Campus Safety in the USA
Author : Adarsh Khandelwal, Co founder, Collegify
Adarsh Khandelwal, Co Founder Collegify
Look at the stats - but keep in mind that these may not be a completely accurate way to tell which colleges are safer. Colleges with better safety resources often have higher crime rates, because students feel more confident reporting crime. To get you started, the department of education provides the "Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool"(http://ope.ed.gov/security/) which allows you to search crime stats by institution, and also gives you a breakdown of the types of crime committed.
Most campuses will have Spiritual advisors and professional mental health counsellors available for any help you might need after a trauma.
Research the surrounding area - because hopefully, you will venture off campus once in a while and it'll be useful to know whether your college is surrounded by the relative safety of a few dozen cornfields, or shady back alleys and underground criminal organizations.
Research resources available on campus - You need to be aware of policies in place to prevent crime, and the resources available on campus to get help and spread awareness. Being ignorant or uncomfortable about the issues is unsafe too. You also need to be aware of protocol in case of emergency. Most campuses will also have Spiritual advisors and professional mental health counsellors available for any help you might need after a trauma.
Try to get an insight into campus culture – because, a lot of what makes a college safe or otherwise is determined by immeasurable things, like the attitudes of students and faculty. Students often get carried away with the freedom of it all, and this leads to accidents. On the other hand, you also want to be aware of how openly issues like sexual assault and substance abuse are discussed on campus, because this can impact how comfortable you'll be asking for help in dangerous situations.