Thursday is the last day of classes, leaving Friday as a reading day. The end is near, and going home for the holidays is just a week away, but stress levels are running high as finals week approaches.
Reading days can be seen as a much-needed time for relaxation before the final storm, or a time for vigorous studying and all-nighters. Some chose the first option, and some chose the latter.
Elise Meiners, a junior majoring in exercise science, prepares for her finals by using reading days to recoup. She said it can be very beneficial to her health.
“Even if reading days aren’t used for studying, I think they are effective just to have a little breathing room,” Meiners said. “If finals started right out of classes, I think a majority of students would suffer from heart failures.”
Meiners loves the freedom of reading days and is filling her reading days with fun, food and friends. She is excited to unwind before she hits the books.
“I might do a little bit of studying and go to a review or two, but I will most likely be Christmas partying at Tucanos, winning insane prizes, herding white elephants, eating, sleeping and dance partying,” Meiners said.
On the other hand, Jaymie Fung, a junior majoring in accounting, will not be out relaxing and hanging out with friends.
“I will definitely be using reading days to study this year,” Fung said. “I need them. I’ll probably study for most of the day. Accounting classes are killer.”
Fung thinks that reading days are effective depending on how they are utilized.
“I think that reading days, if utilized correctly, can be an amazing opportunity for students,” Fung said. “I think that most people know that it is useful, but it’s up to them to make it useful and effective.”
Rachelle Snow, a senior majoring in dance, said she does not like to study on reading days unless she has a scheduled test on the first day of finals.
“Reading days are my days to rest before test week,” Snow said. “Also a lot of the time, it is the last time you get to hang out with your friends before they all leave for the break.”
Students have the freedom to decide on how to spend their reading days, whether they are used for fun, relaxation or studying. Everyone has a different way of preparing for finals week.
