1) Picking a lock
Okay, so I don't know how to pick a regular kind of lock. This really only came out of desperation. I was the lame one doing homework one night while it seemed like everyone else on my floor was out partying, and I really had to use the restroom!
Now, I have a suite-style bathroom which means I share a sink, shower, and toilet with my roommate and the room with two girls next to us. You can lock the bathroom door from the inside on both sides. Multiple times, I've had to knock on my suite mates' door for them to unlock it on our side since they ALWAYS seem to forget. (I had to do this one time after getting stuck in a severe downpour and I couldn't get in to take a shower. Needless to say, I got strange looks waiting outside their door for them to answer.)
I don't have a problem with asking them, I know it's an honest mistake. But that night, everyone was gone and the door was locked. Of course. My parents pressured me into getting my RA (which I probably should've done), but my pride got in my way. I was determined to get in that bathroom if it killed me.
I scrambled for a bobby pin like I'd seen them pick locks with in the movies. The lock was just a pop lock (when you turn the handle, the lock pops forward) so it just had a little hole on the outside.
For a good ten minutes I was trying to find the right way to place the bobby pin to get it to pop open. It didn't work. I tried to return to my work for another few minutes, but I kept thinking back to that door.
So, naturally, I tried a card from my wallet. Didn't work. If someone saw me, I'm sure I would've been the laughing stock. I was pathetically trying to break into my own bathroom.
I promised myself I would try one more time before getting my RA, so I returned to the bobby pin and angrily pushed it into the lock, farther than I had before. When I heard the lock click open, I got more excited than I definitely should have. It was the highlight of my night!
So, moral of the story, if you have a pop lock, a bobby pin can for sure open it if need be!
*I am not condoning picking locks, but desperate times call for desperate measures!*
2) Finding a cabby!
Sorry for the British in me coming out, but I think finding a taxi driver is one of the best things you can do. I've had a company in my phone since the beginning of high school, but where I am, I didn't have any idea who to go to for one.
Leave it up to others to find one. You don't want to risk getting a sketchy taxi driver the first time you go out. In front of my dorm, there are cabs waiting almost every night and most of them aren't even real cab drivers, but just people looking for easy money. Don't take one that looks questionable or that drives like a maniac.
Me and my friends needed a ride one night, so we asked my suite mates if they knew a good one. We called her up and she was an ex school teacher! Score! She was so nice and said that if we ever needed her to call her up and she'd come right away...especially for us nice girls!
Also, make sure to check that the driver starts at 0 when you get in the car...a lot of people get ripped off by this, so it's good to be diligent.
*One more also...we almost forgot to tip our wonderful driver. Usually it's courtesy to tip the taxi driver (I'm assuming the same amount as you would a waiter at a restaurant)
3) Have Numbers
Have someone's number that you trust on campus besides your immediate friends. I have numbers of upperclassmen and just family friends that are so nice to offer their help whenever I may need it. Even if I never use it, it's a security blanket to have the numbers in my phone.
Hopefully these things come into some use for you one day!
Alexis
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