Torr's Misc. Rants: Moving to college

College Rant

I've been thinking about doing another rant for while so thought I'd put some of my experience to use. This is focused on the most vulnerable group in my opinion College Freshman moving to a university or college experience for the first time. What really convinced me to do this is hearing a the sad story of a friend of mine who was cleaned out within 2 months of going to college. So for those of you heading off to college: Congrats on graduating High School and I hope you enjoy your college experience but on to the suggestions.

Most colleges will send you contact info on who you will be rooming with. Take the time to get in contact with this person so you know just what he plans to bring so you can plan accordingly..

I can't stress this enough... Your going to live with a couple thousand young people from all walks of life. There will be people trying to break into your room (or thinking about it). Even roommates will "borrow" something and forget to return it. Fortunately for me stolen items have been limited to albums but I've heard horror stories of rooms broken into and only the desk and mattress left.

How can this happen? Three floors, 50 people per floor. They let their friends in and out all day, all night. One of them finds your door open during your run to the laundry room and bam your expensive Tiffiney necklass is gone (True Story). Most dorms only lock the outer doors and leave no one to watch them. A DORM IS NOT A SECURE LOCATION keep the important, valuable stuff at home.

If your university is like mine, moving in day they require you to dump all you stuff on the sidewalk then drive off to find a parking space. There will be cops on duty but not nearly enough to keep track of who belongs to what pile. So there are people who will just walk up to any one pile and take whatever they want acting as if they're transporting something inside. Therefore you must take moving security into you own hands.

This includes going across the hall to chat with a friend. If you share a bathroom with the next door neighbor lock that door also. It only takes seconds for someone to enter and leave with something. Don't believe me? Read the police report of a college paper, or watch a program called "It Takes a Thief" on the discovery channel. The ex crook cleans out entire houses in right around 10 mins).

Again, your with thousands of people everyday. Advertising that you have expensive items will catch the eye of any would be crook. So get a soft protective shell and carry your laptop in your backpack. The crooks will have no idea what you have and look for better signs of expensive stuff. However when you stop for lunch or something place one of your legs in the backpack's loops to protect against hit and run thieves

This is easier said than done but this especially goes for people traveling off-campus in dark areas. Having a few buddies around means that you have a better chance of not getting mugged, rapped, whatever. And if something does happen you have people to run for help.

If things do start to show up missing call campus police. IF there's no sign of forced entry (and you've been locking the door), chain down your Computer, TV, Stereo and anything else. Smaller and more expensive items mail off to mom and dad.

If your roommate is turning out to be a serious problem talk to the dorm staff, if it really gets bad try to arrange a room transfer to a friend you trust.

The very first semester generally is the hardest, after that different options will start opening. Good luck and Enjoy college!