How to Protect Your Stuff in an On-Campus Dorm

By Victoria Robertson on March 14, 2021

This article is brought to you by GradGuard. We protect college students and their families from the financial risks of college life, like providing a refund for tuition or replacing a stolen backpack when your school may not. When the unexpected happens, GradGuard’s tuition insurance and renters insurance can help you get back on track.

When living on campus, protecting your items can be a bit challenging. Many dorms have a “door is always open” vibe in order to meet people, which is great when it comes to making new friends and networking. However, when it comes to protecting your items, it does tend to make things more challenging.

Not only are you (in many cases) living with someone you just met, but you’re also dealing with a lot of individuals that aren’t you visiting your dorm room, which leaves your personal items vulnerable should the wrong person come around. To help you protect your items, here are a few tips!

Photo Via Pixabay

Document Your Big Ticket Items

Many universities actually allow you to document your big-ticket items by registering them with the University. While this isn’t necessarily going to prevent your items from being stolen, it will make it much easier to document what’s missing when it comes to filing a claim with your insurance company.

Items worth documenting here include televisions, laptops, gaming systems, and any other expensive belongings you may have that have the potential to be stolen. The more you document, the better covered you will be.

Don’t Leave Anything in a Reachable Backpack Zipper

Thefts can happen when you’re in the room, despite what many students believe. Yes, theft is more likely to happen in an unlocked dorm room, but you aren’t necessarily safe from theft when you’re carrying your backpack to class.

If you have an exterior pocket, it can likely be unzipped without you even noticing as you walk to class with it on your back. For this reason, make sure you’re keeping your valuables (such as your wallet) either on your person or in a pocket that isn’t reachable without you noticing.

Utilize Property Insurance

Insurance isn’t just for homeowners, your car, or even an apartment; you can actually take out insurance policies to protect your belongings. While it might sound a little crazy to take out insurance on a laptop or television, when it’s upwards of a thousand dollars, it’s worthwhile.

While you shouldn’t go too crazy with adding your belongings to your property insurance (i.e. your favorite pair of jeans probably doesn’t need its own policy), you should definitely add those expensive items to ensure your bases are covered if something goes wrong, and you’re able to get your money back to replace your valuables.

Invest in a Laptop Lock (A Good One)

Laptops are one of the most commonly (and easily) stolen items from your dorm room. And while you likely have it with you all day while attending classes, when you’re out at night with your friends, your laptop is likely sitting on your desk at your dorm, vulnerable to be stolen.

Laptop locks are a great way to ensure your laptop isn’t leaving that dorm without you. However, many individuals make the mistake of purchasing a laptop lock that can easily be removed, or that can otherwise be brought along with the laptop they are stealing (i.e. the lock isn’t hooked up to anything but the laptop).

To properly secure your laptop, make sure you are locking it to a piece of furniture that’s too big to move (or too big to be moved discreetly) to prevent unwanted theft. If you have a lightweight desk, for example, you should probably opt for a bigger piece of furniture that’s more challenging to move or take apart. While there’s no surefire way to make sure it’s not stolen, this is as close as you are going to get!

Don’t Leave Your Doors Unlocked

Finally, last and easily most importantly, you should never be leaving your dorm without first locking all access points to it. Again, while many students enjoy leaving their room open so anyone can stop by any time, this is a huge risk when it comes to opening your door to theft, literally.

The bottom line is that, if you aren’t going to be home and your roommate isn’t going to be home, you should be locking up your door to prevent anyone else from coming in. It’s the best way to protect your belongings, as thieves are far less likely to attempt a burglary on a locked dorm than they are on one with an open door.

Again, living in a dorm comes with its many perks, but that’s not to say it’s without its risks. When you’re dealing with a wide variety of individuals in and around your space at all times, the odds of theft, especially with some of the higher ticket items that you have, increases exponentially.

These tips are designed to not only help you protect your items but to also ensure your college experience is as exciting as possible, without any negative incidents to detract from it!

It’s no secret that college costs a lot of money. Make sure your investment in higher education is protected with GradGuard. Our affordable tuition insurance and renters insurance plans are specifically designed for college students. Customizable plans make it easy to protect your tuition, room and board, laptop, bike, and so much more.

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