College can be a pretty sweet time of life. You’re in a new phase of adulthood, you’re meeting lots of fun new people, you’re getting an education in the field of your dreams (hopefully!), and you’re standing on your own two feet.
And throughout this time, your phone is going to be right by your side. Despite what a lot of people like to say these days, that’s actually a good thing. After all, you’ve got (mostly) everything you need right there in your pocket and all you need to do is unlock the screen to access it.
For a lengthy college course that demands the best from you academically, this can really help you succeed. But not just for this reason alone! Here are a few others you’ll want to keep in mind if you feel bad about your device usage. Of course, remember to look up and have a chat once in a while. Your phone should be a best friend, not an only friend!
You Can Take it Everywhere
It’s the big reason we mentioned above and it’s the main reason why phones became so popular in the first place. It’s also why it makes sense to store your educational resources, projects, and work on something that can be accessed via your phone.
If you’re rushing out the door in the morning to get to campus, the one thing you won’t forget is your phone! So, store all of these items in the cloud, while having a backup saved to a computer or printed off and kept somewhere safe. If you run out of room, you can also invest in an external storage device.
There are More Educational Apps Than Ever
With a phone, you’ll have access to all of them! On the go, wherever you want to use them, your phone will be there to help you learn. From Duolingo for language students to the Khan Academy for a little supplementary knowledge here and there, you can find an app to help out when you’re in an educational pinch.
You can also download apps to help with your future career search. And if someone complains that you’re glued to your screen, just show them one of the apps you’re using. Screen time isn’t necessarily a bad thing at this stage in your life!
It’s Easier to Keep Safe Than Other Devices
You can slip a phone into a pocket or keep it in your hand wherever you go. That makes it a lot easier to keep safe than a tablet or a laptop. Aside from occasionally dropping it, there’s a smaller chance of a phone being damaged as well. Most laptops get smashed up from within someone’s bag! Phones also tend to be harder to ‘crack’ than a laptop. If you’ve ever wanted to know what to do if you click on a phishing link, it’s a lot easier to clean your phone than it is a computer system.
You Can Schedule ‘Downtime’
If you’re finding it hard to use your phone productively, and instead you’re just scrolling TikTok and using Instagram, use the downtime feature present on all modern phones. You should be able to go to your settings, find your screen time data, and then schedule downtime from there.
This will block certain apps at certain times of the day. Early morning, for example, when you’re in bed and need to be somewhere in 20 minutes. Or in the evening, when a lecture is finished and you need some quiet study time. Turn off the apps that are distracting you and start using your phone for good again. You can have fun later!
Phones Can Aid Accessibility
It’s true. It’s also one of the most powerful reasons phones should be allowed in educational settings. Even the simplest of ideas, like audio versions of textbooks, are an accessibility feature. If you’re dyslexic, or you struggle to focus on big chunks of text due to ADHD, you can download one to your phone and have it read to you. Indeed, accessibility should always be encouraged in higher education.
Your phone can be super useful during the college years – more so than ever before. Use it right and it’ll be your best friend. Use it to supplement your learning and use downtime features to prevent it from becoming too distracting. And remember, a phone is easier to take around than a laptop, so it might be the perfect device for your lecture theater.
