It’s been touted as something of a big deal here on campus, after being hard won by students from previous years, and the question now is “has it worked” and “was it a good idea after all”? I’m sure someone on campus is doing research along these lines, especially given the implications for those who work here, and not only the academic and administrative staff.
I’ve been listening to what some have said about what is likely to be an important feature of LSE life. I think generally for some it was meant to be a breather, for others a chance to get away. The students I’ve been speaking to have, on the whole, positive experiences of the reading week. One went on holiday and took reading with them (I wonder how much, though!), another spent time on an essay due this week, whilst another said they had a long lie in, and another had a few lazy mornings. The sense of taking it more slowly was a definite theme.
For me, the reading week was a chance to catch up, to go over some of the readings I missed out on, and to get my educative house in order. I didn’t get as much done as I intended, but I sort of expected this as I set far too ambitious goals. On the whole, it was a welcome period and I feel I have more energy to tackle the next five weeks.
So, without any pretensions to judging this in a social scientific way, informally I would say so far that reading week is a success for students and should be kept. But it is too early to tell, I guess.
