College can be the best time of your life when you pursue your passion and make lifelong friends. However, nowadays with all of the violence and crime going on at college campuses, it can be scary being by yourself.
How do you remain safe on your college campus? You have to be prepared and stay aware of your surroundings. Paying attention to your surroundings when walking around night or day and carrying mace for protection are two of the best ways to stay safe.
The campus is now your home, so any crimes that are happening on your campus are threatening your safety.
It is so important to think about your safety and realize bad things can happen to you. Now, there are several ways that you can go about being safe and living your best life at college.
You just need to make sure that you are aware of the crime happening on your campus. You need to be prepared in case you are attacked or assaulted.
I realize that you have enough on your mind between school, work, and social life.
You shouldn’t live your life in fear while on a college campus. Take a look at these tips so you can enjoy your college days while being safe as well.
Never go anywhere alone
I know this may seem cliché, however, the buddy system really does work. Attackers will find you way less likely of a target if you are in a group or even just with one person.
No matter what time of day or where you are going you should walk with a friend.
Going to class during the day by yourself is fine but just be alert. Daytime attacks happen so just be aware and stick to well-traveled areas to stay safe.
You should not walk alone at night. You definitely do not want to walk alone in remote areas on campus late at night.
This also means that it is a good idea to let your friends know where you are going especially at night. This way that if something ever does happen, at least everyone knows where you were or where you were headed.
God forbid something does happen but if no one knows where you are it will be hard to look for you.
You should also do the same thing for your friends, making sure that you know their whereabouts. Don’t let them do anything stupid like walk a far distance by themselves at night, or while intoxicated, etc.
Tracking apps on cell phone
A good idea would be to share your location on your cell phone with your closest friends.
There are cell phone apps that you can download to your phone and your friend can download the same app. This will allow you to track each other on campus.
This could be critical in the story of a twenty-year-old woman who was abducted in a parking lot.
She was able to text her boyfriend that she needed help. Using the tracker, they both loaded on their phones he was able to see she was two states away.
The police were alerted and found her safe plus arresting the kidnapper.
Without that tracking on their phones, the police would have not been able to find her as quickly. Who knows what would have happened?
Here are a few:
- iSharing – track members in a group. It can also track a lost device.
- Famisafe – Great app to track family or friends.
- Life 360 – I use this one and it is free. The app works great.
Using the buddy system or tracking apps on your phone is vital for your safety on campus.
Be safe and make sure those around you are safe as well.
College should be a great, fun, and wonderful time, so do the best that you can to keep yourself and your friends safe.
Pay attention to your surroundings
The most important thing that you can do to ensure your safety is to pay attention to your surroundings.
You can easily get yourself out of a bad situation or away from a suspicious person as long as you are actually paying attention.
If you even have the slightest inkling that something is off, you have the right to get yourself out of the situation.
Your safety should always come first. It doesn’t matter what others think of you and your actions as long as you keep yourself safe.
So many times our first impressions are correct about people, but we brush them off. If you have a bad feeling about someone, keep yourself and your friends away because odds are you have that feeling for a reason.
Carry pepper spray and have it ready when walking alone or in an area that is secluded. If you jog run with it in your hand so if anyone comes upon you the pepper spray is ready.
So many attacks happen because the victim is too concentrated on their phone or they are just staring off into space. If you are walking by yourself, the phone call or messages can wait.
Someone walking by themselves texting on their phones seems to be the perfect victim for attackers. You are not paying attention and would be an easy target.
This is also important when sitting in your car. Many people when they first get into their car will sit there on their phone.
Big mistake, this gives an attacker the perfect chance to get in your car and force you with a knife or gun to drive to a second location.
Second location kidnapping
I cannot stress this enough do not go to the second location no matter what.
If you are driving to a second location with an attacker in the car there are a few things you need to do.
- Don’t panic
- If the kidnapper is driving then grab the steering wheel and pull hard to cause the car to wreck into a pole or tree.
- Make sure your seat belt is on. If you are driving then wreck into a tree or another car. The wreck will cause people to come to help you and get you out of the kidnapping.
