Safety Tips for college women

1,790 points300 commentssubmitted by blueeyedbeauty123 to r/college

I am reposting from a list made by girls at my school.

  1. Share location with good friends. I understand you don’t want your parents tracking you but it is a good idea for your friends to know where you are or your last location in the event you go missing or need help sent to you. If you have a date that night let someone know.

  2. Be very cautious when meeting anyone from online for the first time including tinder, bumble etc. when meeting someone for the first time meet them in public or in your housing. Do not go alone to a strangers house. You could be assaulted by the person your meeting or worse walk into a set up.

  3. Have your own alcohol (I would include drugs in this too) Do not take random drinks from anyone including other women. Bring your own alcohol to parties or stick to sealed beverages such as cans or drinks being served to everyone such as beer from a keg. Avoid any random concoctions.

  4. Drink among friends. Do not go out alone always have at least one friend with you. Be aware of each other’s where abouts throughout the party.

  5. Make sure everyone is accounted for. Everyone who came together leaves together. (I personally have seen this problem happen) While going out in a large group of friends may seem safer but it is not. The more girls, the easier it is to lose someone without realizing. If two girls go out they are unlikely to leave each other during the party and you would notice immediately if the only person you know is missing. In a group of friends it can be easy to lose someone because of diffusion of responsibly, everyone is talking to someone else, someone must know where she is mentality. It is easy to lose one girl when party or bar hopping throughout the night in a group. Keep track of your friends.

  6. Do not go to the bathroom alone. (I personally know of a girl who was followed into a bathroom and raped while at a house party) This one is more so for house parties than bars as bar bathrooms aren’t single stall so many women are in there at once also bar staff tends to keep an eye on bathrooms for all sorts of reasons. Bring a friend into the bathroom with you or at least to stand outside. It is very easy at a party for a predator to follow a girl into a bathroom and for bystanders to assume they are a couple looking for privacy. Never use a bathroom in a secluded part of the house alone. If you are followed into a bathroom scream your head off for help. People will care I promise.

  7. Make sure your phone is charged before you go anywhere. You do not want to be in a situation where you are unable to call 911 or a friend or an Uber. Keep your phone on you as much as possible.

  8. Always have a healthy level of caution in a professional or educational setting. Meet professors before class instead of after. Schedule one on one meetings in less secluded places if the option is given to you. Such as meeting a tutor in a library instead of dorm room. Bring a friend along if the matter is not confidential when meeting a professor or other college staff member.

  9. Have a healthy level of caution among friends. Predators are stereotyped as strangers who hide in bushes but many sex crimes are committed by a person who knows the victim such as a friend of a friend, friends boyfriend or brother or even a friend themself. Be careful where you sleep. Always sleep in your own bed whenever possible. Do not sleep on a friends couch in a house with many people in the house. Be selective about who sleeps in your house as well.

  10. Just because someone attends the same school as you does not mean you “know them”. Many girls who would never dream going back to a strangers house think it’s safe to go back to the room or house of someone they just met simply because they are also a student at that school. This person is still a stranger.

  11. Other women are not always friends. (This one applies mostly to sex trafficking and abductions) Many girls are lured by other women into being victimized. Predators are often smart and realize women are much less suspicious of other women. Be wary of anyone who randomly approaches you with a “job offer” like modeling or photography. A random woman in social media trying to get you to meet her somewhere is another one.

  12. Stay away from the worst. In college do not let a little youthful rebellion or college partying make you think there is anything glamorous about a life of crime. You may feel invincible but you are not. There is a very big difference between college kids experimenting with drugs or making fake ids and being a career criminal. Practice good common sense. College aged women are very vulnerable to being manipulated into sex work by drug addict boyfriends or pimps. College is a time for taking risks and having fun but do not take it too far.

  13. Educate yourself on the signs and behaviors of an abusive boyfriend. This will allow you to educate yourself before potentially entering an abusive relationship that will ruin your college years.

  14. Do not go home with anyone you met that night. You can give your phone number and agree to meet another day. If you really want to see more of them that night bring them back to your housing. This will you to be in control of the situation and your safety. If they refuse to go to your housing instead of theirs that is a major read flag. Going home with a stranger after drinking leaves you vulnerable to many potential problems or high risk behaviors. Ranging from assault from the person you went home with or his roommates, to impulsive consensual unprotected sex.

  15. If you see something not right happening get involved. Be a friend to a girl who needs it. Do not let your school be a place where violence against women is tolerated.