One of the things young people enjoy most about college is having levels of freedom and independence we may not have had living at home or in high school. We can hang out in friends’ dorms whenever, make Cookout runs at 2 a.m., roam aimlessly about Walmart at ungodly hours and truly start making our own decisions. While all this freedom is amazing and makes us feel so powerful and invincible, we must remember that we are but human. All students attending college, both commuters and residents, should definitely take precautions while on campus so that we can remain happy campers.

Awareness is extremely important to the safety of anyone sharing public space with others. Though we tend to consider our college campus our home, we have to realize there are lots of people who visit a college campus daily, a number of whom do not attend the school. Including myself, I would say roughly 75 percent of students on my campus use headphones while walking to and from buildings. There is nothing terribly wrong with using earphones, but it definitely decreases your awareness and alertness to your environment, especially if your music is blasting or if you are simultaneously using your phone.

This lack of attention could cause you to become the target of a predator. Some solutions to this potential danger would be to walk with only one earbud in, adjust the music to a volume at which you can hear what is going on, and to look up from your phone as you walk so that you can observe what and who is in surroundings.

I think one of the most dangerous beliefs we have as college students is that we assume that everyone we see on campus genuinely belongs there. But with a school of over 5,000, where the student next to you may either be half or twice your age, you can never be sure who belongs and who does not.

The buddy system is one we were taught as children, but this principle should remain intact, even when we become “legal." It is always better to travel in a group or with a friend at all times, but especially in the evenings and at night, because predators usually target those who are alone.

I had a strange encounter this year with an individual who I assumed was a regular University of South Carolina Upstate student, like me. It was a beautiful day out and I was sitting alone outside at one of our courtyard tables, browsing on my laptop as I waited for my sister to arrive so we could go out to eat.

Where I was sitting faced the parking lot and all of a sudden, an unknown individual walked over to me from the lot and asked if they could join me. Being the sweet freshman I was, open to making new friends and stuff, I said, “Sure!” We began to chat and I found that the person vocalized having a whole lot in common with me, right down to liking the exact foods as me. I did not catch this red flag during the conversation but found it strange in retrospect.

It was my first time meeting or seeing this person, yet they claimed to be a freshman commuter taking a couple classes on campus, which was the individual’s reason why I had never seen them on campus before. The person claimed to be only a year older than me, even though the person seemed to be a whole lot older, like middle age.

My sister arrived after a while. As I packed up to leave, the individual exclaimed that we would be such great friends this year and asked for my number. After just one conversation through text, I realized this person had simply targeted me for a business opportunity. Fortunately for me, this was not the worst that could have happened to me, being so trusting and naïve as I was. I definitely learned from that experience.

As we get ready for fall semester, I urge all college students to be as aware and alert as possible. Of course, you probably will not pick up on every detail, but try to watch out for red flags when it comes to your safety and dealing with strangers, even if they seem to be potential friends. Try to be alert at all times, even on those groggy Mondays, and whenever possible (this goes for commuters as well), use the buddy system. Get out there and enjoy your college experience to the fullest, but always safeguard yourself and try to look out for your peers.