readings and my lecture attendance was <10%, I graduated with a high 2:1 from a top 5 UK university. By and large, you don’t need to do the assigned reading list. I read widely for each assignment, however, but this was mostly via articles found through google scholar.

Remember, you traditionally “read” a degree subject in the UK, so you need to show that you are well-read. During my undergraduate introduction this was drilled into us. They said that just relying on the lecture notes will get you a pass, using the assigned reading will get you a 2:2/low 2:1, but reading beyond what is given will get you the First (this proves you are well-read).

It’s different outside the UK though, where I am for my masters. Class participation and textbooks (assigned readings) are central elements in North America.

I would also never read anything older than 10 years. Mainly because the older pdfs don’t highlight properly, but also because I did a science degree and it’s best to use the most recent research (with exceptions).