DISTRIBUTION OF TIME OF CORNELL STUDENTS. 553 



for is found in the report of a young lady in sophomore arts. Very 

 many men, on the other hand, especially those in the medical and 

 engineering courses, were able to account for all their time under the 

 rubrics we employed. 



As already explained, the time assigned to self-support may be 

 somewhat understated, because of the lack of the item in the original 

 blank. We know, however, that at least 121 men and 5 women, or 14 

 per cent, of the students here figured, work for their support. In the 

 extreme case, a special student in agriculture, seven hours and twenty 

 minutes daily are devoted to earning a livelihood, while a freshman in 

 the same course, as previously cited, devotes seven hours similarly. 



In Table 3 we have incorporated figures to show the absolute and 

 relative distribution of the cases of work for self-support. It appears 

 that not only is it the average student in agriculture that devotes the 

 most time to support, but also that a greater percentage of such students 

 (about one in three) are so engaged. The lowest percentage, 2.9, is 

 that of mechanical engineering (apart from electrical engineering), 

 which is even lower than that of the women in arts. Or, if we com- 

 bine mechanical and electrical engineering, we observe that only 6.5 

 per cent, of Sibley College students work for their livelihood, as 

 against 19.1 per cent, in arts, 19.5 per cent, in law, 20 per cent, in 

 civil engineering, and 17.2 per cent, in the two medical colleges (by 

 combination). This relation seems significant enough to demand at- 

 tention. In the opinion of a Sibley College professor, it is to be ex- 

 plained on the ground that a larger proportion of Sibley than of other 

 students are the sons of wealthy or well-to-do parents. If the ex- 

 planation be correct, it is of interest as showing the increasing tendency 

 of those who are identified with large business interests to give their 

 sons a ' professional ' rather than a ' liberal culture ' training. 



Summary. 

 On the basis of returns from about one third of the student-body, 

 and subject to the limitations which have been discussed at length 

 above, the following propositions may be laid down in regard to the 

 daily distribution of the time of Cornell students: 



1. Freshmen and seniors give slightly less time to university work 

 than do sophomores and juniors. 



2. The average length of time given to university work is greatest 

 in the colleges of medicine, and progressively less in those of engi- 

 neering, architecture, law, agriculture and arts — the extremes varying 

 from 10.79 to 8.03 hours daily. Though these differences are largely 

 due to the varying amounts of laboratory, shop and field work required, 

 the courses in medicine still seem to demand not only longer, but 

 also harder work than others. 



