The College's two-day reading period does not give students enough time to adequately prepare for their final exams.
Students cannot properly review and synthesize all the materials in a nine-week course in this short time, especially in reading-intensive classes like History and complex science courses like Organic Chemistry.
By giving students only two days to study for finals, the College limits students' ability to master the materials and develop a perspective on the entire course.
The two-day reading period fosters "cramming" because students are forced into a situation where they have to try to learn vast amounts of material in two days.
The College argues that students should be learning and looking at the "big picture" throughout the term. The College says a good student will only need two days to put everything in perspective and perform well on a final exam.
But the pace of work is so hectic and moves so quickly that even the best students do not have the necessary time to put what they learn in perspective during the regular academic term.
By extending reading period to four days or by not having any reading assignments or problems due on the last day of classes, the College can provide more time for a student to adequately learn the course materials without overburdening them.
