Reading Day relief

Jordan Kessler, Staff writer

The year is finally coming to a close, and finals week is just around the corner.

Thank goodness for Reading Day!

This semester’s Reading Day falls on May 6, the Monday of finals week.

I think Reading Day is a great opportunity for students on campus to get some last-minute studies in before finals.

The purpose of Reading Day, for some people, is to catch up on sleep from the past semester or to go out and celebrate the end of the year.

For those students, it is one last big “hurrah” before the semester is over and students go home for the summer.

Each semester, I spend that Monday going through and studying once again for the finals I have during the upcoming week.

It is the one day of the semester that is dedicated to schoolwork without there actually being classes.

This is a big deal to several students on campus due to the stress exams have on them.

Throughout the year, we all have seen students miss class, mostly because they have slept in or forgot they had that class that day.

However, some students skip classes the day before a big exam to study.

I do not like to do this. However, I can say that I have done this due to the feeling of needing to spend more time studying.

Reading Day gives those students who are stressed about missing classes the day before an exam to study and a break from that stress.

Students like me, who push themselves to their limits and tend to burn the candle at both ends, often don’t get enough sleep due to working too hard.

This method works up to a point, but then your body just gives up and crashes at the time you need it most, likely during your exam.

I can see both the positives and negatives of having a Reading Day on campus, but I believe the positives outweigh the negatives.

Campus becomes eerily quiet, pun intended.

Students are able to focus completely on their work when they need to and give themselves a peaceful break when studying as well.

When the campus is quiet, students can study how they prefer to study.

For example, some students prefer to study in the library.

Some may wish to study with many other students, in the common rooms of their dorms or the living rooms of their apartments with the TV on for background noise.

Some students even close themselves off in their dorm rooms listening to music quietly while writing notes and flashcards.

Each student studies differently, and that is OK.

There are many places around campus where students can experience different study settings.

Some people prefer to be in a group, and others prefer to be alone.

Speaking personally, I prefer to be alone.

I listen to music when I am writing notes out or making flashcards, but I like the room completely silent when I am going over the notes and flashcards.

Like all other students, I need to take breaks and destress myself before diving back into studying.

Take a break — it will help you in the long run.