Reading Week provides students with the opportunity to relax and hang out before crunch time.

Much to many students’ relief, this week is Reading Week. We get a full five days off to catch up, calm down and re-orient ourselves and forget about all the assignments and exams creeping up on us.

For me, this week will be spent making up for lost hours here at work. I was pretty sick last week and missed all five days so this week will be spent playing catch up. Although I’d rather have the time to relax, I’m pretty lucky that I’m able to get caught up so quickly.

I’m also spending my evenings getting a leg up on all the assignments I have due in the next month. As I’ve mentioned before, I don’t have any exams but I do have lots of assignments. I’m taking advantage of this time off to get started – and finish – as many as I can before things get crazy. The more I can get done now the better. I also have a ton of reading to do, but I’m less worried about that than all the assignments.

Other students are using Reading Week as a chance to brush up on their academic and professional abilities. Learning Skills Development is hosting a handful of workshops and seminars designed to help students improve their studying, note-taking, writing and presentation skills. The Career Centre also has a series of events on this week, from internship information sessions to a workshop on making a good first impression.

Other students, of course, are spending the week curled up in bed, on the couch or out with friends. The luckiest of them even headed to various exotic locales to spend some time in the sun. With the grey weather we’ve had lately, I can’t blame them. For most students, crunch time is just beginning and having the opportunity to relax and hang out with friends and family is a welcome escape. We know that things are going to get hectic soon and that now is the time to get some relaxation in.

Reading Week might not actually include all that much reading for most students, but we value it none the less. It provides us with an opportunity to catch up on work and assignments, brush up on skills and have a last couple hang-out sessions before life gets crazy with midterms and final papers or the opportunity to disappear somewhere warm for a few days. For more information on Reading Week events, check out the York U events page.