You spend so much time and effort on door decorations

The door decorations are posted outside of a residents door with the goal to create a sense of community and to help residents find their room efficiently on college move in day.

An RA will be upset if they see your door decoration in the trash! They spent so much time creating these decorations.

You witness family saying their goodbyes to their child

RA's are responsible for assisting in the big day known as college move in day. It is a busy day for the RA's as they meet the students they will mentor for their year as an RA.

While families help move their items into the halls, an RA may see a parent shed a tear as this can be their first child leaving the nest.

You try not to be judgemental during room inspections

As an RA, one duty that you have is to make sure the rooms residents live in are safe, and this is achieved through conducting room inspections.

During these times, you are able to know more about the interests and hobbies of the resident. Some residents may be super clean and some will be more disorganized or messy.

Hearing the duty phone ring is triggering

The RA's will have designated days when they are on duty. While on duty an RA must respond to all calls to ensure residents are safe.

Hearing the duty phone ring can be quite triggering as any problem can occur and they want to assist you in any way they can.

Planning floor events to only have residents show up for the free food

An RA must put on a certain number of events each year to create community, and these events can also be educational such as informing residents on safety tips on handling alcohol and campus resources.

From movie viewings to dance parties, the RA ensures at least a few residents trickle into these events by having free food.

Everyone loves free food, and the leftovers that are from the event will become groceries for the RA.

You love many of your residents, but some boundaries must be set

One tricky part of being an RA is creating a boundary between being an RA and a friend. As an RA you want your residents to succeed and you want to be close to the ones you are close with.

However, you are still their RA and when you must document any violations they have, it can frustrate residents.

You become an expert of making bulletin boards

Another aspect as an RA is to create a bulletin board that is creative that informs residents about on campus resources or educates them on college life.

These boards must be changed every month, and the RA's definetly keep in touch with their creative side.

Floor meetings are ways to rally up your entire floor

The floor meetings are like trying to herd cattle. You post floor meeting times and dates in group chats, on flyers plastered all over your residence hall.

A floor meeting is a way to create order and a sense of harmony to the residents. These meetings are often held during move in day and move out day, and whenever an RA feels that it is necessary.

You love your team very much

As an RA, you have the backs of other RA's who are working with you, and they got their backs for you too.

An RA staff goes through so much together, through the summer training, team bonding and creating door decorations and planning events, an RA is a friend to one another. It is a special bond that an RA has.

Once the residents leave for summer, you are sad

The end of the school year comes, and you are relieved that summer is here and you can have a break.

However, once the residents leave, the floors are very quiet and the RA knows that it is time to wrap up their work they have done for the year. It is a sad, but happy time for the RA's.