One of the decisions you will have to make when choosing a college is whether you will be living on campus in the dormitories or off campus in an apartment. Living on campus has its obvious advantages of being closer to class and affordable. Here is some good advice for those thinking of living on the college campus:

You will have more of a social life but be careful. This can be a good thing as long as you don’t overdo it. You’ll find that when living in the college dormitory, you’ll make friends rather quickly. And you’ll also discover that not all of your friends have the same good study habits you do. In fact, you will be exposed to all levels of partiers who gladly want you to join their fun practically every day of the week. If you want to maintain a good grade point average while living in the college dormitory, you’ll have to learn to say “no” when you need to hit the books. Once you establish those boundaries, most will respect them.

When living in the college dormitory, find an alternate study location. It could be the library or an off-campus coffee shop. Things will get noisy in the dormitories when living on campus and there is really little you can do to stop it. Your safest and most successful strategy is to locate yourself somewhere else to study and then return to your dormitory later.

Evaluate the security of the dormitories when living on campus. There should be regular campus police patrols. Fire exits in the buildings should be clearly marked.

Don’t get drunk. Drink responsibly. Most crimes and injuries occur while living on a college campus and excessive alcohol consumption is involved. Learn to sip your beverages and slow down a little if you will be drinking.

Let someone know your whereabouts. If you are living in the dormitory and going off-campus for any reason, let a close friend know. If you are going to be away for the weekend, it would be a good idea to call your parents back home and let them know where you are going, who you are with, and when you expect to return. Always carry your cell phone too.

Always stay alert to your surroundings. After you have been living in the dormitory for awhile, you will know what belongs and what does not. Your dormitory might have a reception area where visitors are screened and signed in or it may not. But either way, you should always be alert to someone who does not seem to belong in the dormitory or the surrounding area. Know the emergency telephone number to the campus police so that you can quickly alert them if something does not seem right.

Lock up everything. If you don’t want it to be stolen lock it up. It is very difficult to recover stolen property in an environment where so many live in the same building. Plus, you never know who your friends are bringing by to visit.

Tags: college campus life