Make the most of your reading days this finals season
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 22, 2024) — Not many components of university life are as nerve-wracking as final exams. Final exams draw upon your knowledge from the entire semester and often you are taking more than one at a time. But while finals can produce a significant amount of nerves, even amongst the most confident students, final exams don’t need to leave you restless.
To help manage your stress, the University of Kentucky has recently built reading days into the academic calendar. During these days, no written examinations, quizzes, paper or presentation deadlines may be given.
This year’s reading days are April 25-26.
Reading days, and the week before finals, are a great time to get prepared, but those few days go by very quickly. Here are four tips on how to maximize the time.
1. Create an action plan. As soon as you can, look at your syllabi to get a better understanding of what exactly you must do for your final assessment for each class. Do you have a final paper? How long is it? What kind of outside research does this paper require? Do you have to do a presentation about your paper in class? Presentation U is available to help review and prepare for presentations. Do you have a final exam? Is it cumulative? Is there a study guide? Integrated Success Coaches at Transformative Learning can help with all of the above.
2. Find a study space that works for you. UK has a number of libraries and study spaces available to its students. Whether it’s a Starbucks on campus, The Study North and Central locations, a private room in a classroom building or your favorite table in The Hub, UK has something for everyone. For information on study spaces and hours of operation, click here.
3. Utilize the resources available to you. UK offers a collection of tutoring resources across campus and disciplines. Click here for a full list. Instructor office hours are also a great resource for you to utilize.
4. Take care of yourself. As tempting as it is to indulge in late night snacks when you’re stressed out, opt for the healthier choices. UK Dininghas many healthy options available. Working out is also a great stress reliever. Reading days are the perfect time to visit a Campus Recreation facility. Additionally, while pulling all-nighters may seem tempting, it is always important to get enough sleep.
The Spring 2024 final exams schedule can be found here. For additional resources geared toward student success, follow the link.
At the University of Kentucky, students are at the center of all that we do. From the moment you become a Wildcat through graduation and beyond, the Office for Student Success is committed to supporting you. Comprised of five areas and 25 units, together, they have one vision — to help students live a life of meaning. Student Success works through an equitable, holistic and inclusive lens to design and deliver unparalleled services and support a diverse community of learners in achieving their wildest ambitions. In the Office for Student Success this is what we do — this is who we are. You can explore resources available to you here. If you have additional questions, you can reach a Student Success team member by calling the helpline 859-218-YouK (9685).