Tips for Your Student’s First Year at College
As the school year looms, many Florida families are preparing their children for their freshman year. Whether your child is attending classes at a community college down the road, driving a short distance to a state college, or flying off to attend another school hundreds of miles away, there are some basic safety tips you should discuss before the first day of classes.
- Know your environment – explore your campus, dorm area, and commonly traveled routes during the daylight to know where you’re going ahead of time.
- Learn about the school’s safety measures – ask about emergency plans for fire, disasters, and other events that could pose a risk of injury.
- Never travel alone – college is a time to network, so make some new friends and carpool or travel in groups to increase safety.
- Locate health services – know where to go for illnesses and emergencies, such as the on-campus health center or nearby urgent care clinics or hospitals.
- Protect your belongings – all those graduation gifts are targets for theft, so make sure to secure your belongings and keep them out of sight in your car or dorm room to avoid robbery confrontations.
- Exercise good judgment – college is a time for exploring new things, but safety is always more important than taking part in a risky situation.
Taking a few days before classes start to learn the lay of the land at a new campus not only can help new students avoid being late for their first lecture but also helps them become better prepared, should an accident occur. The more safety resources they become familiar with on campus, the better they will fare when the unthinkable happens.
