The university recently made changes to the academic calendar. These changes include having a week off during Thanksgiving and an extra vacation day during fall break.
I am all for weeklong vacations and four-day weekends, but these changes are going to cost the students.
These extra days off had to come from somewhere and they did: reading days. Now, we will end class on Tuesday, have Wednesday off, and begin exams on Thursday.
The last week of classes usually means three things: projects, papers and tests. Having a weekend and two extra days to study before finals allows students to refocus after the stress that comes with the last week of classes.
Although students shouldn’t solely depend on reading days to get their studying done, and should be studying in advance, this is an unrealistic expectation.
If students have exams during the last week of classes, instead of studying for their finals, they are going to be studying for those tests or finishing those papers or projects.
Personally, I think the calendar changes are a great idea.
We all know that campus becomes a ghost town and professors end up lecturing to five, maybe 10 students as Thanksgiving approaches.
Students always leave before vacation begins and let their professors know in advance.
I also know that reading days are not a right, but these days to study can often lead to success.
The previous academic calendar was fine the way it was. And if something isn’t broken, then why try to fix it?
It is understandable that everyone needs a break sometimes. However, while it’s good for students to be able to relax and spend time with their families, it isn’t worth the possibility of lower exam scores and GPAs in the long run.
Taylor Duckett is a sophomore majoring in economics.