When NIU students begin partying too early in the week, Friday classes can suffer the most.

One reason Fridays have historically low class attendance is because some students begin their partying on Thursday night, if not earlier.

The three-day Labor Day weekend was such a relief for students feeling the shock from their first week of classes that some students may make a habit of the three-day weekend.

“It does seem that students like to practice three-day weekends, because they tend to think it starts Thursday night,” English instructor Lori Lawson said. “It’s the prequel to the weekend; students are getting primed.”

Waking up for class on Friday morning can prove to be a monumental task for students who party on Thursday nights.

“If I’m laying in bed sleeping, getting up for class is the last thing I want to do, but I always try to go,” said Sarah Green, a junior math education major.

Many students still are dedicated to going to class every day and will not let partying get in the way.

“I always go to class on Fridays,” said Lea Hartman, a senior art education major. “I’ve skipped only one class since I’ve been here, just for fun. People who go out on Thursdays are too lazy to get up. They’re slackers.”

One of the main reasons students go to class on Friday is that they need to go in order to get a good grade, math instructor Marcia Lack said.

Tough classes are a major reason for attendance on Friday, but another reason seems to be that most students are still in their “go-to-class mode” at the beginning of the semester, Lack said.

“I have a higher attendance rate on Fridays because students feel that they can relate to a younger teacher,” Lack said.

Many of the juniors and seniors at NIU know how to balance the nightlife with their dedication to their studies.

For all those new students that are finding it hard to go to class because of their urge for nightlife, Hartman offers a thought about getting up and going to class on Friday morning.

“Just do it.”