Do Princeton students spend too few hours in class and lecture each day?

On a recent "60 Minutes" episode, Andy Rooney voiced a complaint about what he sees as the meager amount of time that college students spend in class.

Rooney pointed to the limited number of hours per week devoted to lectures and seminars and the presence of long weekends in many students schedules — specifically the absence of Friday classes. People with jobs in the "real" world don't get Fridays off, he said, or spend only a few hours at work each day.

Yet many Princeton students are hesitant to support Rooney's assertion that students don't spend enough time in class.

Some argue that students spend time out of class doing independent work, which can be just as productive as class time. Yet they still concede the benefits of attending scheduled classes.

Kyle Detwiler '05, for example, said he has not, to date, skipped a class at the University.

"My philosophy is that if I miss the class, in theory I could do an hour's equivalent of work, but I can always do that work later," he said.

Detwiler highlighted the importance of class time in shaping students' study habits and providing material that can not be found outside of class.

"Lectures — even bad ones —do provide another lens through which to visualize the given information," he said. "Also, sometimes they'll give tips, tricks, or a strategy to take the quizzes or tests. Once in awhile, some information will pop in lecture that won't be in the readings."

Carlton Wynne '02 voiced a similar strict adherence to attending lectures.

"I really don't skip any lectures," he said. "The classes are one of the main reasons I came to Princeton."

Wynne added that, if he ever did skip class, he would feel like he was wasting his parents' considerable investment in his education.

Others have different opinions.

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Courtney Coleman '03, who admits to not attending all her lectures, said, "There are many times that I feel that I have more important things to do than attend lecture. If I know that lecture is crucial to being successful in class or that lecture will be captivating, then I will attend. There are many classes which seem to have lectures that are not important and not interesting, particularly in the math and economics departments."

Should students be spending more time in class? Taking the whole-student approach that emphasizes students are not just made up of what they study in class, Coleman said no.

"I believe that Princeton students use their time outside of class to perform tasks that would be just as productive, if not more productive, than extra time in class," she said. "Some classes might benefit from having more class time, but overall, I think that most classes are sufficiently covered with three hours per week."

Wynee agreed with the possibility of students utilizing their time out of class for productive activities, yet clarified that he believes this use of time depends on the individual student.

"I think Princeton offers a great balance between class time and out-of-class work," he said. "More out-of-class time may be just as productive as class time in some instances, but I would think that some people wouldn't use that time as wisely as others. Sometimes it's good to get some direction and teaching in class before heading out on our own to write papers and reflect on what we've heard in lectures."

Some professors, though, argue that this limited amount of class time impedes their ability to sufficiently cover course material.

Organic chemistry professor Maitland Jones said it would be beneficial for students to spend more time in class. When asked if he ever feels frustrated because he does not have enough class time to cover necessary material, he replied, "100 percent, absolutely, yes. Twelve weeks per semester is ridiculous."

Jones said the average amount of time students spend in class has decreased over the years he has been a professor and since he was a student.

Yet some say that, contrary to the belief that students of today spend less time in class, they actually are in class for longer hours than in days past.

Associate director of media relations at Columbia University Suzanne Trimel said she subscribes to this view.

"The average class load [at Columbia] is five classes per semester [15.5 credits] for a total of 124 credits to graduate and this has not changed over the years," she said. "If anything, today's students may be taking more classes per semester. Independent study is not an alternative to class time. Rather, both pedagogical forms may be balanced in the student's overall course of study." Another issue is how much time Princeton students spend on vacation — with a break for every season. Yet many students feel vacations provide a necessary opportunity to recuperate from their demanding schedules. It's not the amount of time students spend at school, they said, but rather the intensity of work during this time.

"Vacation time is key," Wynne said. "Even though my friends at other schools think I don't go to school very much during the year, I don't think they fathom the kind of workload Princeton students deal with out of the classroom and even during vacation."

Wynne added that he occasionally uses vacation time to catch up on work.

"But I still need some free time with the family and friends to get re-energized to come back to school," he added.