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ANNOUNCER: From NBC News world headquarters in New York,
this is NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams.
ANCHOR: What if we you that college kids are studying less than ever before?
That's what some new research shows,
and while you might be tempted to say it's a lack of discipline or perhaps too much fun
during those four years,
as our chief education correspondent Rehema Ellis found out, it is a sign of the times.
REPORTER: Many college students spent the last few weeks hard at work studying for final exams.
Dan Moldanado calls it "crunch time."
DAN: Basically all day here in the library. Most of the time not sleeping at all, so it
definitely kicks up during finals time.
REPORTER: Margie Cadet is a neuroscience major and racked up lots of study hours.
MARGIE: Between 25 and 35.
REPORTER: But research shows that's more the exception than the rule.
The National Survey of Student Engagement reveals college students are actually studying
less than they did 50 years ago.
Back then the average study time was 24 hours a week. That has dropped to about 15 hours.
KINSEY: Time might be an overly simplistic measure.
REPORTER: Jillian Kinsey at Indiana University has spent more than a decade
studying study habits.
KINSEY: What students put into their college education is a good measure or estimate of
the value that they get out of it.
REPORTER: Today those measurements are often equated with costs.
With rising tuition fees, some wonder shouldn't studying time be up to?
While some might think college is easier today, students we talked to disagree,
saying they just study more efficiently.
BECCA: Fifteen hours a week teaching yourself material for four to five classes, I think,
is perfectly adequate.
REPORTER: Others credit the modern age, saying technology reduces time spent in the library
reading and writing.
SYDNEY: It's easier now, I'd say, finding information.
REPORTER: Vice Provost Cynthia Rawitch says, like many college students across the U.S.
students at Cal State Northridge must juggle more than just coursework.
RAWITCH: The vast majority of our students are working, and many of them are working
far more than the 20 hours a week that we suggest. (inaudible talking)
REPORTER: Junior Lauren Glazer juggles more than just a full courseload.
LAUREN: Full-time student, full-time job and there is no downtime.
REPORTER: This latest generation of students finding new ways to learn
both in and out of the classroom. Rehema Ellis, NBC News, New York.