All right, girls.. Listen up. Time to get real—you may think you are safe anywhere you go, but sometimes, no matter who you are with, you aren’t.

Just a few short weeks ago, a public safety email was sent out to all of us UC students. The reason? A girl was sexually assaulted at a party. For this girl’s sake, I will not speak any more about this specific tragedy.

As a twenty year old female, I personally know what it is like to be fearful of everyone and everything—especially during the night life in Cincinnati. During my sophomore year of college, I lived in a house off campus. I was taking a night class on Mondays from 6:30-9pm. One Monday night I was walking home from class and was approached by a male who stood a little too close to me. He kept leaning in- telling me I looked nice, I smelled nice, and how beautiful he thought I was. The entire time, he kept looking over my shoulder as if someone were coming up from behind me. I took off running, and, thankfully, he did not follow me. The scary part was that I was still on campus. I was still physically on the University of Cincinnati’s campus. This was the place we were all told at orientation freshman year that our campus was as safe as could be. However, in a matter of five, short minutes, I felt so unsafe.

For all of my fellow women in college, we have to start looking out for each other. We are at an extremely vulnerable time in our lives. Here are a few short tips on being safe:

Do not walk alone

Yes, we have all heard this over, and over, and over again, but it is true. Especially at night, girls should definitely not walk alone. We should at least have one other person with us.

Carry maze and/or a Taser (stun gun)

My freshman year, my parents left me in my dorm room with both pepper spray and a stun gun. Stun guns are completely legal and you do not need a license to have one. I carry both wherever I go, especially after my frightening experience last year. No matter where a young girl goes, she should always be prepared and ready to defend herself.

Share your location with at least one other person

If you have an iPhone, you have the ability to share your current location with someone at all times. For me, I share mine with my boyfriend, and a few of my close friends at UC. I always want to know that if something were to happen, someone knows where I am- or at least where I last was.

Don’t ever take a drink from a stranger

This, too, we have also heard on repeat, but it’s something so serious. It may be something you view as harmless, but too often than not, it is extremely dangerous. You never know what a random guy at the bar or at a party put into that drink before handing it to you. If you want to take the drink, ask him to take a drink before you do. If he does without hesitation, you’re good girl! If he gets all nervous, DO NOT TAKE THE DRINK!

Be cautious of your surroundings

Even if you are walking with a large group of girls, constantly look behind you to see if anyone is following you. You never know who could be “coincidentally” following you. It could be your neighbor, or someone walking to a party down the street from you, but that’s the thing—you never know.

Sexual assault is extremely serious, despite who can “get away” with it. You never know how one night can change a girl for the rest of her life. Guys, before acting, think about what you are doing. Girls, please, please, please be careful. Always look out for one another, even if you don’t know each other. Be careful, be a good person, and most of all- be someone your parents would be proud of.