In light of recent events, Top Universities offers you strategies to help make your time at university as safe as it can be.
Your time at university, whether at home or studying abroad, should be one of the safest and most enjoyable of your life. The events of April 2007 at Virginia Tech in the US have focused the minds of many students, prospective students and their parents on the potential dangers of life at university and there are many people feeling worried. Many universities around the world have new guidance in place on their websites. This article looks at and assesses some of the potential dangers and suggests steps you can take to make your time at university as safe as possible.
First and foremost it is important to remember that events like those at Virginia Tech are extremely rare. They do not indicate that life at university is necessarily more dangerous than life anywhere else. The same series of events could have taken place elsewhere, not at a university, and would be just as unusual and rare. The tragedy took place on a university campus, but it did not take place because it was a university campus. A lone, crazed, gunman could theoretically target people in any public place at any time.
Fortunately, this, too, very rarely occurs anywhere in the world. The fact that guns are relatively common in some countries, like America, and that gun ownership hardly exists at all in others, such as most parts of Europe, for example, may now influence some people when short-listing study destinations. It is important to keep a sense of perspective. Even in countries where gun ownership is uncommon, they are theoretically available and someone, who is determined to get one, is going to find a way. It would appear regrettable, while understandable, if that was to be a major factor in your choice of university destination above quality of university or what you wish to study and do at university.
The pressures of university life are considerable. You are confronted with a new environment and group of people from whom you will try to make friends and they come from many different places and cultures. This is the first time many people live independently without the infrastructure of family around them. Potentially one of the greatest excitements and rewards of university life, for most people, the friends they make there remain some of their best friends throughout life. The social pressure to be confident when you know nobody, feelings of social and academic insecurity, financial worries, distance from home, feeling an outsider, feeling jealous or resentful; these are all things everybody can experience. For some people, the pressure can be too great. These feelings can get out of control in the unfamiliar university environment and it can be easy to feel isolated.
Rule number one of being safe at university is to look after yourself. Just because you are away from home, doesn’t mean you should neglect yourself. Most universities have places where you eat inexpensively and take care of your domestic chores. Freedom offers many temptations of late night socialising with new friends or of keeping long hours. Students are young and strong and can take much of this in their stride, but keep in mind you are investing in yourself at university and, nowadays this also costs you a great deal of money. Enjoy yourself for certain, and live life to the full, but treat yourself well and see yourself as the precious object you are investing in.
If social, academic, financial, relationship, psychological or any other problems are worrying you, seek help at an early stage. Universities know all too well what difficulties can arise and they all have advisory or counselling services available. Most problems are much easily resolved if addressed early. If you are at a university with a personal tutor assigned to you, use him or her as a sounding block or a first port of call. Seek his or her reassurance: that is what personal tutors are there for, and nine out of ten times, they will do all in their power to find you the support you need. If you would rather not reveal to university authorities or your parents that you have worries, seek out your medical doctor/GP. Unless they sense some imminent danger to you or others, doctors will always respect confidentiality and they should help get you on a constructive path, find the right support and, hopefully, back to normal again.
Rule number two of safety at university is that, if you are finding some things challenging, so are your fellow students and there will always be someone who is struggling even more than you are. It is all too easy in life to brand someone who is self contained as aloof, unfriendly, superior, unapproachable or rude. Often, especially in a new environment, people can simply be reserved or shy. Some people are naturally less communicative than others and we all have times when we are preoccupied, especially during study. However, showing an interest in your fellow students and especially those with whom you share a room or a dorm is an investment that may just turn out to be one of the best moves you make.
No one wants to appear pushy, but arranging shared meals in dorms or on one floor of a hall of residence, for example, from time to time, to which everyone is invited, is an activity that can be enjoyable and can help you get to know your roommates better. It is the ideal environment to exchange cultural differences by exploring each others’ cooking together. If someone is really refusing to get involved and is staying abnormally isolated when everyone else participates, this is the moment to find a discrete strategy to find out why. Try to engage in gentle dialogue, show interest in the person or perhaps ask if they are missing home or worried about work, for example. If all else fails, it is not a disloyal act to have a word with someone responsible at the university that you are worried about a fellow student. If you have concrete grounds for concern, such as having noticed abnormal or threatening behaviour, whether, verbal, physical or stalking, for example, you should also not hesitate to inform someone at the university at your earliest opportunity.
Doors have locks on them for a reason. You would not leave your laptop or other precious electrical items in an unlocked room, or leave your car unlocked. You are precious and you are not being paranoid or uncool, if you lock your room or a shared shower or bathroom facility when you use it, in order to feel safer. Fire experts are sometimes concerned that you are at greater risk in the event of a fire, if you have a locked door at night. This is the sort of risk you must assess and balance with other risks, such as that of intruders. It is a valid issue to discuss with your parents, especially if they see your new university accommodation, so that you are all agreed on the best strategy. Speak to your university if you feel locks on doors are in any way inappropriate or there are no fire alarms. Fire is probably one of the more serious risks at university, especially when students, who are inexperienced cooks are using dorm kitchens. Make sure you know the escape routes from your room or corridor, in the event of a fire.
Working hard is important at university, but so is playing hard. You will most likely be at a time of your life without family commitments and with flexible time available. You have the opportunity to try out many new things. Again, the rule of thumb is to value yourself. The fact is, you will be exposed to the availability of drink, drugs and personal adventures and you have to take your own decisions about them according to your own beliefs and personal moral code. Most people know in their heart what the right thing is to do for themself and the skill you need to develop is to have the confidence and the social courage to do what is best for you. What is right for you is your private business – nobody else’s. If someone is only offering to like you on condition you abuse or devalue yourself, he or she is not the kind of “friend” you deserve. If someone who has drunk far too much is insisting on driving you home, a polite refusal and the outlay for a taxi – even if you are short of money - may even save your life. Road accidents are certainly one of the worst potential dangers you face at university – as they are in life in general. Try out new and exciting sports and travel, if that is your interest, but seek advice from those who have been there and done it before.
Ultimately, university should be one of the best experiences of your life and the vast majority of students survive it well and come out the richer for it. You are making an investment in your future and you are a valuable commodity that is, hopefully, going to develop through your time at university. Look after that investment, talk to people, keep a sense of perspective and enjoy!