<p>I think that showing up with a safe is like saying "hey I already don't trust you or your friends". Don't take something to college that can't be easily replaced.</p>
<p>I think you are better off either locking up your irreplacable valuables or leaving them at home. It will become an annoyance to have to be constantly be attentive. A roommate would possibly see a safe as one less thing to worry about, rather than take it as an offence. </p>
<p>I like the Dormvault product. The idea is similar to idea I posted in #32 (footlocker chained to bed frame).</p>
<p>I'm international, and so I can't think of things like leaving my valuables at home (partly because right now the things most valuable to me are my passport, I-20, financial documents, etc). I don't know if taking a safe along will cause me to be stopped at customs, and if it's even allowed overseas. Can someone please tell me if they are? If not, what are some good options to buy one in the US? I'm pretty sure I'll need a safe--I can't afford for any of the above stuff to be nicked.</p>
<p>Advice, people?</p>
<p>I once saw a show on "America's Most Wanted"....a person got shot b/c everyone knows that he had a safe in his room....he got robbed and killed....so idk....if you bring a safe...it is just out there...telling people that ""my important stuff is here...plz steal it"</p>
<p>andromeda, here is an ultra-secure idea for you. Before you arrive at your college, contact local banks and rent a "safe deposit box". These are double-locked boxes within the bank vault. They are about 2 feet deep and come in dimentions from 3x5 inches to about 12x12 inches. A 3x5 is minimal cost and could very easily secure your important documents. People even store things like jewelry and family heirlooms in there. Sometimes there is a wait for a safe deposit box to become available, so contact conveniently located banks ahead of time.</p>
<p>safe for alcohols and drugs. dont do it. stay in school</p>
<p>D will not be taking family heirlooms and valuable jewelery etc. However, hmmmm, laptop, iPod, cellphone are kind of necessities and used on a regular basis. Short of carrying them with her everywhere (Not gonna happen), just what do you suggest???</p>
<p>I suggest agreeing with the roommate to not leave the dorm room unlocked and unattended. And of course, it makes sense to not leave iPod, cell phone, purse, money, etc laying in open view. Maybe make it a habit to put that stuff in a drawer when not in use.</p>
<p>Still, I think that important travel and financial documents that are needed only infrequently might best be stored in a safe deposit box.</p>
<p>^safe is unnecesary</p>
<p>for the laptop she should have a lock and keep her laptop locked to her desk. she should also use the lock when she uses her laptop at the library or elsewhere.</p>
<p>for her cellphone and ipod a safe is way over the top. she can just throw them in her drawer. she should keep her door locked if she and her roommate are out of the room, so there should be no worries about someone breaking in and stealing her stuff. also, if those items are in a drawer she shouldn't worry about a "friend" or her roommate's "friends" taking her stuff because i'm pretty sure she and her roommate will stop random people from going through their drawers looking for stuff. </p>
<p>most students have all these items and do not have a safe or lock. they do not have them stolen from their rooms. unless your daughter leaves her door unlocked or does something else careless no one will steal her stuff.</p>
<p>My son and his various roommates never even locked up their laptops. General vigilance to locking the room when they left proved to be enough.</p>
<p>I never figured out how to use my laptop lock either. It's just if you're the parinoid type who would want to stick their laptop in a safe everytime they left the room, a lock would be a lot more practicle and people wouldn't think you were parinoid. </p>
<p>Either way it is good practice to lock your laptop if you are working outside your room like at the library or student union. While my friends have left their laptops unattended (asking someone sitting there to keep an eye on it) without them being stolen, yours can get taken if you turn away for a few minutes to go to the bathroom, talk to a friend, or grab a book.</p>
<p>Thanks a lot for the tip, lkf725!</p>
<p>i really hope that locking the room is sufficient enough, and you can trust the people you live with -- otherwise, maybe you're not living in the best location??</p>
<p>my suitemates and i always just locked our individual room doors and then the suite door (which led to a balcony) at night. none of us had a safe or a lockbox. i kept a couple nicer pieces of jewelry in my underwear drawer as opposed to hanging with the rest of it. it was fine as long as it was out of sight.</p>
<p>I put my iPod in a drawer, take my cell phone with me, and leave my laptop on my desk when I leave the room. I've got some valuable signed souvenirs that I've gotten while in school and haven't taken home yet, over 50 DVDs, a fair share of expensive clothes (through my job--top of the line Nike clothing and shoes), a $500 snowboard, and some other rather pricey things in my room.</p>
<p>2 years of living on campus (including summers), I've never had anything go missing. Lock your door. It's that simple.</p>
<p>I was wondering if the school provided one safe for every student on-campus as part of room & board would you use it? & would that make it less awkward to use then if you brought your own?</p>
<p>My S had a safe for each student in the dorm they lived in his freshman year (it was built for the Olympics in LA, back in the day). I suggested he use it to store his passport, credit cards, blank checks and other things, but don't know if he really used it. Last year he didn't have a safe but didn't mention any problems. The only theft he had was late in the year when he left his wallet and cell phone on a bench in the gym when he went to the bathroom (only for a few seconds, he said). </p>
<p>When I was a student, no one had safes I knew of & don't recall theft being a problem (leave things out of sight & lock your door). Theft seems mostly a crime of opportunity. When it is more difficult, thieves often move on to easier, more visible targets.</p>
<p>get a diversion safe. a safe designed to look like a book or something so you can keep your passport and other important documents there.</p>
<p>"Out of sight, out of mind" is the motto we sent S off to college with--keep the valuables out of sight in drawers, closet,etc. rather than laying about to attract thieves. This has worked better for us than any lock (where he'd have to remember where he stashed the key).</p>
<p>When you use lightweight safes, it's easy for thieves to just walk off with the entire unit to break it open at their leisure.</p>
<p>What about storing medications? That is main reason why my child is considering getting a safe. Unfortunately, the medication prescribed is used recreationally by some teens.</p>
<p>Does anyone have a better solution? </p>
<p>Thanks
FR</p>