Nearing the end of each semester, college students scramble to make time to study for their final exams. Many institutions have days set aside study or “reading” days, during which students are given extra time to cram for exams.
The “reading” days vary in number and some include weekends, depending on the school.
UW-Stout, for instance, implemented a reading day last year. Spring semester classes ended Wednesday, and students are given a reading day Thursday. Professors hold optional review sessions for students to attend and many students hold group study sessions.
“I think we’re doing it because students were complaining about not having enough time to study in between classes and finals, and we have questions to ask professors but no time to ask them,” UW-Stout sophomore Lauren Patient said.
Patient will attend study sessions for two of her classes where she and other students can ask professors any questions they may have regarding the material.
At UW-Madison, the official study day falls on the Saturday after the last day of classes each spring semester. However, in the fall there is sometimes only a “partial” study day due to time constraints in the academic calendar.
“Every school’s calendar is different,” UW secretary of the faculty David Musolf said concerning why UW-Stout has a weekday as a study day and UW-Madison does not. “We try as much as possible to balance each semester, but we have a certain number of final-exam blocks to fit in.”
Study days like those at UW-Stout are not common within the UW System. While UW-Stout began including official study days last year, other universities like UW-Eau Claire do not have official study dates.
And while UW-Stout schedules optional review sessions, UW-Madison does not have university-sponsored events.
Instead, they are given one day between the end of classes and exams, which is May 8 for the 2004 spring semester.
Some universities offer other alternatives for reading days and exam schedules.
Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., has three reading days in between the last day of class and the three-day final exam schedule.
“Its kind of a trade-off,” Carleton sophomore Kellie Carim said. “We have guaranteed study time, but finals are crammed together.”
University of Notre Dame junior Laura Steil has two study days this semester, which were Thursday and Friday of last week.
Professors are not allowed to schedule classes during that time, but some hold review sessions, she said.
“They’re really helpful; everyone likes having them,” Steil said. “We basically get four full days to study before finals [including the weekend].”
Another variation of the study day is what Purdue University calls “dead week.” During the last week of classes professors are not supposed to have exams or projects due, but many professors “work around it” and require students to turn in final papers, according to Purdue junior Ann Markweel.
“They find loopholes,” Markweel said. “I have a final paper due [Friday] anyways.”
UW-Madison students who would like to access the academic calendar for any semester to see what date study days fall on can go to the website of the Secretary of the Faculty website via the UW-Madison homepage.
