How to Make the Most of Reading Days
LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 18, 2022) — Not many components of university life are as anxiety-inducing 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 volume of anxiety, even amongst generally relaxed and 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 28-29.
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.
- 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? Do you have a final exam? Is it cumulative? Is there a study guide? Integrated Success Coaches at Transformative Learning can help with that.
- 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, 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.
- Utilize the resources available to you. UK offers a collection of tutoring resources across campus and disciplines. Click here for a full list.
- 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 Dining has many healthy options available. Working out is also a great stress reliever. Reading days are the perfect time to visit a Campus Recreation and Wellness facility. Additionally, while pulling all-nighters may seem tempting, it is always important to get enough sleep.
The Spring 2022 final exams schedule can be found here. For additional resources geared toward student success, follow the link.
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.