Pages Over Pixels: My Honest Struggle with E-Books as a Student

Let me give my honest opinion here—I won’t lie. As an undergraduate student, there’s always that temptation to say, “Let me not buy the textbook; I’ll just get the PDF on my phone,” or even, “I’ll just snap the material from someone’s notes.” And yes, I’ve done that more times than I can count. But let me be real with you: I end up not reading them to the end.

Why? Because my attention span just isn’t built for that kind of focus on a screen. I’ll open the PDF with the best of intentions, I really will. I’ll tell myself, “Just one chapter, just thirty minutes.” But five minutes in, I get a notification. Then I think, “Let me just check something real quick,” and boom—I’ve switched apps, and before I know it, I’m deep into Instagram or WhatsApp, completely forgetting what I was even trying to study. I’ll accept it—I’m not the most focused person when it comes to screens. No matter how hard I try, I always switch up and get distracted.

That’s why, for me, reading PDFs is mostly a no-no. They’re helpful, I won’t lie—especially when I’m outside or in a situation where carrying a physical book just isn’t realistic. Like when I’m on a bus or waiting for a class to start and I quickly want to scan through something. In that sense, PDFs are like backups—they help me snap into my book a little, just to stay connected. But they don’t give me that deep, focused reading I need when I’m really trying to understand something.

Now, when it comes to physical books, it’s a whole different story. There’s something about holding a book in your hand that makes the reading feel serious. Like, “Okay, we’re really doing this.” It’s harder to get distracted because the book is the activity. You’re not just holding your phone, which can tempt you with everything from messages to memes. A book demands attention, and somehow, it pulls me in more easily. I can flip through pages, mark things with a pen, and even see how far I’ve gone. That alone gives me a weird sense of motivation. Like, “Wow, I’m already halfway through!”Sometimes I even feel proud of myself just for carrying a book around. It feels intentional. Like, I’m choosing to make space for this story or this knowledge in my day. With PDFs, it often feels like an afterthought. With books, it feels like an experience.

So yeah, if I had to choose, I’d rather sit with a pile of physical books and dive in. They keep me grounded. They keep me honest. But I’m not totally against digital—PDFs have their place, especially in emergencies or when you need to refer to something quickly. But if we’re talking about truly soaking something in, understanding, or just enjoying the read, give me the real thing. Pages over pixels, any day.
All images are mine

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