Books Life + Arts

Reading books for fun decreases as students start college

Gerald Sastra/The Cougar

Gerald Sastra/The Cougar

As a hobby, reading for fun can be a common past time for many people. As students begin their college lives, a common issue with most avid readers is finding the time to read between classes and campus life.

Reading books for leisure can sometimes clash with reading books that are required for courses. Many college students have been turned away from reading in their down time as class readings are taking up time in themselves.

“Before college, I used to read at least a book per month and the reason I don’t do it as often anymore is because I don’t have the time,” said English and French junior Alexis Arteaga.

As an English major, Arteaga has literature classes where he is assigned books to read and papers or essays to write about the novels.

“I would say this motivates me to read more even if it’s not for fun,” Arteaga said.

College can encourage students who used to read across multiple genres to open up and try reading more traditional classic novels for classes. Yet, this can also discourage reading for fun for those who do not prefer classic novels, because it can begin to make getting through a book feel like getting through a chore.

After students get to college, a survey from China Daily shows that reading time shrinks down to about half an hour a day or less.

According to the survey, nearly 60 percent of the college students that were spoken to said they were dissatisfied with their reading habits.

An interest in reading could also be transformed into a love for media content such as TV shows and movies. With all the media being based on book content, converting storylines from novels into 30 minutes or less episodes of a TV show can help channel a college student’s attention span.

Advertisers for TV networks may even begin channeling content meant to be geared towards the college experience and college students, according to The New York Times.

As students begin their life at college, time becomes more dedicated to adult tasks and narrowing down which hobbies will stick with you for the rest of your life, and for some, reading for fun does not make the cut.

“I think that what has caused the decline of my reading habits is the myriad of responsibilities I have as an adult now,” Arteaga said. “Besides school, I also have to do adult things which require much time.”

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