No college experience is complete without living on-campus. "Dorm" life is amazing. Maybe you heard it was because of the partying or the cool rooms, but we all know it's because of the people making the world turn. Resident Assistants. Here are my top four reasons to be a Resident Assistant.
1. Community
For many, a sense of community is gained from joining clubs, organizations, fraternities, and sororities. All of these are great, but there is a community that ties all of campus life together. It's the housing community. As an RA, you have the chance to make your dream college experience become a reality. Not just for you, but others. Whether a House Manager in a Greek House or living on-campus surrounded by athletes, Resident Assistants have the opportunity to be friends, make connections, and interact with people of all type. If someone doesn't know you, they probably know about you.
That's just touching the surface, though. Being a Resident Assistant puts you in a community of RAs who live, breath, and fight the same life you do. They understand teaching residents how to clean bathrooms. They're there to pick you up when life has you stressed out and you don't think you can carry on. And on the other side, you wouldn't trade these friends for anything. These are the people who restore your faith in humanity and make your day brighter. You leave each other candy, get dinner together, create massive GroupMe's, and think up AMAZING ways to leave a lasting mark on your college campus.
2. Experience
There is an appreciation for life that can only be gained by serving as a Resident Assistant –appreciation for the calm, for the storm, for stress, and for fun. Being an RA taught me how to think faster, plan thoroughly, schedule effectively, and live fully. I was already great at these things, but residence life pushes you to become the best version of yourself. You end up living a life that is better for yourself than you had before, all because you choose to serve others first.
Life experience isn't all you gain from residence life. You gain job experience. If an employer wants to know why they should hire me, I can just recite the hundreds of moments where I had to be better than myself. They can trust me because I wake up at ungodly hours to unlock rooms and evacuate buildings because of false alarms. I complete copious amounts of paperwork in the same moment I calm down stressed out parents. I teach new RAs how to help residents while figuring out how to run my hall effectively. I do my job even when it makes studying harder, and I still get great grades and live a life worth living again. Employers want to hire people who can perform even when they seem underqualified. Being a Resident Assistant is all about performing.
3. Empty Halls
Sure, maybe you get a free room or some compensation, but there's something beautiful about walking onto an empty campus and sleeping in an empty residence hall. Hide-and-Seek reaches a new intensity. One of my favorite parts of being a Resident Assistant is making it to the end of the semester and then getting to spend a week walking through empty halls and empty rooms listening to the beautiful sound of silence.
Other RAs understand....you will too if you become an RA. *wink wink* Trust me. You want to.
4. All The Power
Resident Assistant may sound like a froo-froo, weakling, servant title that obligates you to do anything and everything for everyone. The proper title is more like "Resident King". You don't know power until you get to choose between a warning and a $75 fine. It's your choice; your call. You shouldn't use the position as a power trip, but there is nothing quite like being in command of a building of students. At the end of the day, it's a taste of the future. It's a taste of working in the real world and being responsible and in charge.
Being a Resident Assistant is fun, difficult, and memorable. There are moments to shine, to serve, to care, to discipline, and to laugh. Also, there are time to host giant pizza and Netflix parties. Be an RA.
