Moving into a dorm your first year of college can be very intimidating. You've seen the movies, you've talked to your older friends, but you're still a little nervous. We all were a little nervous moving in our first year, anyone who says otherwise is lying. The movies aren't entirely accurate, especially when it comes to the RAs. Here's a list to help guide you a little when moving into a residence hall your freshman year, and here's exactly what to expect from your RA.
These are seriously helpful hints from a previous RA, if you know these things going in your freshman year in the dorms will be a breeze when it comes to RAs. Read the list and dominate your freshman year, because these are the things your RA wish you knew.
1. We are friendly, therefore we love friendly people.
Don't even pretend like you're too cool for your RA because that will either make them completely resent you or try way too hard to get you to open up. I can tell you right now that those are two things you definitely don't want. Don't be afraid to say hi or go out of your way to introduce yourself, we like that.
2. Don't kiss up.
No one likes a kiss up, not even your RA. If you try kissing up chances are we are just going to be slightly annoyed and slightly suspicious of you for the rest of the year.
3. Be smart.
Here's the catch to RAs: they are there to make sure you follow all the rules of the hall. We know you're going to go out and do things you're probably not old enough to do, but be smart about it. Don't drink in the halls, especially if you're not even legal to drink. Don't go out and get wasted only to come back and trash the halls. You can go out and do your own thing, and as long as you don't cause any problems throughout the hall then you won't get in any trouble.
4. We want you to come to events.
We put on these events specifically for you, so when you don't come it sucks for us. Don't be afraid to just stop by for the food, because we will honestly be happy to see you.
5. We aren't stupid.
We know when you're trying to get on our good side so we won't get you in trouble, we know when you're drunk, we know when you're doing things you shouldn't be doing. We are simply RAs, we aren't stupid.
6. We are students too.
We are there to help you adjust to college, it's literally our job. So don't be afraid to reach out, we're students too, we know what the college transition is like and we are there to help you.
7. Don't you dare turn to passive-aggression.
Being passive aggressive will solve exactly zero of your problems. Don't be passive aggressive to your roommate, to your neighbor, or even to the people that live down the hall.
8. We aren't there to spite you.
We are just doing our job, we aren't trying to annoy you or trying to get you in trouble. So don't be upset when we bust you for drinking in the dorms because you're not allowed, not of age, and it's our job. In the end, it's not our fault it's yours.
These helpful tips will make your time in college just a little easier. College can be hard and having troubles where you live isn't something that you want. So know what your RA wants you to know, and dorm life will be a breeze.
