It's that time of year again -- drum roll please -- The Resident Assistant Application Process! Now, you may not want to jump in before you have an idea of what you do in residence life. As an RA, I live with my peers and enforce the standards/rules my university has in place. I encourage community and put on events that create an avenue for residents to meet others. Resident assistants are there to be the middle man between college students and the adult staff on campus. There are many other things done throughout the year, but overall serving residents is the name of the game. If you are thinking about applying, here are some benefits:

1. When you check dorms, sometimes residents leave chocolate for you.
2. You get paid to hangout with your college peers.
3. You plan events! Lots and lots of events!
4. You get free t-shirts (and get to "twin" with 80-100 of your closest friends).
5. You craft during the summer, and Pinterest really comes in handy then!
6. You bond with your residents and have the chance to make a real difference.
7. Your fellow RA Staff become some of your favorite people.
8. Your Area Coordinator (boss) becomes a person to look up to and occasionally laugh at.
9. You get a name tag!
10. You get free meals during training (college is an especially sweet time to eat a free meal).
11. You move into the dorms early and have more time to make sure your room looks fabulous.
12. You have the opportunity to meet people you otherwise wouldn't.
13. You serve others. That alone has a ton of benefits.
14. You bake lots of cookies.
15. You have a key that lets you access other buildings, which comes in handy for many reasons.
16. You always know the latest 411.
17. You get the first chance to meet/impact "new kids on campus."
18. You learn what it means to be a leader, and what it does not mean.
19. It looks good on an application.
20. You have something to insert in your job info for Facebook!
21. You'll impress your family. Literally your mom/dad will let everyone they know that "their baby is a big fancy RA at a university."
22. When people leave stuff they don't want at the end of the year, you get first dibs.
23. You take cute group pictures.
24. Rounds? It's kind of like cardio exercise.
25. Community is an overused word, but it needed to be placed here. Community. Community. Community. So, community, enough said

Now that that is over... Go find an RA, hug them (or give them food) and ask about how to apply.