As college students, our phones and the Internet are what keep us feeling safely connected and comfortably findable in the world. Sometimes, however, we are so concerned with staying connected to everyone we know that we do not realize how we affect people around us, who are quite often annoyed by our phone-related habits. Below are a few things to keep in mind when you’re thinking of taking that call.

You don’t have to answer every call. Let’s say your best friend from home is visiting you here at school. He took a three-hour bus ride then a plane just to get here. You haven’t seen each other in months and you just sat down to dinner when…your phone rings. It’s your suitemate calling to ask what she should wear to the party later. Do you really need to pick up? No, you don’t.

If there is any rule that takes precedence, it is this one: be respectful of other peoples’ time. Your friend didn’t take the time and effort to come here and watch you talk on your phone, he came here to spend time with you, and you should be humbled by this notion. Just because this is a close friend, that does not mean you should not show him the same respect that you would—hopefully—show a first date.

Do not answer your phone when you are out at dinner, or if you are engaged in some kind of activity where it would be noticeable if you picked up a call. Screen the call and if it is an emergency, politely excuse yourself and step outside or into a room where you will not be disturbing others. Once you pick up, listen to what the caller needs and let that know when you will call her back. Except in cases of extreme emergency, this conversation should not take more than five minutes.

Just because you can bring a cell phone anywhere it does not mean that you should.

This device truly lends itself to multitasking, but try to avoid it if you can. In New York, cell phone users can expect a $50 fine for talking during a live performance or at a museum. Hopefully, we all recognize those as places where it is not acceptable to talk, but there are various other places that we do not think about. Try not to talk—or at least keep it short and sweet—when you are somewhere like a train, elevator or line where others around you cannot leave.

And for God’s sake, do not answer your cell phone in the library! Make sure you are securely outside or in the stairwell before even thinking about flipping open that phone. Try to keep it on silent, or at least vibrate, because no one wants to be interrupted by an annoying ring tone when they’re trying to study for the LSAT.

Maybe we’re compensating for not being able to see that who we are talking to can, in fact, hear what we are saying, or maybe it’s poor reception; either way, everyone tends to raise their voices when on cell phones. Recognize this and try to keep your distance from others when you do have to talk, or utilize the ingenious option of texting.

Let’s say you’ve screened a call but you did not text the person to let them know you were busy. At this point, assess the time and try to think of what the person who called you might be doing now. Is he sleeping? Is he likely to be out, at class or eating a meal? If any of those are likely, call back later. If it’s already late, call back at an appropriate time the next day. One call back is sufficient to let the person know you’ve acknowledged his call.

In other cases, you are the person trying to get a hold of someone. You texted said person five minutes ago and he still has not written back. Yes, he probably has his phone on him, but relax—it’s not that he doesn’t want to talk to you, it’s just a bad time. There is no need to read any deeper meanings into it. If this person gave you his number, it’s because he wanted you to call.

Ultimately, we should remember to be more aware of our present surroundings and not be so preoccupied with our phones. Missed calls are listed for a reason—you can always call back.