Jazmine Darden, a math and physics major at Augsburg College, touches base with her mother almost every day. But the phone calls that were routine when she was a freshman have been replaced by texts as she enters her senior year.
"Before and after every test, I text," she said.
That may sound like a lot of texting, but it's a strategy that works for Darden.
"With parents, the more you let them know, the less they pry," she said. "They feel like if anything was going on, you would let them know."
A generation ago, college students typically made a single phone call home every week. These days, instant access is cheap, easy and, in some cases, expected.
"Texting is how families communicate now," said Marjorie Savage, Parent Program director at the University of Minnesota. Savage says that as many as 85 percent of parents text their children at the university. "It's a quick way to check in and can reduce stress on both sides," she said. "It's less of a commitment than a phone call."
Adrienne Young, an incoming senior at Augsburg College, agrees. "I run track and cross country and I text my parents after meets with my times," she said. "Texting gets it done."
Whether it's via text or old-fashioned phone calls, parents and students alike appreciate the ability to stay in close contact. But student advocates caution that constant communication can be too much of a good thing.
