RAJA THIRU/Arizona Daily Wildcat Biology freshman Heidi Tso studies in her room late at night. According to the National Sleep Foundation, teenagers need about 9.25 hours of sleep per night.

When asked how much sleep he gets, a droopy-eyed Jack McAuliffe shrugs and says, "Not enough."

For freshmen like McAuliffe, it's hard to resist taking advantage of newly discovered freedoms like being able to hang out with your friends whenever you want.

Friends and parties near campus are the main reasons McAuliffe and many of his house mates haven't been getting a lot of sleep since they moved into Coronado Residence Hall.

"It's nice at first, but then it's bad," said the pre-business freshman about having friends so close by.

"I don't get much sleep," he said.

Not having one's parents around to enforce curfew leaves freshmen the freedom to stay out as late as they choose, and many do not hesitate to do so.

Monica Munn, a pre-physiological science freshman, said that she and her friends are taking advantage of the college social scene even at the expense of losing sleep.

"We go to parties," Munn said.

Munn said that one of the challenges of residence hall life is trying to keep up on homework while making time for friends.

"I study late and put things off ëtill‰ the last minute," she said.

Munn said that she is usually up until 2 a.m. finishing homework after spending the night socializing.

The problem of sleep deprivation is an issue not only at UA, but across the country.

Fifteen percent of students surveyed at Louisiana Tech University reported that they are not happy with the amount of sleep they get, according to a study that appeared in the Journal of American College Health.

Although freshmen may be having a great time during their first year of college, national studies have said that they are making the wrong choice when they decide to party instead of sleep.

The National Sleep Foundation reported that teenagers need as much as 9.25 hours of sleep per night. Without appropriate rest, the NSF said students may experience lower test scores, higher stress levels and difficulty performing daily tasks.

Molly Maull, a pre-education freshman, said that a rigorous schedule of classes combined with homework, jobs, extracurricular activities and a social life is difficult to balance.

"Sundays are sleep days," Maull said, adding that distractions like friends and homework make it difficult for her to get to bed during the rest of the week.

But not all students are having a tough time catching some Zs.

Tyler Thompson, a broadcast journalism freshman at ASU, said that having enough time for homework, socializing and sleep is simply a matter of smart planning.

Thompson said that one of the worst feelings is being groggy in class.

"I hate feeling lazy," he said.

So to avoid being groggy in class, Thompson said he schedules all his classes in the afternoon.

"That way, I get my nine hours [- and still] go to sleep late," Thompson said.

Thompson said that proper planning allows him to have some time in the morning to get ready for the day, time that allows him to do something else that many college students neglect to make time for - eat breakfast.

"I planned ahead," Thompson said. "[That way] I learn better."