Reading Period--An Academic Time of Year

Reading period--the mere mention of the phrase conjures up images of pre-med students bent over chemistry texts in Cabot Library cubicles, seniors' tanning in the MAC Quad and first-years sprinting across the Yard at 4:53 p.m. to hand in that last Expos paper.

For many students, the academic experience of Harvard is encapsulated during reading period, when students immerse themselves in their classwork and term papers.

Since its inception in 1927, reading period has stood for more than somber study and tradition. As Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III notes, the system of a one week study period preceding exams was begun at Oxford and Cambridge Universities and later adopted by Harvard.

According to Associate Dean of the College Georgene B. Herschbach, reading period has varied from nine to 14 days over the years, until it was recently standardized to one week.

"It originated in the shifting of emphasis from attending classes to reading and absorbing the information," Epps says.

Although classes do not traditionally continue into reading period, review sessions and language sections often hold special meetings during the week.

Epps notes that recent changes expanding the shuttle services' hours of operation and adding a 24-hour library also extend College resources for students in need of extra study time.

Graduating seniors say that reading period has contributed substantially to their academic experience.

"It's been very helpful to me, especially freshman year when I took an advanced math course. Since then, I've mainly used the time to complete term papers," says Charles A. Goodman '97.

"I would never want to abolish reading period because it's a great time to relax," says Maria E. Gonzalez '97. Gonzalez notes that many houses hold study breaks throughout the week, offering house-bound students a chance to relax and mingle with peers.

Campus Atmosphere

At Harvard, student attitudes toward reading period have tended somewhere between relaxation and cramming fatigue.

For those who choose to cram, finding study space in campus libraries is often a challenge. The advent of a 24-hour schedule at Cabot library may alleviate some crowding into prime study hours, but library stake-outs seem a tradition destined to persist.

Lynn M. Sanborne '79 says that during her college years students would often deposit belongings in library nooks and vigorously defend their desks.

"They would camp out in the library and really junk up on caffeine," Sanborne says. "People would stake out their table in Hilles and get really territorial. Then I would become envious of those who got the really nice tables and they would have to defend them."

According to Cabot Science Librarian Lynne M. Schmelz, about 33,625 students exited Cabot library during its extended hours spring semester. Of those, 6,753 exits occurred during extended hours, between midnight and 9 a.m.

"There's a lot of in and out," Schmelz says, emphasizing that extended shuttle hours and a 24-hour guard at the Science Center have enhanced study safety.

"I can't say whether students camp out or not, but there's definitely a lot of movement into the library," she says.

Sanborne says pressure to stay in the libraries during reading period stems from the classic Harvard impulse to achieve.

"We would sit around at dinner and play the 'I'm more behind than you are' game. It got pretty tiring," she says.

Time to Absorb

Too much studying may lead to stress and fatigue, but it can also produce high marks.

"Cramming may be a terrible attitude, but people do it and succeed," Young says.

But students say cramming is more productive than spreading studies out over an extended period.

"There is a lot of last minute cramming that goes on," Gonzalez says, "But it does help a lot."

"I would do 90 percent of my course work during reading period," recalls Gina M. Greene '92, who is returning to Harvard from San Francisco for her fifth reunion this year. "I would even feel sorry for my friends at other schools who didn't have the time."

According to Charles Ducey, director of the Bureau of Study Council, last minute review can be productive, but cramming alone rarely yields positive results.

"It stands to reason that you won't retain the information because you haven't done the cognitive reasoning that requires," Ducey says.

Ducey says students have shown a marked interest in developing good study habits. The Bureau sponsored workshops on how to use reading period effectively, which officials said were well-attended.

"Students definitely get a lot out of reading period and want to use the time wisely," he says.

Effect on Extracurriculars

Reading period has come under criticism at the College for extending each semester beyond those of other schools, limiting student opportunities to find summer employment and spend time with family and friends during Winter Recess.

Sanborne dislikes the system but says the break in classes is definitely worth the sacrifice of a few days of vacation.

"[Reading period] does make it harder for students to connect with their families over Christmas and for students on financial aid to find jobs come summer, but it also allows many students to get more out of their extracurriculars," Sanborne says.

"In the long run those type of activities end up being as enriching as classes," she says.

Extracurriculars which require large time commitments often force students to postpone work until reading period.

Both Epps and Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 stressed the importance of extracurriculars--including athletics and public service--and the necessity of reading period for a healthy system of clubs on campus.

"We have such an active student body, we would be in a situation without reading period for them to cram," says outgoing Assoc. Dean of Freshman Burris Young '55, recalling how a former roommate used reading period to accomplish work shelved during his football season.

Goodman says eliminating reading period would remove the motivation for many students to hit the books.

"If they were to give us the time over Christmas break, my impression is that no work would get done. It's very hard to take books home and actually get stuff accomplished," Goodman says.

But Young says that many students establish job contacts ahead of time, taking into account the weeks lost in their job search due to reading period studies.

"If you put your mind to it, you can always get a summer job," Young says. "If you go from classwork straight smack into exams without a chance to switch gears, the tension would be unimaginable," he says.

A Rowdy History

But reading period is not simply a glorified study session. Once punctuated by house parties, campus pranks and general rowdiness, administrators and librarians say that reading period has become a true time to study in recent years.

