Necessities that are Necessary #2

Necessary necessity #2: a bike lock

There are varying degrees of security that you can achieve with a bike lock.  I am assuming that you all know the basic purpose of locking your bike so I'm not really going to go there.

Level 1: The Kickstand.  The only time that it is safe to just prop your bike up and walk away is when you are parking it in your own driveway or garage and you know all of your neighbors.  Never do this on a college campus.
Level 2: The Rope.  Ok we get it, you are being ironic by tying your bike to that lamppost with your shoelace.  Really you are just asking to come out and find your shoelace tied in a neat little bow and your bike gone.
Level 3: The Padlock and Chain.  This is acceptable.  It's not great because chains are easy to cut, but it is better than nothing.
Level 4: The U-Lock.  "U" learn well, grasshopper.  There is no possible way to steal a bike that is properly secured with a u-lock without attracting major attention to yourself and the fact that you are lugging drills and welding equipment across campus.

Some campuses are more secure than others but I would suggest that you buy a good u-lock no matter where you are going to school.  If you are attending a particularly large or uncivilized school, you might want to buy a u-lock that is big enough to pass through your front tire as well as the frame of your bike and whatever you are locking it to.  Most u-locks are only really wide enough to secure the frame of your bike, but in most places there isn't a black market trade in front tires.

Regardless, make sure that you write down the serial number, make, and model of your bike so that if it is stolen, you can recover it.  It is also a good idea to either have a place to store it inside during the winter or buy a tarp and wrap it up so that the chain doesn't rust off.  Just a thought.