dorm room question - how do they keep their valuables secure?

[WendyLovesPeter]

Things are obviously different than when I went to school 20+ years ago. My "valuables" were my dollars. I didn't have an ipod, a kindle, a cellphone or a laptop. I have read about the laptop locks - think I am gonna get one of those. It is the small electronics that concern me. Sure you can place them in a lock box, but anyone can carry one of those. I know my son is not going to go thru an elaborate shut down everytime he leaves the room, and I know it only takes seconds to grab and go out of a dorm room. I have told him he and the roomies need to have an understanding of how they are going to keep their own and each others' valuables secure. How do kids manage in these times when they have so many expensive gadgets?

 

[ColoradoDisneyFreaks]

Things are obviously different than when I went to school 20+ years ago. My "valuables" were my dollars. I didn't have an ipod, a kindle, a cellphone or a laptop. I have read about the laptop locks - think I am gonna get one of those. It is the small electronics that concern me. Sure you can place them in a lock box, but anyone can carry one of those. I know my son is not going to go thru an elaborate shut down everytime he leaves the room, and I know it only takes seconds to grab and go out of a dorm room. I have told him he and the roomies need to have an understanding of how they are going to keep their own and each others' valuables secure. How do kids manage in these times when they have so many expensive gadgets?

You definitely need a laptop lock, and use it, it doesn't do any good locking nothing to the desk (that's the general "you", not the specific "you"). As for the smaller valuables, I'd say a locking footlocker that can hold your game system, either that or a locking file cabinet. Both would be much more difficult to walk off with. Maybe universities will start putting safes in like they have in the hotels, bolted to the floor or cinderblock walls.

 

[PirateSnowmen]

I'm starting my 3rd year of college this fall, and after having lived in a dorm room and an apartment (with 3 friends), I have never had anything stolen. I've never even heard of anyone saying they've had something stolen. Well, my friend had her car broken into (window smashed) and her GPS (which was left in plain sight) stolen, but that's a different issue.

In my dorm room, I had a small (but heavy) lock box that I stored important documents in. I kept it behind some shelves under my bed out of sight. If I wanted to use it to put small electronics in with easy access, I would have just put it under my desk and gotten a lock (like a bike lock) to lock the box to my desk.

I usually had most small electronics hidden, but I usually kept my laptop on my desk in plain sight. If you are afraid of it being stolen, a laptop lock would probably suffice.

To be honest, our dorms were really secure. We needed an ID to get into the building at night, and we needed to swipe our ID to enter our hallway. We always kept our door locked, and we kept the door to our bathroom (my roommate and I shared a bathroom with another room) locked at all times. Stealing was just never a problem.

 

[ssuriano]

A few years ago when I lived in the dorms I got a smaller safe to keep my wallet, camera equipment, etc. in. It worked out great because I had some of the worst suitemates known to man and I never had to worry about them getting in to my valuables.

 

[cornflake]

I think it's analagous to what a friend told me when we got out of the car at a scenic outlook on a highway, left the keys in the ignition and I said someone could steal the car.

It was pointed out to me that to get to the scenic outlook, one needed a car, so the most someone could do would be to trade their car and contents for ours.

Translated roughly - most kids in college have the gadgets and smart phones and etc., themselves so stealing them would have to have more nefarious reason than 'oooh, an unguarded ipod' if you see what I'm saying.

There are also more ways to deal with it with the items themselves. Iphones and whatnot can be locked and GPS located remotely, etc.

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

We purchased DD a dorm lock box at Walmart and got her a laptop lock chain for her dorm room. She uses both faithfully. She keeps her papers and credit card, legal stuff all in the lock box and does lock her laptop during the night and when she is off to meals etc.

She also purchases through the University Lo-Jack in case something does happen to the computer. While it may seem a bit much, there are a lot of incidence of stealing (mostly small amounts of money laying around and Ipods are the biggest targets). Here's a link to her lock box.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/SentrySafe-Compact-Safe-with-Electronic-Lock/15571799

 

[Principessa1284]

The first dorm I lived in, my best friend was my roommate so all we did was keep our door locked at all times. The second dorm I lived in, they provided lockers for every student and we just had to bring our own locks to use. I was a bit naive and dumb and never ended up using mine, but I lucked out with roommates and nothing ever went missing in our suite of 8 girls.

 

[WendyLovesPeter]

I think it's analagous to what a friend told me when we got out of the car at a scenic outlook on a highway, left the keys in the ignition and I said someone could steal the car.

It was pointed out to me that to get to the scenic outlook, one needed a car, so the most someone could do would be to trade their car and contents for ours.

Translated roughly - most kids in college have the gadgets and smart phones and etc., themselves so stealing them would have to have more nefarious reason than 'oooh, an unguarded ipod' if you see what I'm saying.

