A new hope; a new college year – by blogger Snehal Gajare

My heart is pounding a thousand times, I feel as if my blood is gushing through my veins like liquid electricity. Oh Damn! I’m so confused or am I scared? Let me take a deep breath.......... Will I be accepted by my classmates? Will I be able to make new friends? Oh my God I’m going crazy with these questions popping up in my mind. The first year college students often battle these emotional questions during their transitional phase from school to college.

 Everything seems new and tempting. Freshmen are away from home for the first time and may tend to have a thrill pertaining to parties, relationships, peer pressure, covering costs, sex and social groups. The first few weeks of the college are crucial as you tend to make critical decisions that can have a major impact on your experience in the rest of your college years. Here are a few guidelines that can help you to enjoy your college experience.

1.       Academic success comes with proper planning, organizing and time management.  You should get to know your professors well so that you can clarify your doubts pertaining to your studies. Design a calendar for studies. Follow it regularly and it will work wonders.

2.       Roommates during your college can be your best friends.  Remember your roommates may have issues at an initial stage but as time passes by you tend to develop a bond of mutual respect. If a roommate is physically or verbally abusive you can always have a word with the Resident Assistant or the Dean and request for a room change.

3.       Orientation programs will have a lot of students who are like you; of the same age and equally scared. Such programs will always help you to make a lot of friends and also understanding your college campus well.

4.       There will be a lot of peer pressure pertaining to sex. All you need to know is that  it’s an individual choice and should not be an outcome of peer pressure.

5.       You should always use money wisely. You can also take up a part time job to meet your needs.

6.       Campus safety: This is perhaps the most prominent issue. The first year students are the ones who are most likely to be the victims of sexual assaults. The period from new student orientation to that of thanks- giving break is often termed as “The Red Zone” by many researchers.  This is the time when maximum sexual assaults occur and are reported.  So students have to be vigilant in parties, gatherings.  Ensure that you don’t put your drink down. Someone can spike your drink. At the same time you need to have the campus security number programmed in your cell. This is always a smart decision. Female students should always carry pepper spray in the purse.

      Every college needs to have a program to educate and create awareness about sexual assault on campuses.

Stay True to Yourself by Benedictine University blogger Karly Sacco

There are many changes that happen between senior year of high school, and going into your freshman year of college. There are more temptations that you have to control and learn from. Being a senior I know that it is extremely important your first year of college to learn right away how to be safe at school. Have common sense. If you go into your first year with your head held high, your confidence, and your guard is up then you are off to a great start. Unfortunately for girls, we cannot be too trusting of others right away. We will always have our guard up whether we want it to be there or not. We have all been hurt in the past, so that shield automatically stays up where ever we go.

However, when you’re starting off at a new school that comes in handy. I am going to sound really cliché and say this but, don’t fall into per-pressure. If you don’t want to do something, then don’t do it. It’s as simple as that! Stay true to yourself and let people like you for your true self, instead of being fake and then you might end up not having any true friends right off the bat.

Being a freshman is scary; we have all been there. Everything seems so new, big exciting, and crazy all at the same time. But as I said before you have to keep your head held high and focus on why your there in the first place which is to go to school and have an amazing time. I know when I first started college; I was not very social or involved in any groups. But as soon as I opened up and became friends with people that were interested in the same hobbies as me, it made me feel safe and wanted by students just like me. So it is okay to talk to random people, just try to have a good judge of character. If someone is being kind of weird, or you have a bad vibe, maybe you shouldn’t continue to be friends with him or her. But once you do find a good group of friends, stay with them and maintain a great relationship with those people. They will be your safety net when you need someone to talk to, if something bad happens and you’re afraid, or even if your just scared to walk across campus at night and you need a buddy.

So my main advice for incoming freshmen is to not be afraid to have your guard up. If something feels off, then don’t pursue it. Once you find yourself, find a good group of friends you feel safe and comfortable with and that make you happy. As long as you stay true to yourself you will be fine!

Campus Safety Tips for Recent and Future High School Grads by Bradley University blogger Ashley

For the most part, the safety tips parents teach their kids during middle school and high school years should be the same tips they extend in college or adulthood. The only difference is that their kids aren’t “kids” anymore—they’re adults now, whether they’re ready for the responsibilities or not. A grand list of freedoms open up to teenagers once they hit 18, but a new world of danger comes riding along with it as well.

Whether your teenager is going off to college or moving out on their own and holding a steady job, they still need advice on how to handle situations in a less sheltered world. Here’s a list of tips, and it helps to be open and honest about your own experiences (or lack thereof) in these areas:

• Always be aware of your surroundings- it can be easy to let your guard down once you feel comfortable on or around campus, but you never know what could happen
• Have campus safety/police number(s) saved in your phone
• Have the number for at least one local taxi company saved in your phone
•  If your campus has emergency lights/phones, try your best to remember where they’re located

                                         

• Try to keep up with local news when you can so that you’re aware of what’s happening in your community.
• Try to have your phone fully charged before going out for a long period of time (or bring your charger with you!).
• Know where the exits are in a building in case of an emergency.
• If you don’t feel safe somewhere, leave when possible.
• If you are at a party and don’t like the direction that it’s going, leave
• *If you went to a party (or any place/gathering) with a friend, are ready to leave, and your friend does not want to leave, 1) try to convince them to leave with you or 2) plan how you and they can get home safely while traveling separately. You should always try to stick together to the best of your ability, but you should not stay in a sticky situation if you know you can leave. My university had safety escorts that you could call to meet you within the surrounding area of campus and walk you home. If it was past 3am, you could always call campus police to give you a ride home. Most campuses offer some type of safety escort/driver.
• If you are sexually harassed on campus, don’t be afraid to report it. Most universities have laws and regulations regarding sexual harassment, but unfortunately they do not always make it well known to students.
• **Reporting sexual assault that occurred on or off campus is even harder than reporting sexual harassment. If you have the strength to report right away, stand your ground as you are questioned and do not let others discourage you. You’ll most likely be asked if you were drinking, what you were wearing, if you were alone, if you knew the perpetrator, etc. Remind the person that you were victimized and that you obviously didn’t ask to be assaulted, if there is any hint of victim-blaming.
• Use the buddy system, but do not blame yourself if you are assaulted when walking alone. Sometimes the buddy system doesn’t thwart perpetrators, as a few reports from my campus has shown.
• Invest in pepper spray, a small stun gun, or even one of those small cat keychains with pointy ears.

             

• Take a self-defense class. More campuses and local police stations are offering these classes for free, and most times they are a one-day class/workshop.
•  Don’t hesitate to contact your parents/guardians for help or advice for anything! I know most students just want to be free from their parents and feel independent, but it never hurts to call back home for assistance.

Even if you aren’t on campus or a student, you can still use most of the above tips, especially the last tip to reach out to your parents. There are still a number of ways to stay safe as you go about your daily life, but being at least somewhat prepared can help you greatly.