Oh, the times they are a changing!

Used to be, a young person headed off to college and the most important thing in their lives was keg night at the student union building. But that’s old school as they say, now your average college student would apparently rather listen to their iPod than put away a few pops.

For the first time, Apple’s iPod has surpassed beer drinking as the most in thing to do at college. Almost 75% of those surveyed said they would rather listen to their iPod’s than go bar hopping, text messaging or downloading music. 73% of the survey group preferred that ubiquitous Apple produce over that offered by Budweiser et al.

It’s quite an achievement for Apple, last year in the same survey the iPod was only chosen by 59% of those surveyed as being the “in” thing, and well below any alcohol related activity.

It’s not all bad news for America’s brewers and distillers though, 71% still list bar hopping and drinking with friends as an “in” activity, tied for second place with facebook.com an online networking site.

The iPod should guard its number one status carefully; beer has only once before been toppled from the number one spot, which was back in 1997 when something called the internet, ruled the college dorms for a year. Once the kids learn how to pop open the tops on their beers as well as thumb through the iPod menus, beer could once again be number one!