Finals week. The most dreaded stretch of the semester. It’s when every ounce of stress, burnout and exhaustion students have carried finally catches up, yet SMU students are given a single day to prepare. Students need a minimum of a two-day reading period to prepare effectively and stay healthy.

A final exam reading period is meant to be a protective window between the last day of classes and the first day of exams. A time for us to review course material, finish work and prepare for the upcoming exams. It’s supposed to allow for meaningful, focused study. With one day, that purpose is lost.

While some universities have a two-day reading period, some even a week, we have one day to synthesize a semester’s worth of material across multiple classes, often five or more.

Cognitive science shows that spaced study over multiple days leads to far better retention than cramming. With one reading day, students are forced into last-minute cramming, the least effective learning strategy, while inherently raising stress. A two-day reading period would encourage healthier study habits, reduce anxiety and give students a chance to get rest before finals.

Although some might argue, “You had the whole semester to prepare,” that ignores reality. Students are learning new material up until the final week of classes. Students are finishing projects, writing papers and completing labs. The reading period is the only dedicated, uninterrupted time to breathe, step back and make the final push before exams.

While some professors finish teaching new material the week prior to finals, others continue lecturing on new, testable content on the last day of classes. If an exam for one of those classes happens to fall on the first day of finals, students essentially have a single day to learn and master brand-new material.

Not only would a longer reading period benefit students, but it would also help professors. Professors would have time to grade end-of-term work without rushing, hold review sessions and catch their breath after a packed semester.

A university’s job is not only to teach students, but also to provide the conditions to succeed. A proper reading period is part of that responsibility. Right now, SMU’s single reading day is little more than a gesture.

The solution is simple: extend the reading period to a minimum of two full days—and make that the standard every semester. While next spring happens to include two reading days, the following two semesters revert to only one. Students shouldn’t have to rely on calendar luck to get adequate preparation time. Just one additional day would show this institution values student success while maintaining well-being. It would give students time to review, meet with study groups, visit professors with questions and go into finals prepared, not panicked.