S tudents would greatly benefit from reading days between the last day of classes and the beginning of the exam period.
This spring, LDOC falls on a Friday and exams begin the following Monday. One weekend is not enough time for students to prepare for exams, especially considering many professors continue to assign homework, essays and projects through the last week of classes.
The Office of the University Registrar should consider assigning more reading days in future semesters, especially when LDOC falls on a Friday. At Duke University and N.C. State University, classes end this Wednesday, giving students four days to prepare for exams next Monday.
Weekends are not counted as reading days — rightfully so, because many students have extracurricular obligations on Saturdays and Sundays that take away from their study time. But following this rationale means students are only given two reading days, both of which fall after the start of the exam period.
Since around the 1970s, the University’s Academic Calendar Committee has set aside just two reading days for each exam period. In recent years, there have been no proposals for changes to be made.
Students need to be aware that they have the power to propose academic schedule changes that would be seriously considered. If anyone feels the need for a reading day or two before the beginning of the exam period, he or she should be encouraged to submit a proposal to a member of the committee for consideration.
Students must find a balance between work and play throughout the year, and many would undoubtedly like to relax and have fun on LDOC. The current schedule discourages this, and students will either find themselves unprepared for exams or sleep-deprived and stressed out after cramming all weekend.
