Staying Secure While In College

Unfortunately, security is something you have to think of while away at college. Sure, there will be security around campus including at the entrance to your residence hall, but you need more than that for peace of mind. When you're at college, you want to to keep your things inside of your room and not have them find a home in someone else's room. You don't have to worry about that happening all day every day, you simply need to take a few precautions.

First of all, don't leave your door unlocked when you're not in your dorm room. And don't give your key to a friend (even if it's a very good friend) so they can borrow a textbook or notebook while you're in class. Leaving your dorm door unlocked even if only for an hour while you're in class is going to be too inviting. You may not want to bother with the hassle of locking and unlocking your door every time you go to class, especially when you haven't had to do that before, but it is better to be safe and take that extra minute to make sure your items inside stay inside.

You're going to want to invest in a safe for your dorm room. There's no way around it. You can leave certain valuables at home such as a cherished bracelet or ring from your mom or grandma, but there will still be items you absolutely cannot be without that you will want locked up. You don't need an overly large safe, you just need something that can be easily hidden in your closet or even attached to an immovable object such as your bed. You may not have your cherished bracelet, but you still have credit cards, money, passport, and possibly iPod. Don't chance it - make sure those things are locked up.

Along with making sure your small valuable items are locked up, you'll want to find a way to make sure larger items stay put such as your TV or computer. You may not think anything of it to just leave your laptop out on your desk. That's what you do at home, after all. However, it can be very easy for that laptop to easily end up in someone else's hand. Either invest in an anchoring system or safe for these larger valuable items or in the case of your laptop or iPad, take them with you to class so you know they are safe.

When you're in common areas like the common room on your residence hall floor or in the college cafe, there are going to be a lot of people around. So last but not least, don't turn your back on your things. If you need to go pick up your coffee from the counter, take your bags with you. Don't leave big ticket items like your iPad sitting out on a table even if it's two feet away from you. College requires extra safety and precautions than you are used to. However, once you get in the habit of these simple acts such as not turning your back on your bags, it will become second nature to you and you won't think anything of it.