<p>I'm currently a high school senior and am wondering a few things. I have several very expensive items that I will be using in college. I'm applying to many of the top schools in the nation but am wondering how widespread theft is? For example, my computer is very expensive and I don't want to face theft. Any suggestions?</p>
<p>my roommate has something that is basically like a bike lock but its for his laptop. i wouldnt worry to much as long as your careful about always locking your room. every college has some, but i would expect it to be less at top schools</p>
<p>Most crimes in college (and other places, for that matter) are crimes of opportunity. If you don’t leave your stuff unattended, you’ll be fine. Lock your door when you leave. Even if you’re going somewhere “just for a minute”, bring your stuff. Better to lug it with you than to come back and find your $1,500 MacBook missing.</p>
<p>Theft is not that bad as people say, just use common sense - Lock the door every time you leave your room. Don’t leave your valuables in the open, etc.</p>
<p>Theft runs pretty rampant at my school but like HGFM said, it’s crimes of opportunity.</p>
<p>Well most college dudes don’t have any money so they steal stuff alot. And then when dudes drink they break stuff and steal stuff even more. I bet there’s ways to break into your room anyway. You should get a safe and keep everything locked up. And don’t let your roomie have any shady dudes in your room.</p>
<p>True a lot of crime happens as crimes of opportunity. Use common sense. When you go to the library to study, do NOT leave your iPhone, laptop, and graphing calculator on the table when you go to the bathroom. They won’t be there when you get back.</p>
<p>Don’t leave your dorm room unlocked, etc.</p>
<p>I also make it a point to bring valuable things home with me over break if I can and I don’t broadcast that I am not going to be home (like writing on my door board that I’m at the library, etc), just to be extra safe. At my BF’s school people sometimes manage to break into the dorms over breaks. My school has better security than his does and I generally think it would be harder to break into my dorm, but since I live on the ground floor I take more precautions.</p>
<p>Lock your room when you leave, make sure your roommate does the same. This will eliminate most of your problems.</p>
<p>However, before you go to college photograph/video tape some of your expensive items and have your parents hold onto any documentation like receipts or credit card statements that prove ownership. Also write down serial numbers to your computer and keep them in a safe place.</p>
<p>If something does happen, report it quickly. Inform your RA, but don’t trust him to handle it correctly, he’s just a college studen too. Make sure you fill a police report.</p>
<p>Sometimes insurance can cover things, not sure if it would in this case, but it wouldn’t hurt.</p>
<p>it’s pretty damn sad that we have to be so paranoid about our stuff in college.</p>
<p>Theft isn’t too big at my college. I don’t know anyone that’s had anything stolen yet. We leave our doors unlocked as long as we’re in our dorm somewhere. We only lock them if we’re leaving the building. Mostly because it’s rare that we leave our floor if we leave the room. We’re usually either in the kitchen, the lounge, or another person’s room. (In my hall, only the basement is freshmen, so we don’t interact much with the other floors.)</p>
<p>Unless it’s a weekend night, that is. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night, everybody locks their doors. Drunk people roaming around in dorms they don’t live in all night. >.> It’s really irritating. </p>
<p>Other than that… -shrug- I don’t worry too much about it. I know it happens occasionally (probably the most widespread crime at every college), but there’s a whole weird “trust thing” that goes on at William and Mary.</p>
<p>I mean, people leave all their belongings at their tables in the cafeteria when they go to get food. We leave our things in open cubbies at the gym. They put out boxes for everyone to drop their umbrellas in in buildings so we don’t have to carry them dripping everywhere. Etc. Etc. Lots of things where you just have your stuff sitting out for the taking. </p>
<p>If theft was really that rampant at W&M, you wouldn’t see those kinds of actions. I saw more of a theft problem in my high school, personally. I’m sure theft levels vary by college size, location, etc. though, so I would check for the college you’re attending so you can work out which precautions are best for you.</p>
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<p>Wow…where do you go where it’s that bad? At my college, people leave tons of stuff sitting on the library tables when they’re there. They go to the bathroom, get coffee, look for books, come back, and their stuff is still where they left it.</p>
<p>What if your roommate brings some people into your room when you’re not there?</p>
<p>I’ll just repeat what everyone else has said.</p>
<p>95% of the thefts on campus at my school are thefts where idiots have left their dorm doors open/unlocked, left valuables unattended (don’t leave your laptop sitting alone in the library if you need to use the restroom…), not locking bikes, etc.</p>
<p>The other 5% is people stealing bikes by picking/breaking locks. Mind you, of that 5%, the vast majority were bikes left in one place for days on campus (so not at the dorms). It is not difficult for someone to walk onto campus at 4am, see a random bike laying out, and pick the lock. Also, we have issues every few years where dorms are broken into during the winter break (so don’t leave valuables just chilling in your dorm room for breaks).</p>
<p>In other words, if you’re sensible and not an idiot, the chances of theft are rare.</p>
<p>Thanks for your help!</p>
<p>Just realized I didn’t answer your recent question.</p>
<p>I’ve never heard of anyone having an issue with roommates friends stealing things. The worst of that type (and I’ve only heard it on cc) was a guy who’s roommate & friends ate his food/used his cups while he was away for the weekend. Nothing all that valuable.</p>
<p>I had some things stolen from me in high school so I’m pretty paranoid about watching my stuff and keeping the door locked. Make sure, when you and roommate(s) move in, you have a clear polciy about door locking. My rule is: keep your keys on you and LOCK THE DOOR EVERY TIME YOU LEAVE. I don’t care if you’re going to the bathroom, next door or to Mars: Buy a lanyard keychain and keep it around your neck if you need your hands and lock the darn door! A minute is all it takes if some one is trying to steal things.</p>
<p>Same goes for suites and suitemates (I don’t live in one, but if i did and my stuff was in the common room, it will be locked.). It’s not right to leave a door unlocked and have your roommate’s things stolen just becasue you were too lazy to turn the key in the door. </p>
<p>I’m pretty insane about this but my school has pretty lax dorm security…</p>
<p>My roommate last year left our door open all the time. It made me want to slap her.</p>
<p>I lock down my computer when it’s in my room because I have a very nice macbook pro and I’m taking no chances. But to be honest, if I’m on my floor I leave my door unlocked, when I leave my floor I lock it. My floor has only had decorations stolen, and thats because we are sandwiched between two boys floors.</p>
<p>what if my roommate doesn’t always lock the door, despite being locked out several times already?</p>
<p>but either way his stuff is closest to the door, and he leaves his souped-up laptop sprawled on his desk (not to mention all the other expensive things he has!), so if anything gets stolen it’ll be his stuff first.</p>
<p>My laptop is locked to my desk with a Kensington lock, but those aren’t very secure… It more of a deterrent to those “crimes of opportunity” that happen all the time, because if you are intending to steal, then you can get through the locks pretty easily… Hence why my door will be locked at all times if I’m not there or sleeping. </p>
<p>And as for roommates who lock themselves out, my rule still applies: Keep the keys with you. Why would you not take your keys? It doesn’t make any sense to me. If they lock themselves out, well, they’ll have to find an RA or wait.</p>