<p>How is AT&T service there nowadays? When we were there last fall it was TERRIBLE, barely usable. Of course our daughter's plan doesn't run out until fall 2013. Plus it's cheaper to keep her on our family plan. A separate Verizon plan would be so expensive, but I hear that's the best reception.</p>
<p>We have ATT family plan (we’re in California), and it works … OK. D has complained in the past that there are some spots on campus where the reception is not so good. However, we have managed to stay in regular touch with her, by text and with regular phone calls, just fine. She does not have a landline in the dorm, although I understand landline phones are available to students who want them. We have had several lengthy cell-to-cell phone calls with her in her dorm room, and have not had problems with dropped calls or bad connection. We all have old flip phones, no smart phones yet in this family. She’s not complaining or asking for a new phone, so … for now, we’re not seeing the need to switch carriers.</p>
<p>Actually, we communicate most often with D via Skype. When we’ve been on campus, ATT service has been awful, but we haven’t had a problem calling her when we need to call her. She hasn’t complained about dropped calls, but I think that she really doesn’t use her cell (at least not nearly as much as HS) now to talk to her friends.</p>
<p>Bottom line. It’s a huge inconvenience when we visit her, but not so much other times.</p>
<p>Our son…also AT&T…has had improved service every year, but I wouldn’t call it spectacular. We can communicate with him when we need to–and it’s gotten better for him on campus, but he does miss texts and calls from his friends, which isn’t always great when you’re trying to schedule a rehearsal.</p>
<p>Verizon is the preferred network.</p>
<p>My son has Verizon and it seems to work everywhere. Cell service seems to be upgrading all the time. Debate the change with her once she attends and sees how good or bad her cell service is. I know that a couple of my son’s friends have AT&T and seem to be fine with it.</p>
<p>With Verizon I get reception everywhere except for the science center (where almost no one gets reception). Friends with AT&T report mixed results – some are fine with it, but it can be a pain if you don’t get good enough reception to make calls from your room.</p>
<p>It really depends on how your daughter uses her phone. Will she be calling people all the time or trying to get in touch with people to make last-minute plans? Bad reception could be a big problem. Does she like to communicate via text, and use Skype and email to stay in touch with people who are farther away? Sticking with AT&T may be fine.</p>
<p>Of course, it’s hard to predict this stuff before getting to campus. It might be smart to start out on AT&T, wait until fall break when she’s settled in a little, and then make a decision about whether that phone plan will be livable.</p>
<p>Some more responses on this topic are here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/oberlin-college/1197531-cell-phones.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/oberlin-college/1197531-cell-phones.html</a></p>
<p>Thank you so much, everyone! I had read the older threads, but as several people pointed out, cell service is being upgraded all the time, so I thought I’d ask for updated opinions.</p>
<p>I think we will do that–start out with AT&T, and then see how it goes. I had thought to get her an iPhone for college, but if we are going to switch to Verizon eventually that would be wasted money. So many other things to buy right now…</p>
<p>:-)</p>
<p>Thanks for the thread. I guess we, too, will continue with AT&T until S can’t take any more.</p>
<p>AT&T seems to be improving vastly since two years ago.</p>
<p>Verizon is the best. Never a problem with reception in Oberlin or the surrounding towns and suburbs where D goes to shop, movies, recreation, etc .</p>
<p>That’s what I hear. It’s just … ugh, $150 to cancel AT&T, plus minimum $40 a month for Verizon, plus $30 if smartphone. We only pay $10 a month now for her plus $15 if smartphone.</p>
<p>Yikes, usernamelm. That would stink. DS will be a freshman in the fall. We will have to just see how it goes…</p>
<p>Using Verizon . . . the only problem I’ve had is that there is evidently a long delay in their system with the delivery of text messages to Oberlin.</p>
<p>I know this because it always takes my kid a long time to text me back . . . :-)</p>
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<p>Good funny. :)</p>