For Wade Colburn, sophomore in biomedical engineering, Reading Days are a time to relax and catch up on studying for finals.
“Last semester, I relaxed, slept, and did some light studying,” Colburn said. “This semester, my reading days will be spent studying and sleeping.”
Reading Days were established in 2008 after a request from the student body, according to Louis Hunt, university registrar and vice provost for enrollment management and services.
“I supported that request and worked with the [Registration, Records, and Calendar] committee to modify the current academic calendars,” Hunt said.
According to Hunt, Reading Days were added after the committee heard requests from students that they would be critical for academic success. He also said that the committee researched calendars from other institutions before implementing Reading Days in the fall 2009 academic calendar.
The goals of Reading Days are multi-faceted, according to Hunt.
“Reading days were intended to provide students time to prepare for final exam,” Hunt said. “This preparation might include attending faculty-led course review sessions, studying individually or in groups, or resting and decompressing after a busy semester,” Hunt said.
Some institutions, like the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, choose to have one reading day before exams commence and one during the exam period. According to Hunt, however, N.C. State students seem to like the way that Reading Days currently are.
“We have surveyed students twice since reading days were implemented,” Hunt said. “The majority of students indicate that they like having two reading days prior to the start of exams, though some students would prefer none or a single day during the middle of the exam period.”
Hunt said that in 2010, 54% of the 3000 students that responded to a survey were in favor of having two reading days immediately before the start of exams.
Emily Robinson, a freshman in environmental engineering, said that she needs reading days in order to prepare for exam.
“Those days help us let out a little steam,” Robinson said. “If we didn’t have them, we’d probably explode from all the stress.”
Robinson went on to say that she was in favor of the current format of Reading Days, as opposed to dispersing them throughout the exam period.
“I think if we dispersed Reading Days throughout exam week, it wouldn’t be as effective,” Robinson said. “People would just spend their whole day studying for the exam they have next and it would be just as stressful as not having Reading Days at all.”
For Colburn, the format of Reading Days is subjective to each student’s exam schedule.
“I believe having one Reading Day in the beginning and one in the middle could be useful, but it really depends on what your final schedule is,” Colburn said. “It could be useful, but I do not see it having good results.”
Robinson said while not all students may use the two days just for studying, overall they are still a necessity.
“[Students] may not use the time to our best ability,” Robinson said, “but it’s definitely helpful and needed.”
How to study effectively
· Decide what you should study to pass a course, and set a schedule to achieve your goals.
· Get rid of distractions (no, you don’t need Facebook or your favorite TV show while you study).
· Study difficult or boring subjects first, and get it out of the way instead of waiting until you are tired.
· Don’t expect to cram everything you’ve learned in a semester in one “study marathon.” Instead, study just a couple of hours at a time.
· Know what time of day you are most alert and productive. If you are a morning person, it’s not a wise idea to stay up until 3 a.m. to study. If you’re someone who hits the snooze button 15 million times in the morning, odds are waking up at 6 a.m. to study is not going to be productive. Work when you work best. You’ll remember more, and you’ll be less stressed.
· Don’t beat yourself up. If you focus on what you think you are lacking as a student, you’ll spend more time focusing on that than the information you really want/need to know for your exams.
· Don’t get discouraged. If what you are studying is difficult, be happy you are studying it now, rather than freaking out at your exam because you have no idea what you’re being tested on.
· Leave your personal problems at the door. When you are studying, worrying about other problems like a fight you had with your boyfriend/girlfriend or your roommate is not going to help you study. If you absolutely can’t get it off of your mind, write your problems down and stick them in a drawer. They’ll be there later, when you don’t have an exam grade on the line.
· Find a focused study group with people from your class. If you can teach a concept to another person, you more than likely have a firm grasp on the material yourself. However, if you can’t be in a study group that is focused on the task at hand (passing that final), then find another group or study individually.
· Reward yourself after you achieve your study goals.
Source: Undergraduate Tutorial Center Study Skills Guide
