COLUMBUS (WCMH)–As Ohio State students return to campus by the thousands this week, the opportunity for crime against them is certain to rise.

“Try not to walk alone anywhere. Just not worth it,” says Jonny Friedman, an OSU senior. “Even if you’re with one other person, there’s a way less chance of something bad happening.”

Friedman says he nor any of his friends have been victims of crime at OSU. Fellow senior Anna Grushetsky isn’t as fortunate.

“It’s definitely a problem,” says Grushetsky, who says her friends had someone break into their house a year ago.

The experienced seniors say they now know the precautions to keep themselves safe, but when they first came to campus, as thousands will later this month, they weren’t so aware of campus crime.

“When I was a freshman, I think was less aware of the crime situation going on off campus,” says Grushetsky.

Columbus Police say crime is down across the city, including on campus – but for new students in a new setting, they might not be ready for a city environment.

“You may come from a town where you can leave the front door unlocked, leave the windows open,” says Sgt. Rich Weiner with the Columbus Police Department. “There’s too many opportunities here, in this area, for people to walk by, see a window open, see an opportunity.”

But Sgt. Weiner insists the area is safe, especially when being cautious.

“This is a very safe area,” says Sgt. Weiner. “We have plenty of officers and resources to deal with the crime as it occurs.”