Being a Resident Advisor on campus, a lot of residents see you as the "bad cop." That's not necessarily true all the time! Here are seven things your RA wishes you knew!
1. We don't like writing you up.
We really don’t like playing bad cop. It’s a pain for you for 20 minutes to an hour at a time, but it’s more of a pain for us. We have to go write up the paperwork after the fact, and that can be time-consuming.
2. We actually want to talk to you and get to know you.
You don’t have to run in the opposite direction full force when you see us on rounds. We aren’t looking to get you in trouble. It may come as a surprise, but we actually want to talk to you and get to know you better. When we’re on duty between 8 and 2 in the morning, we especially want to talk to you! It helps pass the time by and also allows us to bond better.
3. We know what it's like to be stressed over classes.
We are literally here to be your friend. The best part about being friends with older people is the insane amount of first-hand advice because, chances are, we've been there. You're stressed because you have a huge biology exam tomorrow, and you can't remember that glucose is C6H12O6,? Guess who's had biology before and still has their notes? That's right, your RA does.
4. Please come to our programs and events.
We have taken the time out of our busy day to come up with these events in order to build relationships with you and everyone in the building. We actually try to plan these around everyone’s schedules so you can actually attend. Please don’t leave us having a party of one with three boxes of pizza left over.
5. We are cooler than you think.
We’re cooler than you think, but because we are RAs, we can’t be as wild as you are while on campus. Let’s hang out and go off campus! We’re more alike than you think.
6. We are just as excited that this year is almost over.
Understand that even though you’re done with your finals and you can leave, we have to stay on campus for a few more days to make sure everyone is checked out properly, and the rooms are all cleaned up and in order. Please, please, please be ready to check out at the time you signed up for weeks in advance! Also remember to overestimate how long it will take you to check out because, chances are, you brought more crap in your room from the beginning of the year than you think.
7. Believe it or not, we will miss you when you leave.
We may fuss at you a lot and tell you to lower your music on a weekly basis, but we're going to miss you. Even on Christmas break we miss being able to run down the hall to knock on your door to catch up with you. We miss staying up late with you to talk about the boy or girl you've been crushing on for weeks! We miss being able to come and talk to you when we have problems of our own. You may start out as strangers who are placed as our residents, but you leave as our friends. Some of us may even cry if you transfer from one school and go to Seattle instead. You residents don't realize how much of an impact you make on our lives. We become RAs to be there for the residents, but time and time again you are there for us when we need it most. For that, I personally am so thankful and blessed to have met such unique, loving and crazy people like you!
