It’s officially April, and we know what that means…it’s time to start thinking about finals! With only four more weeks of classes left it’s time we shift our minds to the home stretch of the year. As class work slowly comes to an end and studying for finals begins, there’s only one day that separates classes from the first day of finals, and that’s reading day.
While reading day allows for us to prepare for finals, is it beneficial to them and are they using reading day effectively? We asked our staff what they thought and even what they do themselves on reading day.
Our staff slightly split, one said, “I do think reading day benefits students. It’s a good way to decompress and review for finals. But ultimately it’s up to the student to perform well and put the work in,” while another member of our staff said, “I don’t really think that reading day is massively beneficial to overall performance of finals but I think it is beneficial for students with a final on the first or second day.”
A third editor commented, “I don’t think students use reading day to study, but I do think it provides a free day to destress and maybe enjoy the beach before finals begin. So while students don’t typically use it to study, I think it is beneficial to our students.”
Most of our staff agreed that some students do not use reading day for its intended purpose; studying. Rather, a day off. Although, depending on one’s concern for their grade, it could be used to study and prepare for exams. “Either way, it provides a purpose because relaxing before finals impacts how the rest of my testing goes,” an editor commented.
Whether students use it effectively or not can be up for interpretation depending on what you see as effective for you.
Our staff uses reading day in all different ways.
One editor said, “I’ve used reading day as both a personal day and to study. It’s important for me to remain in good spirits even though finals are stressful.”
“I typically use reading day to blow off some steam before finals. My friends and I like to hit the beach, drive around, play wiffle ball or find another way to have some fun before the end of the year.”
“I like to spend my reading day prepping for finals! I usually try to have all my study guides, papers, and presentations done, so the rest of the week I can simply study and memorize the material,” said another editor.
A third editor commented, “Depending on my exam schedule, I may utilize my reading day in different ways. I will usually sleep in a bit and hang with friends and try to get some studying in, although I am not always very productive.”
