Going off to college for the first time is a very exciting time for students as well as parents. What comes along with going to college is a great experience filled with new people and new experiences.
Parents have the right to worry about their children due to the danger that comes with life on campus. They can rest a little easier though if their students are well prepared for a bad situation.
With these tips, students will be able to feel safe at all times on their respective college campuses. This means parents can rest easy that their children will be able to face any situation on campus.
Awareness when walking on campus
The biggest thing is knowing your surroundings as this can make the biggest difference when in a dangerous situation.
Knowing the safest way to get home can help you prevent dangerous situations. Make sure you are aware of safe places to run to if someone is chasing you.
College campuses are usually very large and filled with strangers.
The time you walk home from the library at night are other buildings open. What classes in which buildings are going on at night when you walk home.
Simply having awareness of someone following you and making a detour to a safe building that is occupied could save you.
Awareness on campus can be the biggest difference-maker to being safe or being vulnerable to an attack.
Travel in groups
The easiest thing to do to avoid dangerous situations on college campuses is to walk with others at night.
Attackers are much less likely to try and attack a group.
Activities at night are something that is unavoidable. Friends neet to walk other friends to their dorms or apartments.
You are trying to prevent danger from creeping up on you when you are alone.
College students growing up in this generation are very tech-savvy. Most students use their smartphones for a great deal in their day to day lives. This can create a problem when it comes to being aware of who and what is around you.
Not being cautious about who is around you because you’re on the phone or texting can be a liability. When it comes to safety you must have a good sense of your surroundings.
In these situations, you want to be able to prevent the attack before it happens. Avoiding an attack is very hard to do if you’re on your phone constantly and not paying attention.
While this is an issue for most college students there are also measures that you can take with your smartphone.
You are able to download apps that can teach self-defense. There are apps that can also alert people if you are in danger.
One really great application to use is the app bSafe which allows friends to watch you walk home.
The app also allows you to send a signal to all your contacts if you think you are in danger.
The app sends them an alert as well allowing them to stream what is going on around you. These are simple measures that college students can take in order to make sure they are safe.
Be confident
The next tip to staying safe on a college campus is not being afraid to exude confidence. An attacker is less likely to make a move on someone who they think can put up a fight.
The way you walk and your posture can deter someone. Be confident enough to notice the potential danger and saying something can be a great asset to a college student.
Attackers are looking to surprise victims and are looking for easy targets. If you take away both of those objectives they are left with fewer options. This means you will have successfully defended yourself from a potential threat.
Pepper spray for self-defense
College students need to carry pepper spray. Pepper spray or a stun gun can be used quickly to stop an attacker dead in their tracks.
As soon as you pepper spray an attacker then you need to run away. The attacker will not be able to see so they will not be able to run after you.
Check out the pepper spray that we recommend.
Know the campus and areas to avoid
College students are very prone, especially when living on campus, to muggings especially if walking through dangerous or dark areas.
Don’t be a target so carry pepper spray and avoid walking alone at night. You also need to make sure you pay attention to who and what is around you while walking. That includes daytime hours.
Some streets have more risk attached and some parts of campus are less lit at night. Avoiding these areas gives you the best chance of avoiding potential threats.
Like we mentioned earlier all of the aspects of self-defense revolve mostly around preventing the threat before it happens.
Once the attacker has made their move it becomes a lot more about survival instincts. Avoiding a bad situation is the best way to stay safe.
Self-defense classes at the University
College is obviously a time for learning and development for students. When going to campus for a tour check out the self-defense classes offered at the universities.
Lots of colleges have classes to help teach students about safety. You can check out the R.A.D. training class locator for self-defense training near you.
Students especially undergraduates need to be prepared for these types of situations.
It is smart to take a self-defense class where you can learn how to protect yourself if attacked.
If attacked you can learn who to report it to which can help stop it from happening again. This is a great way to help out your campus.
The resource is there to be taken advantage of by all college students.
You knowing where to look or to go solve a problem is a great skill to have in college.
The training will help students understand how these situations develop and how to end one quickly.
The right training students can stay safe on college campuses. Parents can feel at ease that their college kids are safer.
To learn more on what a self-defense class is like check out this post.
Conclusion
The need for these tips to be taken seriously and the preventative measures that are offered need to be utilized.
The biggest thing that college students can do to stay safe from potential attackers is to be prepared.
Being able to map out the safest routes home as well as being aware enough to walk with friends. You must also invest in pepper spray because it can be an equalizer.
When students go to college having a great experience in college is what everyone wants for a new adult. All in all, self-defense is something every college student should have experience in and knowledge of to better protect themselves.
To train in self-defense check out our free training to learn how to stop an attacker.
