<p>I'm an incoming student to Penn. Here's my question - Is it necessary to rent or buy a safe for college? I suppose it'd be high on a girl's priority list (to secure jewelry and the like), but as a guy, I only have the typical things:</p>
<p>What do you all think? Should I spring for a safe? Especially considering that the drawers in Stouffer College House don't lock?</p>
<p>I recently got a mailing from Penn about student rental rates (of $140/year) for safes via a company called Safe Decisions (SafeDecisions</a>). This is on the steep side, but is it worth it for peace of mind?</p>
<p>realistically you only need a safe if you leave your door unlocked</p>
<p>and if you have a stouffer single i really don’t think it’s necessary since you don’t have a roomie to worry about (since he might wander off and leave the door unlocked for awhile, or something)</p>
<p>what about a double in a quad in Harrison as a girl? should I get a safe for my jewelry (it’s not like I have diamond earrings, but I do have some Tiffany’s stuff and pearls)? (though my roommate was at boarding school and had a double for 3 of 4 years there, so I’m not worried about her)</p>
<p>same situation. Stouffer single and worried about valuables (watches). I was thinking about buying and bringing a safe (since that is actually cheaper than renting) but not sure how to secure it. I’d feel pretty stupid if I had a stolen safe with the watches inside >.<</p>
<p>Yeah, I feel ya Necro. It would be awesome if some of the drawers locked, because then not only would students not have to rent or buy a safe, but it would also eliminate the worry of thieves walking away with the safe itself (with the goodies still inside).</p>
<p>Tenebrousefire - Yeah, you have a point.</p>
<p>Scribbler - I’d recommend getting a safe, perhaps buying one because, as Necro mentioned, it’d be cheaper than renting.</p>
<p>Most of the answers to the questions posted to user Jporter182’s question, “How to secure a safe in an apartment?” are not feasible for us as college students:</p>
<ul>
<li>Excerpt from Penn’s Move-In website:</li>
</ul>
<p>“When personalizing your room, you may use hangers with small nails, tacks, or push pins. Tape is not permitted. Room partitions are prohibited; you may not build anything that attaches to the floor, ceiling or walls. You will be charged for damages considered in excess of normal wear. Maintenance staff must do all room painting and repair; non-adherence to this will result in substantial fines. Specific information on decorating is outlined in your Residential Handbook.”</p>
<p>…but the following answer provided to Jporter’s question looks promising:</p>
<p>“depends on how big your safe is, you can actually hide it in plain site, make it look like a foot stool. Get a decorator pillow, the size of the top of the safe, stitch a skirt around it to reach the floor and place it so you can use it as a foot stool. If its bigger, place it in front of the window, cut a piece of material to match the top, again make a skirt for it and place a huge plant on it. Leave the opening to the side so you can get at it at any time”</p>
<p>Do you know if there is any furniture that can be used as an anchor for a safe that comes with holes for chains? I might just chain it to my bed or desk or something.</p>
<p>The only dorm thefts that occurred at Penn were when people left their dorms unlocked. Your door’s default is to lock after it is shut. You shouldn’t need a safe or anything special. I left my door unlocked nearly all the time freshman year in Riepe and never had anything stolen. I had one friend hide my laptop and i freaked out for 20 minutes and I had another turn my entire room reversed (drawers faced the walls, mattress upside down, posters facing the wall). Nothing stolen.</p>
<p>Most (if not all) rooms come with a safe already installed… you need to call a number to rent and activate it, but if you REALLY want a safe, go for that. Realistically, unless you plan on having no friends in your hall, you won’t have to worry about your stuff getting stolen. If you have a roommate, remember that this person LIVES WITH YOU so they can’t exactly steal stuff and get away with it.</p>
<p>The only thing you have to worry about is facilities staff, which has been known to steal things laying around in common areas (they don’t come into any areas which you could lock with your key). So as long as you don’t leave your stuff in an open area and then walk away from it for a day, you’re going to be just fine.</p>
<p>Seriously? Huh, who knew… we had them in Hill, they were definitely in KCEH and I could’ve sworn that I saw some in some Quad rooms… meh… I honestly just thought the safes were a waste of space</p>
<p>My room in the quad and my room in the high rise didn’t come with safes. One girl my freshman year had a safe. She was pretty rich. Safes aren’t necessary unless you plan to have a ton of valuables in your room and leave your door open to the entire world.</p>