There are also more ways to deal with it with the items themselves. Iphones and whatnot can be locked and GPS located remotely, etc.

yes, but sometimes people do things just to cause problems for others - not that they actually need the ipod, phone or other item. Just like people create computer a virus - they don't get anything for it except a thrill of complicating the lives of others.

 

[ksjayhawks]

I think it's analagous to what a friend told me when we got out of the car at a scenic outlook on a highway, left the keys in the ignition and I said someone could steal the car.

It was pointed out to me that to get to the scenic outlook, one needed a car, so the most someone could do would be to trade their car and contents for ours.

Translated roughly - most kids in college have the gadgets and smart phones and etc., themselves so stealing them would have to have more nefarious reason than 'oooh, an unguarded ipod' if you see what I'm saying.

There are also more ways to deal with it with the items themselves. Iphones and whatnot can be locked and GPS located remotely, etc.

Actually, if there were two people in the car, they would make off with your car and still have theirs.

I think it is better to be safe than sorry. You never know when another student may need money and sees that ipod or other gadget as a quick way to make some cash.

 

[chrysano]

So greet, You never know when another student may need money and sees that or other gadget as a quick way to make some cash

 

[golfgal]

Keep the door to their room locked when they are not in it, even for trips to the bathroom, etc. It takes a quick snip with a wire cutter to cut through a laptop lock cable and off they go with the laptop. It's not hard to hide an IPod, etc. in a pocket. All the lock boxes, etc. can be slipped into a backpack or suitcase and not look suspicious. Honestly though, most dorms are pretty secure and theft is rare--not that it doesn't happen.

 

[miralys]

I was in college not so long ago. I brought a foot locker with a padlock. I only really used it the first semester, despite having several different roomies.

The best thing to do is stress locking the door every single time. If you are not in the room, lock it. Even if you are just next door. Lock it. If the room is on the first floor, keep the blinds closed or keep valuables out of sight from the windows.

 

[daughtersrus]

My DD's used laptop locks, especially when they went to the library. They would lock it to the back of a chair so if they needed to get up from the table, they didn't have to drag it with them.

In the dorm, they used a small lock box that they would keep in their closet that also locked.

The dorms are retty secure. The lobby is locked. When you get off the elevator, the doors going to the different "suites" are locked and then each room is locked.

 

[WendyLovesPeter]

The dorms are retty secure. The lobby is locked. When you get off the elevator, the doors going to the different "suites" are locked and then each room is locked.

all dorms are set up different

 

[DizFan101]

i used an old suitcase that had a combination lock to it and then secured it to the bed. and hid it behind other boxes of books etc.

if its something small like money/ipod/camera many stores sell lock boxes you can connect to a desk or something. The christmas tree shop (if u have one) has one for $14.00

 

[momrek06]

When my oldest went to college, (years ago) he basically had really nothing of great value. No cell, no iPods, no jewlery, etc. I really do not remember any issues with worry about items possibly being taken or missing.

Years later my #2 DS was going off to college and he had it all; cell, iPod, jewelry and we bought him a standard 2 drawer bedside bureau for next to his bed. Looked very similar to a small 2 drawer file cabinet but was all wood. We had the furniture store put a lock on both the drawers. It was great. So whenever DS was heading out to class or out for the night or just simply away, anything of value went right in one of the drawers and he locked it up.

 

[agnes!]

I like you idea momrek, but our problem is that DD will be in a triple...we have no idea how much space she might have after all three girls get in there.

agnes!

 

[momrek06]

I like you idea momrek, but our problem is that DD will be in a triple...we have no idea how much space she might have after all three girls get in there.

agnes!

Oh DS was in a triple, at Providence College, it was tight but it worked perfectly. We went to a few furniture stores and looked at the different bedside bureaus they had and found one of the smaller ones. We told the clerk what our plans were with the lock and they said they would install locks on both drawers.

The footlocker; while a great idea there just is not enough room in some dorms for everyone in a room to have one.

 

[LilyWDW]

The number one thing is don't be stupid. Don't leave really expensive items sitting out in view of the hallway or windows. Always lock your doors when you leave. Don't leave first floor windows open and unlocked while you are out. Doing these basic things will reduce the possibility of theft all on their own. Most theft is done when there is easy access to the items.

Another thing to think about outside of the dorm room. Don't just leave your bags on a random table while you are else where. This is when most theft on my campus happens. Take your stuff with you!

 

[agnes!]

Oh DS was in a triple, at Providence College, it was tight but it worked perfectly. We went to a few furniture stores and looked at the different bedside bureaus they had and found one of the smaller ones. We told the clerk what our plans were with the lock and they said they would install locks on both drawers.

The footlocker; while a great idea there just is not enough room in some dorms for everyone in a room to have one.

I missed that...the store itself installed the locks? You actually got customer service ...

agnes!