Author Topic: Keeping Valuables/Documents in the Dorms? (Read 1417 times)

LillyP · « **on:** August 01, 2009, 11:30 AM »

I am wondering what students do with their valuables (like cash & jewelry) in their dorms. Is it common for students to get a small safe for their dorm? Also, how about important documents like passport, birth certificate, SSN card, etc? Do students bring them to Hopkins or leave them at home? Do they rent a safe deposit box close by campus to store these documents? We live in the west coast, and it will not be easy for my daugter to have access to these documents (for job, travel, etc.) if she doesn't bring them to Hopkins, but I am very worried that she will lose them if she keep them in the dorms. Any suggestions will be very much appreciated.

JHU_Diane · « **Reply #1 on:** August 01, 2009, 11:04 PM »

My daughter didn't take any documents such as birth certificate or social security card with her to school. I think she needed a copy of her birth certificate and/or social security card (for employment) only once which I copied and sent to her. Other than that, she really hasn't needed them for anything. She did have her medical cards and driver's license with her. While my daughter didn't have a small safe, it sounds like a good idea if you feel more comfortable with her having one....also it would keep all those papers in one place with less of a chance of misplacing them. Charles Commons has a drawer which you can put a lock on, but her drawers in Wolman Hall freshman year didn't have that feature. There are a couple of banks nearby (Bank of America and M & T Bank) if you want to go that route with a safe deposit box although I'm not sure if that's really necessary. It's convenient enough not to keep a lot of money on you with the ATM machines around campus so if you do lose cash, it wouldn't be all your cash just whatever you decide to keep out. It's important to stress that she (and her roommate) should never leave their doors open while they aren't in there even if it's just for a minute or two. I really do think if you lock your doors and use your head with leaving stuff unattended, you won't have much of a problem.

JHU_Dominique · « **Reply #2 on:** August 02, 2009, 12:28 PM »

I agree! Locked doors=fine.

I hated carrying a purse so I always kept it in my room, under my desk. It had all of my money, checks and cards in it. I never had a problem with that, and because our door was always closed and locked (I kept it open only when I was in the room), I had no worries about it either. People's things usually don't get stolen, but the doors should always be closed and locked unless someone is in the room. Last year in my building, an unfortunate incident occurred where a girl's MacBook got stolen when her roommate was taking a nap...but the door was open. I hate to say that things like that happen but that could have been prevented.

If you would feel better with a safe, then as was said, you should get one. But locked doors and common sense are always a good fall-back. :)

LillyP · « **Reply #3 on:** August 05, 2009, 12:01 AM »

Hi Diane & Dominique,

Many thanks for taking the time to reply. So, it looks like a safe is not absolutely necessary then. Thanks again for the insights.

JHU_Kate · « **Reply #4 on:** August 08, 2009, 10:02 PM »

Mostly for their peace of mind, my parents convinced me to bring a small safe to Hopkins during my freshman year to store items such as my important documents and other valuables. After my freshman year, since I knew my roommates and I knew they were the kinds of girls who'd lock their doors behind them, I didn't bring the small safe with me anymore. That's just my two cents--the two responses above have pretty much covered the rest. :)

JHU_Miranda · « **Reply #5 on:** November 15, 2009, 06:10 PM »

At Bed Bath and Beyond, they sell small safes that can be attached to something like a curtain rod or the bed. They're big enough to hold passports, wallet, important bank info, etc. Mine was about $20, and I think it's been quite useful (in terms of not having to worry).

JHU_Daniel · « **Reply #6 on:** November 16, 2009, 03:53 AM »

I don't have any documents with me that I can't easily replace except for my driver's license and a few other forms of ID. But there's nothing that will make or break my life with me.

My roommate's in another situation, though, since he's an international student. He has his passport and student visa with him, of course. We're both trusting individuals and don't lay blame for that which has not been done..... That said, we keep our door locked, etc -- the kind of things Dominique said. But we don't have a safe in our room, though if I had critical documents with me, I'd give it a thought.

I think what I'm hinting at is that I've seen very little thievery at Hopkins, though that my be due to my dorm -- Wolman, which is smaller and slightly more isolated.

JHU_Greco · « **Reply #7 on:** November 19, 2009, 12:24 PM »

I have a small safe in my room. not that I don't trust peeps in my dorm, I'm just afraid I might lose it somehow..I mean, the safe is pretty small and light so it's just a small precaution. I have my Passport an some visa documents in there I think.

JHU_Jackie · « **Reply #8 on:** December 03, 2009, 05:33 PM »

I always bring my passport to school--I dont' know why, maybe its just that there does exist the small chance you'll become friends with someone who wants to fly to London on his/her private plane....In actuality, when you get a job on campus you need some sort of documentation. I believe the forms request either two forms of documentation or a passport. The passport was the easiest thing to bring.

In terms of valuables, I suppose it depends on your level of trust. The most important part is being able to talk with your roommate. Make sure the door is locked when you aren't there and put your valuables away so even if there are friends of friends in the room, your stuff is protected. I never had a problem, but I understand being cautious.

Deleted User · « **Reply #9 on:** January 26, 2010, 02:00 AM »

Your passport is accepted for student employment documents and can be used in lieu of a birth certificate and social security card. I feel completely comfortable with my passport in a desk drawer. Still, it is strategically hidden under some old econ notes. Guess that's not a secret anymore!

JHU_Saznin · « **Reply #10 on:** January 27, 2010, 10:19 AM »

I keep my passport and all other important documents and valuables in a safe deposit box at the Bank of America located just a block away. That way I am absolutely sure it will always be safe, and I will always know where to find it, especially since my parents are overseas. It's a more extreme measure than the rest of the people who posted, but I like to be extra careful :)

JHU_Keith · « **Reply #11 on:** January 27, 2010, 05:09 PM »

Quote from: "JHU_Tyler"

I feel completely comfortable with my passport in a desk drawer. Still, it is strategically hidden under some old econ notes. Guess that's not a secret anymore!

Oops, I just accidentally forwarded this thread to a pack of Identity Thieves on Greenmount... sorry!! Hahahaha psychhh

JHU_Josh · « **Reply #12 on:** February 09, 2010, 05:56 PM »

I have a safe in my room that is vaguely disguised as a book to store valuables. It works for my purposes to just hold some extra cash and any important documents (Passport, banking info, etc.)

JHU_Joe · « **Reply #13 on:** February 14, 2010, 07:53 PM »

I didn't end up bringing any valuables with me. I don't have that much cash in my wallet because JCash covers everything here. I didn't think I'd need my passport/SS card or anything while I'd be here, but it's probably a good idea to bring a certified copy of your Birth Certificate just in case you need it for proof of identity.

If you are going to bring valuable jewelry and things like that to Hopkins its always a good idea to bring a safe or some form of secure storage for it. While I think that its very safe here and I haven't had anything stolen or heard about people who've had stuff stolen you can never be too safe.

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Author Topic: Keeping Valuables/Documents in the Dorms? (Read 1417 times)

JHU_Daniel

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