Preparing for college, campus safety, a Family Guide

If you have a high schooler who is preparing for college, there is a good chance that your mailbox has been stuffed with glossy college brochures, and you likely will be visiting college campuses soon. Many counselors, teachers, college guides, and admissions officers agree that the best way to get a feel for life on a college campus is to arrange for a visit.

Whether you and your teen are visiting a college for a few hours or for a weekend, safety should be a key concern during the stay. Talk with your teen about ways she can protect herself and increase her safety throughout the visit—especially if she will be spending the night in a dorm—and help her to assess the overall safety of the campus.

Do Your Homework

Since 1991, all places of higher education that take part in any Federal student aid programs have to report 3 years of campus crime statistics, post security rules, and make timely reports. The Federal Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act also requires every college, both public and private, to publish an annual report by October 1 that contains crime statistics for the past 3 years.

Before you visit a college or university, check out its campus crime report. Reports are open to the public and often are posted on college Web sites. Other sites, including the U.S. Department of Education, keep a list of published reports.

Ask Questions

Many incidents, especially rape and sexual assault, go unreported because victims are reluctant to step forward. When you visit a college campus, ask guides, professors, and students about their views on campus safety. Do they feel safe? Do they know of crimes that have been committed? How easy is it to report crimes?

Look Around

You have a lot to see during your campus visit, but don’t forget to look for safety concerns. Make sure you and your teen walk around campus during the day and at night, but also be sure that neither of you walks around alone. Ask yourself these questions:

Do dorms have electronic locks or some other security system in place? Are the doors always locked, or only after certain hours?
Are dorm doors propped open? If you visit a campus during the winter, ask if people prop the doors open during warmer weather.
Do dorm rooms on the ground floor have special safety measures like bars on the windows?
Do dorm windows lock?
Do dorm room doors have peepholes so that your teen can see who is at the door before opening it?
Are safety phones or call boxes that immediately connect the caller to the campus police station installed throughout the campus?
Is the campus—parking lots, buildings, dorms, dining halls, walkways—well lit? Is it well lit during the weekend, as well as the weeknights?
What kind of transit system is in place? Will it be easy for your child to catch a bus if he is coming home late, or will he have to walk? Is the path well lit?
Does the college provide an escort service for students walking to their dorm rooms at night?
Is there assigned campus security at all times?

When you visit a campus, keep a notebook handy to jot down your thoughts, and be sure to write down safety issues or questions that come up.

Visiting a college campus is a good way for a teen to get a feel for a college and what its campus life is like. It helps a teen make a better, more-informed choice about which college is a good fit. Whether the college is private or public, big or small, in the middle of a city or the middle of nowhere, help your teen find ways to stay safe. Protect your peace of mind—and your child.

For more tips on campus safety, visit:

International Student Guide: Suggested Tips for Ensuring Safety on College and University Campuses