This semester, many students have been constantly busy reading and they are not just burying themselves in textbooks.
Some students enjoy reading books for their personal enjoyment, but others are not so fond of reading as a hobby.
Business administration senior Lexi Buntley revealed that she enjoys reading, particularly thrillers and romance. Additionally, she reflected on how popular reading as a hobby is currently.
“It’s probably not very popular, just because everyone’s so busy, and sometimes it just slips your mind, or like a lot of times, you’re reading a lot for your classes, and so you’re just tired of reading,” Buntley said.
With new technologies, reading has changed so much as a hobby. Now, there are devices people can read books on, such as Kindles, and many apps that let people subscribe to access thousands of books. Many people even enjoy audiobooks.
Buntley reflected on how common reading is now compared to what it used to be.
“I feel like it’s less [common] because of all of our class and stuff, but then also now we have all the electronics, so sometimes we want to go watch a movie or go watch TV,” Buntley said.
With so much work to do and so little time to do it, many students find it difficult to prioritize reading beyond the reading they already have to do for classes.
“There’s a lot of other things to do, and then also you just want to do something else, like if your roommates or friends are around, you don’t really want to go pick up a book. You want to go hang out with them,” Buntley said.
Students enjoy a variety of different books and genres, with thrillers being very popular.
Third-year optometry student Erica Dann revealed her current favorite reads.
“I enjoy reading fiction books,” Dann said. “I really like “The Nightingale,” more of historical fiction. I like thrillers a lot too, though. I just read ” The Housemaid” and that one was really good.”
Reading is enjoyable for many students, but they often struggle to find time amid their coursework, jobs, and other responsibilities.
Dann discussed what she believes prevents students from enjoying reading more, as well as what has been a struggle for her personally.
“Probably studying, especially in college-age students, because I know that’s the case for me,” Dann said. “I have to read textbooks all the time, so I’m already doing so much reading, so it’s probably that I just get busy.”
Despite struggling to find time to read, students have acknowledged the benefits of making time to read, reporting positive experiences when they do.
For Dann, reading offers several benefits that keep her coming back to books whenever she gets the chance.
“[The benefits include] probably just relaxing, getting your mind out of your own mind and entering a new world if it’s fiction or even with self-help books, just learning something new,” Dann said.
However, not all students enjoy reading. After the constant studying and reading endless material for classes, some students just need a break.
Manufacturing engineering freshman Kaden Curtis expressed a lack of interest in reading both in college and as a child.
“I think mainly it’s the starting of reading a book that’s just boring, and I can’t really bring myself to do it,” Curtis said.
Curtis prefers entertainment from other media that is easier to engage with and less challenging to begin.
“I definitely would [say social media makes a difference] because it’s a lot easier and a lot more engaging,” Curtis said. “I’m more of a TV show guy. I like crime TV shows.”
While reading can be a fun and exciting hobby for many students, some just prefer other forms of entertainment. However, reading remains a popular hobby on campus even in the digital age.