Airplane Mode

I came across this article titled, "Leave Your Phone Behind" on LinkedIn this afternoon.  It has a great message of trying to enjoy the "in-between" moments of life, many of which have now been filled by our phones.  I've owned my share of phones over the past decade since getting my first cell phone.  Six of my last eight cell phones have been smartphones, as I even tried to use a basic talk/text TracFone twice when I was out-of-contract. No luck there. I've become too accustomed to using the BlackBerry/Android/iOS world to go back anytime soon.

However, when reading the linked article, I really appreciated the comment from Catherine J:

I switch my iPhone on airplane mode when I sleep, when having lunch with someone, when having a nap, AT the cinéma, AT the doctor.. The more we use it like an answering machine and a voice box the best it is and if we do so time is optimized!

(JZ grammar edit)

Might I suggest for those campus visits and open houses that you switch your phone onto Airplane Mode as leaving the phone behind on a long trip is not all that useful.  Yet, if you switch the phone over to Airplane Mode while on your campus visit with a parent (let them keep theirs on full mode if they want to), take a deeper look around the campus and take advantage of asking questions of the tour guide or admissions officer/counselor.  These cell phones are great, yet if constantly distracting you with buzzing of new text messages, Facebook likes, Twitter retweets and so on, it can really distract you from your college search and perhaps that one college you were looking at wasn't all that lame, you just didn't see it fully.

So, in this month of August, enjoy the in-between times and when you visit campuses, save up your instant text answers and go share your campus visit experience with your friends at your favorite coffeehouse or a PS3/Xbox battle.