An essential part of the college experience is how students spend their time. The NIU freshmen class tends to spend more time on leisure then on their studies, as many past classes have.

In the Cooperative Institutional Research Program survey, freshmen responded on how they budget their time at NIU.

Friends seem to be high on the priority list for freshmen. Forty percent of freshmen indicated they spend 16 hours or more socializing with friends. Only 0.1 percent of the freshmen said they spent no time with their friends at all.

“I spend about 20 hours a week with my friends, but I live with most of them so it’s hard not to spend the time,” said freshman pre-business major Jim Rose.

Television is another big activity for freshmen, with more than 40 percent watching it six or more hours a week, 9 percent of that number watch it 16 or more hours a week.

“I watch TV about six or more hours a week, a lot of that time was made up from the soap operas I watch,” said freshman English major Melinda Graham.

The time spent partying during a week averages at about six or more hours for NIU freshmen, often a large portion of the time spent with friends. A surprising 14 percent responded they do not spend any time partying during a full week.

Many freshmen do their partying at greek parties or apartment parties since getting into bars while underage in DeKalb is a difficult task.

Exercise and sports seem to be big on the NIU freshmen agenda. twenty percent of those polled said they spend 16 hours or more a week exercising or playing sports. Another 51 percent spend six or more hours a day in some sort of physical activity.

“As for exercising, I spend an hour a day working out this semester,” Rose said.

Academically speaking, about 40 percent of the freshmen said they spent six hours or more studying or doing homework during a week. Only five percent said they spent 16 hours or more attending to their studies.

“I can spend 20 hours a week doing my school work. Sometimes it can be overwhelming, but I’ve learned to adjust,” Rose said.

“I spend about two to four hours a day doing schoolwork. I learned after last semester to improve my studying habits,” Graham said.

Participation in school activities is low as well. Forty percent of those surveyed said they do not spend any time participating in student clubs and organizations. Only 18 percent said they spent six or more hours involved in NIU activities.