Primal Scream, the midnight steak across the Yard that consecrates exams and ends reading period each year, began as a Radcliffe tradition that migrated from the Quad to the Yard as the College began to hold joint classes after World War II. Prior to that, Young says, Harvard men observed the pagan ritual from a distance.

"Harvard [students] sat quietly in [their] dorms and studied," says Young. "There was never so much as a whimper, but we could hear them running in the Quad."

Similarly, in Harvard's early days students would do almost anything to avoid finals. As early as 1791, students were engaging in pranks such as secretly mixing emetic into the communal breakfast pot in order to stave off exams.

"We would relieve tension through pranks," says A. Thomas Conlin '42, who will return for his 55th reunion this year. Conlin, who currently resides in Whittier, CA. recalls painting a sundial like a barber shop post and corralling bikes in spring 1940 atop Kirkland House.

"Back then everyone rode a bike," Conlin recalls. "Then one morning they woke up to find them all hidden on top of the House."

Recent Frustrations

Students and Faculty expressed frustration at the use of reading period last month. Saying the week has become a time to complete multiple term papers simultaneously while still attending sections, they have asked for a re-evaluation of reading period.

In a letter to Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals Peter J. Gomes decried the growing practice of section meetings and assignments extending into reading period.

"Nibbling at the edges of the periods and transforming them into extra instructional days seems to me a violation of a useful and long accepted custom in our faculty," Gomes writes.

He notes that, "Arguing for our old fashioned calendar, out of harmony with nearly every other peer institution in the country, we have used the benefits of the reading period as arguments for the status quo."

And other Faculty seem to agree with Gomes, favoring reform or reconsideration of reading period as an academic structure over a continuation of the status quo.

"I wouldn't object to [its] being eliminated," says Steven K. Vogel, assistant professor of government. Vogel says he would restructure his course work in order to accommodate a new academic schedule, offering two 10-page papers rather than a term paper.

"There are definitely things to be gained from eliminating [reading period] such as exams before Christmas," Vogel says, noting that at present he and fellow professors often structure course assignments to prevent students from putting off work until reading period.

"Part of the problem at Harvard is that students tend to think they can get everything together in one week," Vogel says.

"The Faculty most definitely need to take reading period under consideration," he says.

Defending Reading Period

So should reading period be done away with, or modified? For many students, the cushion of time before exams does allow added digestion of course materials and a well-deserved mental break, while Faculty are able to assign longer, more comprehensive projects bringing together focal points in their courses.

Goodman says reducing term papers to shorter papers distributed throughout the term would reduce the depth of study.

"Writing a long paper you have to get more in-depth," Goodman says. "When it get's down to writing a 25-page paper, you have to really know what's going on or it will show," he says.

For courses designed with heavy workloads, Goodman says reading period is a safety valve that eases academic pressure.

"It would be almost impossible to finish all the work without reading period," says Goodman. "Without it, the work simply wouldn't get done and people would learn less."

Gonzalez also defends reading period, saying it allows students precious moments of repose.

"You have enough time to study once exam period begins, but we all need time to relax," she says.

Reading period also gives students a chance to review a course at length far beyond simple cramming.

Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans notes that many courses hold review session during reading period which allow students to supplement their own study schedules with constructive advice and debate.

"Having taught at institutions that didn't have reading periods, I think [eliminating] it would deprive students of the chance to live with the [course] material," says Charles P. Segal, Klein professor of the Classics. Segal says that without reading period, he would anticipate an increased number of incompletes and unfinished term papers.

"My own sense is that the Faculty do make use of reading period," Segal says. "Maybe the answer would be to prepare students more to deal with the papers."

Segal suggests that professors submit paper topics and possible bibliographic sources to students during the term in order to prepare them in advance for the challenges of reading period.

Conlin echoed Nathans' sentiments, noting that during his undergraduate years, reading period proved crucial for many students.

"It gives students a chance to extend themselves. They can sit back and absorb the courses they're taking not as a series of lectures, but as an integrated whole and start to see their purpose," he says. "It's pretty simple: during reading period you work like mad, play like mad and do a little bit of everything.

Gonzalez also defends reading period, saying it allows students precious moments of repose.

"You have enough time to study once exam period begins, but we all need time to relax," she says.

Reading period also gives students a chance to review a course at length far beyond simple cramming.

Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans notes that many courses hold review session during reading period which allow students to supplement their own study schedules with constructive advice and debate.

"Having taught at institutions that didn't have reading periods, I think [eliminating] it would deprive students of the chance to live with the [course] material," says Charles P. Segal, Klein professor of the Classics. Segal says that without reading period, he would anticipate an increased number of incompletes and unfinished term papers.

"My own sense is that the Faculty do make use of reading period," Segal says. "Maybe the answer would be to prepare students more to deal with the papers."

Segal suggests that professors submit paper topics and possible bibliographic sources to students during the term in order to prepare them in advance for the challenges of reading period.

Conlin echoed Nathans' sentiments, noting that during his undergraduate years, reading period proved crucial for many students.

"It gives students a chance to extend themselves. They can sit back and absorb the courses they're taking not as a series of lectures, but as an integrated whole and start to see their purpose," he says. "It's pretty simple: during reading period you work like mad, play like mad and do a little bit of everything.