Help me with this tough choice?

[iKNOWSOMETHINGS]

I am a 21 year old Junior in college and I do not have a smartphone. I want one really bad, and yesterday, before this important meeting, i called my ma to get advice on my outfit and she told me I could go ahead and the order the Galaxy S III. I was sooo happy. So i went to my meeting with a ginormous smile on my face.
While at the meeting, I learned the dues for membership exceeded 400$ that I would obviously have to obtain from my mother. But I would never consider asking her for both, she has given me a lot that is why I need help deciding which to choose from.

Background. The organization is actually a national fraternity dedicated to community service work and uplifting our youth. They do a lot of work with soup kitchens and I want to open up my own, soup kitchen, after graduation. so by joining I could actually meet someone who could help with that,

With the phone, people laugh at me for having a flip phone still lol and I always miss important information because I have to come back to my laptop to check my email, Facebook, and twitter. The most recent mishap was when I missed out on free battle of the band tickets and t shirts, my school was giving away. and my accounting class makes us do research on our phones in class, and i'm always sitting back, waiting on my friend to find the answers. and I would like an instagram =.)

In short, this is my dilemma, should I get the phone or join the fraternity?
Thank you in advance.

[Jessica]

I saw get the phone. There are other organizations that won't break your wallet and the galaxy sIII is great. I got my job simply because my boss thought my phone was cool. Heck I'm answering this from my sIII right now waiting for class. I say go for it.

[T]

Well really it looks like this is a dilemma of pride versus commitment.

I would definitely stay in the fraternity and forget the phone for a few more months/years. You have made it this far without it. Your biggest regret with not having a phone is that you were unable to get free concert tickets. Your regret in leaving the fraternity may very well be never being able to make your future happen. You need to value your commitment to community service and opening a soup kitchen more than buying a smartphone... This even sounds silly! You want to open a soup kitchen, yet you want to get a smartphone more than you want to continue working with soup kitchens?

You are having a moment of pride and selfishness. Everyone has those. But you should stay with the fraternity. It is the much wiser decision. I am a sophomore in college and I do not have a smartphone. I wish I had one, but my money is committed to more important endeavors.

An instagram is not worth forfeiting your future!! The fraternity will provide you with much more help and opportunity than a smartphone ever will.

Best Wishes,
Tiffany

PS: if you want to get a job with community service, they are not nearly so shallow as to hire you solely on the basis that your phone looks cool! That's more of a high school thing. Your employeers for a community service job will look at your resume and see that you have quit your service fraternity and if you say it's "too expensive" and they see your smartphone....it won't look like you have good priorities.

[lildude211us]

Get the phone, since you really want it. Joining the Frat is a good social thing (and something to put on your resume), but you can also find community service volunteering opportunities without paying $400+. Perhaps you can join them the following year, as a senior, or find a job or something.