Use free time to read for fun

OK, groan, roll your eyes, sigh heavily. Now that all that unpleasantness is taken care of, let’s talk about every college student’s favorite pasttime — reading.

No doubt with midterms leaping out of the syllabi, students are becoming exhausted and frustrated with reading. Many professors expect their students to have read at least half of that $100 doorstop by now. The academic code inherent in textbook reading is undoubtedly boring and tedious. But don’t let that make you swear off all forms of reading.

Casual reading as an option for filling what little free time students can find often loses to watching television, playing video games or just hanging out. According to a U.S. Department of Education study, less than 3 percent of time outside of the classroom is spent reading for enjoyment.

But it’s time college students reconnect with the power of reading. Whether it’s “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare” or “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance,” casual reading should be an important part of every student’s life. Research compiled by the U.S. Department of Education shows that the benefits for “avid” readers are priceless:

•Avid readers write better and concentrate better. Paper coming due soon? Well-read students have to worry less about rewriting and can focus more on getting to the point. With a solid background in language use, the words flow easier onto the page.

•Avid readers can sift information to understand how unrelated facts can fit into a whole. Those pages and pages of lecture notes may seem overwhelming when it comes time to study for a test, but a reader practiced in the art of piecing together scenarios can easily decipher the important themes. With a broad-based understanding of the subject matter, learning the details is a cinch.

•Avid readers tend to be more flexible in their thinking and more open to new ideas. Such openness can lead to limitless opportunities and advancements in the workplace. Being a team player is essential in today’s work environment, and the ability to arrive at new conclusions is an asset worth more than a 4.0 grade point average.

•Avid readers weather personal problems better without their schoolwork being affected. College is a unique atmosphere rife with unfamiliar experiences. The support group of family and teachers that aid most students through the first 13 years of education becomes a distant resource. Having the internal gumption to persevere through trying times, as many literary figures do, is a quality no student can afford to be without.

Certainly, reading textbooks is an important aspect of a college education but limiting yourself to only textbooks degrades the overall value of reading. As listed above, reading has tremendous educational benefits. However, reading can be and should be fun.

Melissa Christensen is a junior news-editorial major from Grand Island, Neb.