This series of blog posts is intended specifically for seniors and their parents. It stems from our desire in to start our pending graduates down the path of transitioning to college, away from high school, away from their comforts, and away from home earlier in the spring. This can be a challenging time, and there are no right or wrong answers; there is no “how to” book that applies to all situations. As such, what we endeavor to do is to provide a series of questions and discussion points for seniors and their parents to examine on a weekly basis throughout the spring. We ask students and their parents to set a time each week to discuss the new topic. Some topics will be more easily navigated once a student knows where he/she is attending college, but each, we believe, is worth exploring regardless of whether the destination is known. It is our hope that these discussions will strengthen bonds and result in a more streamlined and self-aware transition.

For our first topic, we want to start relatively simply, to start the habit of having these discussions with a relatively simple query:

Will you have a cellular phone at college?

Here are some corollary points to ponder:

If you will not have a cell phone, how will communication occur?
Will you purchase a new phone or use your current phone?
Will you purchase a local phone (in your university’s country) or buy one at home and then purchase a local SIM card?
Have you researched options yet?
Will you keep two phones, one from home and one local to your college?
Who will be responsible for paying the monthly bill?
If you are buying the phone, who will be responsible for paying for it?
What sorts of restrictions or calling, texting, data packages are you considering?

In this conversation, we have steered deliberately clear of the question of expectations surrounding how the phone might be used. That topic will come up later!

This piece is part of a series on “transitioning to college.” We encourage graduating seniors and their parents or guardians to engage in discussion on a weekly basis about these topics. If you have feedback or additional ideas or perspectives to share, please let us know so we can incorporate your thoughts into revisions of our posts.