<p>Assuming there is fixed phone at the room.</p>
<p>You do not need to have a cell phone. This is entirely up to you. It probably will be much cheaper for you to stay in touch with your friends and family in your home country by email. If you do need to call them, you can buy a phone card and use that with your land-line phone in the room.</p>
<p>There are many options for cell phones. Wait until you get here and find out what services are available in your area.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>No, but since virtually all other students will have cell phones, you may find it’s in your best interest to get one. E-mail is much easier for keeping in contact with family back at home, but cell phones are much easier for keeping up with friends at school, such as by texting or just calling.</p>
<p>None of my international friends got a cell phone immediately upon arriving in the US (mostly because of SSN issues) but most of them had one by the end of the first year in college. </p>
<p>A cell phone makes it easier to stay in touch with friends in the US because you probably won’t be in your room very much during the day. (“Hey, do you wanna have lunch together in half an hour?”) A land line is good for calls that are planned ahead of time or not very time-sensitive, e.g. for calling your family overseas or setting up appointments.</p>
<p>cell phone = social life
Alright, it is not a requirement but it makes it easier.
If you don’t want all the hassle of SSN and contracts get a phone with Virgin Mobile, you don’t have to pay over the summer if you are out of the country, so it is cheaper in the long run.</p>
<p>
Good idea, but the cheapest option depends on how much you use the phone. For example, for $30 a month you can get
- 400 minutes with a prepaid plan or
- 1300 minutes with a contract </p>
<p>A few useful things to know about cell phones in the US: You have to pay for incoming as well as outgoing calls and messages. There are some monthly plans that don’t charge you if you don’t use the phone at all during a given month. If you opt for a prepaid pay-as-you-go plan, you should be aware that you need to top up your balance every (60 or 90) days to keep your service active, so you might have to pay while you are abroad as well.</p>
<p>I would suggest going to US and getting a family plan with your fellow international students. It’s cheaper.</p>
<p>b@r!um : <3</p>
<p>yeah if you are abroad for a long time you might have to reactivate your phone, even maybe with a new phone number. If that happens, I’ll just text all my friends with my new phone number. </p>
<p>What I get with Virgin Mobile per month is
200 daytime minutes
500 nighttime minutes
1000 messages</p>
<p>for $35 including tax</p>
<p>I don’t think I would really need more than 700 minutes per month.
Oh, and I’m not in the US for about 4 months per year so I get to save that.</p>
<p>Depending on your country there are specific calling cards that you can use. I call my family for 5 cents a minute!</p>
<p>If the cell phone is gonna be used a lot then I should get one…
But do international students get friends quick enough so always have someone to call and text with? any int students who have have spent first year in us like to share some experience?? thanks to all u guys for replying.:-)</p>
<p>The first few weeks of the year are the easiest time to meet new people because all of the first-year students are new to college and anxious to make friends. It’s up to you how fast new acquaintances develop into friendships.</p>
<p>and it is also easy for transfer students to get now friends??</p>
<p>Any other international thinking about getting that sweet new $99 iPhone and getting a pay-as-you-go plan? Would that work?</p>
<p>
The plans for the $99 offer start at $70 a month with a 2-year contract. You cannot just buy the phone and use any plan you want.</p>
<p>Hey guys. How do I know for sure that my cell phone will work in the States? Call/email AOL or something?</p>
<p>Can I take my old cellphone to US and get a cellular service on it over there? Or do I need to get a totally new contract phone from VirginMpbile or any other cellular network?</p>
<p>@ talha_adnan…I don’t think your old cellphone will work there. You’ll have to sign a contract with a cellular company and they’ll provide you with a phone according to the package. The better the package, the better the phone.</p>
<p>cell phones are necessary everywhere nowadays. get one.</p>
<p>Thanks krakenjack! 
I checked out VirginMobile deals their phones aren’t so good. Most of them were samsung. What if I want a cell phone from some better company and still get a cheap package? 
</p>
<p>Most national carriers offer prepaid options and each has a different selection of phones. However, of all the prepaid providers I am aware of, Virgin Mobile is the cheapest. Or you can wait until you have a SSN and get a monthly plan. Consumer Cellular has a cheap plan that gives you 200 minutes for $20, and you can cancel the plan any day.</p>