College freshman in America are more focused on their academics than their social lives this year, according to a study done by researchers at UC Los Angeles.

The 49th annual American Freshman study shows college freshman who lived through much of the nation’s economic turmoil during junior high and high school place as high a priority on  and it found the self-reported rates of alcohol and cigarette use for first-year students at four-year colleges were at their lowest rates in 30 years. 

Sonoma State University students seem to agree with the findings of the study.

“In my experience I had a really hard time, my freshman year, balancing my social life with my academia because of everything going on in SSU and I wasn’t used to that,” said Mary LoFranco, communications major and junior. “I was super social and I still got good marks but freshman that I know this year [are] definitely more academically focused. I’m in a sorority and I know they have requirements to meet, academic standards, I think that definitely holds them accountable hopefully balancing as well.” 

Freshman and business major, Emily Coats is more focused on her academics rather than her social life and believes students should focus more on their education. 

“One of my past roommate, half of the population of the freshman is gone by the first semester because either they party to hard, don’t focus on their studies and they have to leave because they are too focused on their social lives and forget that they are here to be at school,” said Coats.

Last year, 18 percent of students that were surveyed, spent at minimum of 16 hours a week socializing and going out to have fun, but more than 41 percent said they didn’t party or socialize at all.  Between 1987 and 2014, students who partied for at least six hours or more per week decreased quickly from barely 36 percent to under 9 percent. 

The survey found that less students spent time during the senior year at high school at parties, which is understandable since parents are getting stricter and other possibilities. From the survey that found less students partying in their senior year in high school, 41.3 percent stated that they didn’t go to parties at all, and then 61.4 percent said they had spent less than an hour a week at parties. Over time, the percentage of which students who had spent six or more hours per week at parties have dropped greatly, from 34.5 percent to 8.6 percent. 

There are also college freshman that find their own middle ground between focusing on their academics and their social lives.

“I think it’s not even necessarily bad, just students are trying to find a balance but still have do your work and actually be educated and learn,” said Josh Salem, biochemistry major and freshman. “It makes sense because there has been a lot more pressure and school is getting harder.”

A portion of the freshman class planning to receive a master’s degree was roughly about 44 percent in 2014 compared to the 28 percent in 1974. A significance of 82 percent of students favored the importance of being financially stable one day. The survey was on responses from more than 153,000 students across the United States, according to UCLA. When students are spending less time socializing with friends, the amount of time on social networks are increasing quickly.

“UCLA and high prestigious schools is where they are obviously be more dedicated to their academics. It’s harder for the students to be more social nowadays because of media and focusing on their studying rather than going out and socializing with people,” said Alissa Becker, pre-nursing major, freshman. “I probably focus more on school rather than who I am going to hang out today because my priorities is to get good grades.” 

It’s a trend every year that freshman enter college intending to focus on academics for the first semester but after the first semester, they start putting schoolwork off. 

“I can definitely say that I noticed students focusing on academics more,” said Gracie Pino, a community service Adviser and communications major. “Students this year are focusing on school and are more academically minded.”