55° 



POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



Table 5. 

 Final totals, all students. 895 cases (33 per cent.). 



It is evident that eleven hours is much more than the time given 

 to work by the average student, and in my opinion, much higher than 

 can be expected. For, judging from what I know of the conditions 

 in other universities, especially in the east, I believe that Cornell stu- 

 dents devote more serious and longer attention to their studies than 

 the students of most institutions of learning, and I should certainly 

 be surprised if further investigations of this sort should reveal institu- 

 tions of a comparable type whose students average more than nine 

 hours daily in university work. 



Comparing our results still further with the hours recommended, 

 it will be seen that the eight hour period uniformly thought desirable 

 for sleep is very closely approximated. 



The time given by the average student to amusement, however, is 

 about a quarter of an hour longer than that suggested by President 

 Eliot and an hour and a quarter longer than that suggested by Presi- 

 dent Schurman. This may be due in part to the fact that our term 

 ' amusement ' includes letter writing and general reading not directly 

 connected with university work— both items that might possibly be 

 regarded as ' work ' in President Schurman's use of the term. On 

 the other hand, the discrepancy is not uniformly present, for we ma} 

 note, by reference to Table 3, that less than two hours of amusement 

 is indicated for students in the medical colleges and for the group of 

 graduate and special students. 



In contrast to amusement, the time given by the average student 

 to all forms of physical exercise, including military drill, walking, 

 skating, gymnasium, out-door games and athletics is less than that 

 recommended. This is true of every course, of every class and of 

 both sexes. 



Precisely the same thing may be said of meals, the period being 

 uniformly less than that assigned — about half an hour less than the 

 figures of President Schurman and an hour and a half less than those 

 of President Eliot. We shall return to this point in a moment. 



