Center for Studies in Higher Education

Class attendance and out-of-class study time are known to be strongly associated with academic engagement and college GPA. The paper examines two other uses of time as influences on academic outcomes: those devoted to active engagements with friends and community as opposed to passive entertainments, and those that connect students to campus life rather than separating them from campus life. Controlling for students’ socio-demographic backgrounds, previous academic achievements, and social and psychological stressors, we find that “activating” uses of time are associated with higher levels of academic engagement and higher GPAs. However, uses of time that connect students to campus life show inconsistent effects.