At In a Box Group Ltd we have put together a University Essentials Guide covering various different aspects of university life giving you the student essentials necessary to have a happy and safe time whilst you are at college and university.

We will be posting different subjects on our blog so make sure you check out the ones already done and keep an eye out for the future blogs and subjects we will cover!

This blog is looking at the university essential of the different aspects of student safety, covering the student essentials for keeping you and your belongs nice and safe!  We hope you will find it useful.

Safety Tips for a Night Out

• Make sure you eat before you drink alcohol. Slow down the speed of the alcohol getting into your system.
• Let someone know where you are going and your expected time of return.
• Plan ahead and know how you are getting home.
• Carry a mobile phone. Make sure it’s charged and has credit.
• Ensure you have the numbers of local taxi firms.
• Carry a personal alarm with you. Statistics show male students are attacked in the street more often than females!
• Drink occasional soft drink or water in between alcoholic beverages. It helps awareness and reduces the hangover!
• Do not walk home alone or let others do so.
• Avoid walking along rivers, through parks, through industrial estates etc.  Try to remain in well-lit and populated areas.
• If you drink alcohol, do so responsibly.  Whether male or female, do not leave drinks unattended.  Be wary of people having opportunities to spike your drink. Be careful accepting drinks from strangers for the same reason!
• When using public transport, sit near the driver (bus/tram) and in an occupied carriage (train/underground).

Top tips for the morning after

• Try to drink as much water as possible before you go to sleep.
• Make sure you take water to bed too.
• Alcohol is a depressant and lowers blood sugar levels. In the morning EAT! Good morning after foods include bananas, cereal, or egg on toast.
• Give your liver a rest, if it was a heavy session don’t drink for 48 hours.
• One of our Directors swears that a student essential is eating a handful of almonds before drinking. Evidently it reduces a hangover …not sure whether we believe her but it may work for you!

Keeping your belongings safe

• Be vigilant with closing and locking doors and windows when leaving your student accommodation.
• Ensure you keep valuables out of sight.
• Avoid using mobile phone in isolated places.
• Ensure you have adequate personal belongings insurance
• Mark possessions with a UV pen (student registration number plus initials of your university makes a unique number). Register the serial numbers of your electronic equipment on immobilise.com(free UK property register used by the police).
• A laptop is part of the student essentials. Include a laptop lock in that list of university essentials!
• Students in private housing are twice as likely to be burgled. Fit doors with a Yale type lock and five lever mortise deadlock. Fit any downstairs windows with key-operated locks. Give the impression of being at home with timer switches on lights and radios.
• Another item in the list of college essentials is a bicycle. Add a good lock to the list of essentials for university and use it. Leave your bike in a designated bike park, or a well-lit, public place and lock it to something immoveable. Take a photograph of your bike and frame number.

Online safety

• Social media is part of every student’s essentials. Check your privacy settings on social media know who can see what you are posting!
• Choose secure passwords and don’t have the same one for all of your email or online accounts
• Think about what personal information you have online and whether it is necessary for it to be there
• Be careful not to overshare information on your movements – highlighting that you are going to be away from your accommodation could provide an opportunity for thieves
• Be suspicious of emails, texts or phone calls asking for personal information, passwords, PIN numbers or account details.
• When you move accommodation inform all organisations you deal with of your new address and arrange for the post office to forward your mail.
• Use cash machines during the day or in well-lit and populated areas. Check for signs of interference before use.
• When shopping online, when checking out make sure that ‘https:’ starts the web address; this means that a secure, encrypted connection is in place between your computer’s browser and the website. If you don’t see the final ‘s’ when you come to checkout, stop the transaction immediately. The VeriSignTrust seal means that the website company’s identity has been verified and that the website has passed a daily malware scan.

Also Read from the blog:

What to Take to University?

Cheap and Easy Student Meals