As a new college student you will find a relatively seamless transition in terms of telephone use. Many schools still offer land lines to students so they can get calls in their room and have a voicemail account. The fact is that most students today don’t use a land line. They simply bring their cell phone and use that for calls from home, friends and other students and faculty.
With that portable phone scenario, many colleges have now implemented policies and guidelines for the use of cell phones on campus and in classrooms. The reason for this is simple. If you can bring your phone to class, there will always be a student who ignores the fact that the professor is teaching and decides to make phone calls and send text messages during class time, thereby disrupting class for other students and missing important information he/she will need for tests and projects.
In addition, policies may apply to cell phone use in libraries, in hallways of dorms and class room buildings and other locations on campus. Be sure you understand and respect your school policies.
Recent studies reveal that professors and students alike admit that the use of cell phones in classrooms environs is disruptive and rude. However, the younger students are, the more tolerant they seem to be about the use of cell phones in ANY environment.
It would seem that the constant use of these devices has become so ingrained in most younger students that they bring these habits with them to college. The challenge is to keep your academic goals in mind and ensure that you actually pay attention in class so you can learn and earn good grades. There is no doubt that text messages and phone calls are distracting to the student using the cell phone and there are few students who can juggle these activities while still paying attention to class work and activity.
Like any other habit, the use of a cell phone or Blackberry can become so addictive that you find it hard to turn it off and be out of touch for even a few minutes, let alone an hour of class time. When you feel the urge to turn on that phone, remember that your voicemail will pick up the message and you can talk freely after your class is finished. Do not be the culprit or the annoyance in class. More and more professors are starting to confiscate phones and insist that students leave the room if they are going to disrupt the class for others. Do you really want to waste your tuition and time standing in the hallway talking to an old high school friend or your college roommate?