If you asked my freshman self what I wanted to do for the rest of my college years, being a resident assistant probably wouldn’t have cracked my top five. Ask me that question now, and it’d be the first thing that came out of my mouth.
When I applied for the position, I didn’t think I’d get it. Not in any pessimistic way, but when you’re applying for the same job as 80 other people, with only about eight spots available, it seems like your chances are slim.
I knew what I would be getting myself into: rounds, lockouts, incidents and duty nights and weekends. What I wasn’t expecting was how quickly I’d come to love my job.
To some people, the job sounds like a lot. But within the second week, my duties became another routine to my day, just like going to class becomes everyone’s routine. One of my favorite things would have to be making new friends and having conversations with new people.
In an ironic twist of fate, I’m not the best conversationalist, but I love to have conversations. Most of the time conversations end because I just run out of things to say. I don’t lose interest at all. I just run out of steam, metaphorically speaking. If I were someone who always knew what to say, I’d probably never shut up, honestly.
If I did have one complaint, I think it would be that, every once in awhile, you get residents that don’t get that you’re a student, as well. Whether they’re just naturally evasive towards people in a position of authority, or maybe they just don’t like you for some unknown reason, we’re all students. We have homework, tests, GPAs, and we get stressed, too.
As an RA, I don’t deliberately roam the hallways of McGinnies looking for trouble. But if I see something that’s a violation, then I have to do something about it. If I hear something suspicious, I have to look into it. It’s nothing against you. It’s literally my job. I don’t enjoy writing up people up for incidents. I’m sure if you ask any RA on campus, they would have that same feeling. Writing people up is never fun, and we never want to do it, but we do it if we have to.
This little bit goes out specifically to the freshman class: don’t be afraid to talk to your RA. We’re here to help make sure you have a great semester, and all of the RAs in the freshman buildings are great people. Who knows? Your RA from your freshman year might end up being your best friend.