Dorm room extras that made life more comfortable

We purchased the safe at Target. It was on the small side as he only needed it to secure his medication. I advised my son to keep it out of view so that others wouldn’t be tempted to see what was in it out of curiosity but who knows what he actually did.

My kid is taking this: Vaulltz Locking Letter/Legal Chest
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0171E8O14/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I’ll be securing it to some type of furniture in the room with this: TSA Approved Cable Luggage Locks plus 4 Ft Cable
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MQ2LKOJ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

or maybe burying it in the closet

Neither of my kids did any safe things nor anyone we or they know. What is everyone trying to conceal?

@Knowsstuff my youngest daughter is on ritalin for her adhd. She would have a safe to secure her medicine. I’d also like them to secure cash, credit card, etc. Not sure I’d define it as “concealing” but again, securing;)

There’s another thread similar to this one ; we need to consolidate them.
I’m wondering how kids secure laptops. I had seen something similar to a bike lock that you put in your usb drive, and wondered whether kids actually use it or whether there’s something better. If a lot of kids on campus think you’re a dweeb for using this lock all the time, I suspect my D won’t use it.

@amom2girls well that makes sense and is very responsible! We have copies of all passports, credit cards, license etc. at home also.

I closed the other one and redirected here.

I don’t cable it; I just don’t leave it unattended.

@melvin123 I asked my older girls about the laptops as D18 has a brand new one. They said that when they were out of the room, the laptops were with them in their backpacks. When they were in the shower or whatever, they just put it away in their rooms. It’s just important that they keep their dorm rooms locked.

My DS has a small safe for his “important papers” , extra set of car keys, wallet, etc. the papers include medical POA, passport card, university health form, copy of social security card etc. They are both secure and in a defined place so that he always knows where to find them. It does lock via a cable and combo lock to a piece of furniture—usually under his bed so out of sight of visitors. It also came in handy when his roommate left town and left his wallet on his desk. DS was able to lock it up for the roommate.

My D has a safe that looks like a book. She used it freshman year for some meds. She was recovering from a spinal fusion and was still taking Valium and Vicodin occasionally.

I made a calendar in iCal with all the of the birthdays and special events that we celebrate. I set reminders (“day of” and “1 day before”) and put the relevant person’s email and/or mobile number in the Notes so my son can email or text. I exported it and texted the .ics file to him and he said it all showed up on his phone perfectly. He seemed to think it was pretty cool :). More so than the mattress pad and shower caddie that I bought yesterday…

What a GREAT idea!!!

Thanks @BSL1199

The technology is a bit over my head, but I can do it as a word document, by month.

Humble brag here, but my DD is attending a college with honor codes where they don’t need to lock anything up. I’m taking them at their words at this point that they can leave stuff out and nothing gets stolen. We will see how it goes. No safe for us.

My issue with honor codes is that they only work with honorable people. Someone who would steal would also have no issue signing an honor statement.

No safe for my daughter either. But she’ll be sure to put her stuff away. And we’ll be making sure that both her laptop and phone are covered by insurance.

My daughter has a small safe too for passports and those kinds of documents. More out of a sense of wanting to have a place where it wont get lost!

My daughter said her mattress topper and soft sheets were the extra that made the most difference. She loves her bed at school!

@twoinanddone Thanks

Am so over this dorm shopping. I may email Housing to see if they can offer insight on some dimensions for the room, but whatever I don’t find now will have to get there on parents weekend or shipped

The most important part is the bed linen -still looking for inexpensive deep xl sheets.

If your daughter is at a service academy, she’ll be fine. If she’s not, there will be people on campus who have not agreed to follow the honor code.

The school ours attended, the top dresser drawer had the capability of locking. All you needed was to bring the lock of your choice.

@Dustyfeathers know your people. My daughter last year lived in a theater house with 25 kids. No problem at all. Never an issue as they all looked out for each other but it’s the people that didn’t live there that were the problem. You should be able to leave your computer on your desk at a library while going to the bathroom or taking a break but again sometimes outside people study at those libraries also… So far 2 kids in college and they both have all their stuff. No locks or safes.

My oldest went to a college where the honor code seemed to be faithfully observed, but I’d have to look at the clergy report to see if it was an illusion. In the dining hall and other spaces, surfaces were always covered with unattended phones, keys, bags, etc. D lost a device once and it was turned into security.