[Lester Mobley]

I lived with two guys in a suite in my first year last year and I had the same experience.  I never had a problem with my room-mates because they were both really nice, studious, and didn't drink.  Though safety of my valuables wasn't a concern for me because I had a locking door.  If your room will be hosting a lot of parties, that's a different story.  So I'd say it depends on the residence (studious versus party) and the guys you're with.  Definitely scope it out first.
 
Quote:

It depends on your roommate. I've lived in a triple with two highschool friends for two years and I never felt uncomfortable leaving all of my gear in the dorm. We never drank anything but water, diet coke and diet pepsi so alcohol wasn't an issue.

 

[Mr. B]

Even if your roommates are alright, who can say who they'll invite in?

 

[Ypoknons]

It's not just the roomies. In college I was way too mobile, switching dorms and apartments all the time, going to different places (conferences, invitations etc...) or home, and already ready to go out on a moment's notice. I would fit your listening setup for your lifestyle, keep it simple until you know what your college life is like. For example, people develop study habits, some like the library because everyone's there to study, less distractions (sometimes), others do it in the dorms, others in the lounge. Plan a setup around your lifestyle, leave at home or sell the less important things. I went completely IEM during college (+ speakers for chilling out and parties), I really needed to streamline my life especially since I didn't have a home in the USA to drive to. If there's a party in the room, lock your stuff, you can't trust everyone, I can trust my friends but like the above posters said, people show up and when people are drunk who knows. I'd recommend a simple, easy to manage with setup, integrate as many things as possible, less components means less things to lock away or pack up. There's lots of time in life for Hi-Fi, you don't want to spend your time worrying about the equipment, enjoy college while you can. 

 

[revolink24]

I'm starting to think, can anyone recommend a locking hard case to store some headphones in while I'm out of the room? It could at least protect them from damage and be a theft deterrent.

 

[Voohoo]

The mentioned advice sounds pretty good to me. I wouldn't worry too much. Most people who are going to steal will go for the laptops, iPods, phones, and game consoles (and cash laying around of course). I haven't heard of anyone getting their headphones stolen. The general public is oblivious to the hi-fi world.
 
My roommates were/are really trustworthy and all around good guys and stealing hasn't really been a big issue at ym school. My D2000s are always out in the open on my stand.

 

[Ypoknons]

Most dorms should have a locked drawer. Yeh, well, I think the most I can say it be careful at first, and you'll figure it out after a while there. You never know. I had one roommate who'd use anything that was on my desk... scary if he took some HD650's without knowing what it was and clipped it to bits from his iPod, you know?

 

[laxx]

Don't be a puss. Bring it to college with you. You should know who enters your room, if you don't, then your room mate does. If something's missing, your room mate should be accountable. You either remedy the problem on your own or you take it up with the school.

 

[logwed]

I was planning on taking my rig with me to college, but I will be rooming in a triple with my two close friends from HS, so not really any trust issues there. I was going to bring the speakers, too, so we'll just have a bitchin' stereo in there! I don't know that anyone else should really be in our dorm at all that we don't know/trust. That's what common rooms are for...

 

[DouglasQuaid]

I always lived with alcoholics in college, and my gear never got stolen.  The fact that someone drinks doesn't make them a thief.  That being said, I wouldn't pack any fancy gear until I knew I could trust the people I lived with.  Pico/iBasso, some easy to drive full-size headphones, and a set of quality IEMs for when you need to buckle down and study but the guy next door is having a party.

 

[dmac03]

One thing I think you should definitely look into is insurance. Renter's insurance (or whatever covers dorm rooms) should cover all those things and is not expensive at all!!! Even if you aren't taking all your top dollar gear it is worth looking into.

 

[tintin47]

Current student here.  I have always kept my gear at school, and we have an active room as far as weekend get togethers etc.  It really isn't a problem if you move them out of the way when people are coming over.  
 
No one is going to steal an amp or dac.  Headphones maybe, but those are easy to move.

 

[mark2410]

erm why not just keep your door locked when your not there?
 
do you literally mean roommate as in share a room?  i thought americans just called a "roommate" what we would call a "flatmate"  ie you live at the same property and share a kitchen?

 

[logwed]

Quote:

erm why not just keep your door locked when your not there?
 
do you literally mean roommate as in share a room?  i thought americans just called a "roommate" what we would call a "flatmate"  ie you live at the same property and share a kitchen?

Most college dorm rooms are just a single room where you would both sleep. We use roommate in both of your meanings, though.

 

[nycbone]

I would:
 
Take the least expensive gear that you can live with to school and leave the rest at home to enjoy during the holidays.
Keep it in a locked cabinet when not in use.
Get insurance for your belongings with coverage that includes replacement cost (there will likely be a deductible).
 
The only times I've had property stolen has been on college campuses.
 
Once as a student: Left the door to my room closed, but unlocked to take a leak and my wallet was stolen from my desk. I was gone for two minutes. The wallet turned up at campus security that evening with my driver's license and $ gone.
 
Once as faculty a few weeks ago: Had an iPhone stolen from my desk in a locked office. The head of campus security told me to take anything that I consider important with me when leaving the office or it WILL happen again. Theft is rampant on college campuses.
 
 

 

[Raguvian]

I would leave most of the stuff at home if I were you. Freshman year we always had our door open so people would walk in and out so there was a chance for theft. Also, consider that people may not steal your stuff but might want to play around with it and mess something up that way. If the environment seems safe then I would take stuff in slowly. And, you can hide your equipment if it looks expensive. Put it in a shoe box or something.