Read for leisure

We all know one of the most integral parts of succeeding in university is completing the required readings. Reading is a massive part of academic prosperity no matter which faculty, program or concentration you are in. These school readings come in all different shapes and sizes; everything from academic articles, course packages and online readings to the classic textbook must be carefully read in some capacity. The required readings for a course might very well be just as important as lecture material, putting that much more importance on students actually completing the readings.

So where can students fit in time for non-academic reading? The thought almost seems ridiculous to those who would never use their spare time to do more reading. However for those students who find reading their most pleasurable pastime, how can they fit it in to their schedules?

It’s important to realize there are many different types of pleasure readers. There are those who like nothing more than to read. After their readings and notes are done for a class, they have no problem picking up a dense 600-page Dan Brown soft cover and melting into the couch for hours on end. This type of reading can be rewarding but risky. Oftentimes those books can become quite addicting and those course readings get put on the backburner, especially if it’s in a series. Being a full-blown book lover can be manageable in university, but be sure to distribute your time evenly to get priority readings done first.

There are also students who like to pleasure read but on a smaller level. These are the students who might pick up a light novel mid-semester but mainly stick to magazines and long form blogs. Having a more casual pleasure reading style naturally fits better with a university course load and lightens the literary mood. Reading light-hearted magazines and thought-provoking blogs can be a good way to contrast the heavy literature you often find in course readings. This type of pleasure reading would be most recommended because it perfectly balances out time commitment and subject matter.

Last is the procrastination pleasure reader. This type of person exclusively reads time-consuming list articles from BuzzFeed or Thought Catalogue that have little-to-no literary substance. The main motive behind reading is so they don’t have to read course material. This probably makes up a decent portion of pleasure readers on campus but it’s not all bad. Reading different posts from all over the Internet can expand opinions and spark conversations. You have to make sure to have some self-control because one clicks too many can quickly turn into three hours of wasted time.

Pleasure reading while at university is do-able. There are tons of opportunities to brush up on a good book or even indulge in some short, quirky study break articles. This type of reading is good for stimulating creativity and free flowing ideas, but be cautious of not getting too caught up in too much of it. Balance is the key to success with all the readings you have to do.