Hello everyone.

For the past three years students have dealt with the repercussions of not having a reading week and expressed the urgent need for it repeatedly. We need the opportunity to engage with the material fully so that the content becomes something truly known and approached critically rather than superficial information. We need the opportunity to explore topics of interest by having time to immerse ourselves in the reading list. We need to give first years the chance to adapt and become confident in the material they are now handling.

A reading week is more than just a week to do nothing, it is a period that encourages academic growth, allowing students to become aware that they are now contributing to the ongoing discussions of their subjects. The university should aim to foster freethinking and critical members of society rather than produce a collection of individuals who all memorised the same date and name. This kind of individual requires time to flourish and establish themselves. 

As such, students require a timetabled reading week to be reinstated in order to improve the quality of their academic, personal and professional development.