- If trapped in a trunk learn how to escape by watching the video below.
I know this sounds extreme but what you face at the second location is not going to be good. Make sure if you wreck into another car you do it slower and you want to be careful not to injure the other driver or passengers.
The best bet is to hit a tree or light post then the damage is only to the attacker who probably does not have their seat belt on.
Your being distracted makes it easy for someone to kidnap or attack you. It is simple things and awareness of your surroundings that can prevent bad situations from occurring.
Pay attention to the people around you
Some other important factors are dating and drinking. If there is a girl or guy who will not leave you alone or is making you uncomfortable, tell someone.
If there is a girl or guy who won’t take no for an answer and seems to show up everywhere you are, tell someone.
Don’t be afraid to be vocal because if something bad happens you are going to wish you would have said something.
If you are at a party, make sure that you only drink a drink if you see it being poured. A huge problem nowadays is that people will roofie drinks.
Pay attention and do the best that you can to not put yourself in a bad situation while drinking.
Many terrible stories could have been prevented if the person didn’t drink a drink that was handed to them.
You may feel like these types of bad things won’t happen to you or your friends, but they could.
So make sure to watch what you and your friends are drinking. Make sure that if one of your friends seems a little off, you take them home and get them away from the situation.
If everyone looks out for each other, so many problems can be prevented.
I was drugged in college and we were drinking from a community pitcher at a bar. I am a guy and it happened to me.
Thank goodness I made it home but I don’t remember much and my friends said I was acting weird. This is why we think we drank some spiked beer.
Learn Self Defense
So many people are afraid to attempt to learn self-defense because they are afraid, they will not be good at it.
A few key hits to the right place on an attacker can stop an attack so you can get away.
The more knowledge you have about how to fight back the better.
Another great thing is that most big colleges will actually offer free self-defense classes. Make sure to do your research and find out if you can actually take a free class at your university.
This way you wouldn’t be spending your money and you could take your friends as well.
Here is a self-defense video so you can see how a class works.
I trained in martial arts at Ohio State University and the cost to join the club was low. Even if you have to pay it will not be too expensive.
Buy pepper spray
You must buy pepper spray for college.
Pepper spray and a rape whistle are a must to have if you are a woman in college. You may feel that it is stupid, and you don’t need it, but it really can make a difference.
To get the right pepper spray check out our pepper spray review page. I like the gel pepper spray and I do carry it with me everywhere.
Don’t just throw it in the back of your purse and forget about it. Keep pepper spray in your hand when traveling at night or in remote areas of campus.
Anything that can make an attacker blind or draw attention may just give you enough time to get away and get help. It really can make a difference.
Spraying pepper spray in your attackers’ eyes can give you just enough time to get yourself out of the situation.
We recommend guys carry it also just in case multiple jerks want to mess with you when walking alone.
I have been jumped before and it is not fun. I wished I had pepper spray on me.
All of these tips are also great ideas to share with your friends and those around you to ensure their safety as well.
Apartment Security
If you are living in a dorm or house off-campus make sure you keep your home secure.
- Do not leave windows open
- Keep doors locked when inside even during the day
- When entering the apartment, house or dorm make sure no one is behind you or lurking
- Do not give your keys out to anyone
- If off-campus think about getting an alarm system
When I lived on campus we had our apartment broken into on two separate occasions. Both times I and my roommates were home so that tells you how bold some criminals are these days.
Conclusion
Now all of this isn’t meant to scare you and make you feel scared at your college campus. It is meant to open your eyes to things that are actually happening at college campuses.
We want to show you how to prevent bad things from happening to you and those around you.
This is probably the first time that you have lived on your own. This means that your parents can’t keep you safe anymore, it is all up to you.
This is your chance to actually start becoming an adult. Be a good friend who talks about safety and makes sure that your friends are prepared and safe as well. If you all know to look after each other, you will be safer in the end.
Safety and self-defense are very important and something that every college student should think about and consider. Now that you are prepared, you can enjoy your days in college without living your life in fear.
You may also like these two articles: Top self-defense moves to use when attacked and How to do self-defense training at home.
We also offer free training on this website.
