Just about everyone can agree that college is the best time of your life. For four years, your only job is to show up for class and you get to spend the rest of the time hanging out with friends, attending football games, going to parties, and yes, occasionally studying. College also probably marks the first time in your life that you do not live with your parents, and this new found sense of independence can often be one of the most thrilling, and yet overwhelming parts of the college experience.

Trying to balance these new responsibilities with an active social life and a busy class schedule can be difficult for most college students at one point or another. However, no matter how busy or overwhelmed you may find yourself, it is very important that you do not let some particularly vital priorities fall to the wayside. One of your most important responsibilities now that you are living on your own is in terms of home security. Whether you are living in a shared house or an apartment, you have to do your part to keep it safe and secure. College students often become the victims of crimes because burglars assume that they do not have the common sense or presence of mind to keep their homes secure. For students living on their own for the first time, this unfortunately can be somewhat true.

However, with a little common sense, you do not have to find yourself as another crime statistic. As long as you take a little bit of time out of your busy day, you can make sure you are not overlooking something and in turn making your home vulnerable to a break in. Even if your have roommates, you have to do your own part to keep your property safe. This is the reality of growing up and living on your own, but again, it does not have to consumer all of your time, or your limited funds. Here are some simple tips and suggestions to keep in mind:

-If your home or apartment does not already come with one, then you and your roommates should absolutely invest in a home security system. You do not need to get a particularly expensive service, and if you and your roommates split the cost it will certainly not be too much of a financial burden. A home alarm is truly the best way to protect your home or apartment from a potential burglar. College homes are often targeted, especially over holiday breaks when burglars know that the residents are away. If you are not particularly diligent about setting the alarm on a daily basis, at least make sure to set it when you leave the home for long periods of time.

-Another important home security measure to take is to always make sure your downstairs doors are locked and that all windows are secure. When you are busy, it is so easy to run out without checking all potentially vulnerable entrances, and this makes it far too easy for a burglar to get inside. Make sure all of your roommates are on the same page with this, so that no one overlooks something important.