Welcome to college! There's going to be a party at every house at all times for a 10 block radius of campus, classes aren't a thing, and in four years you'll be on your way! Right? Wrong. College is nothing like that. But in some ways it is at times. There are going to be parties and people who frequent them at every college, and there are going to be people who don't go out to party at every college. Your classes are going to be hard and time consuming. You really aren't going to have any money. You live in a residence hall, you have a roommate, there's a community bathroom, you have an RA. Maybe this is your first time sharing a room, it was mine a year ago. But now I'm an RA, and there are a few simple things you can do to make your RA's life a lot easier.
1. Flush the toilet
Good lord please flush the toilet. It will stink up the bathroom and eventually the whole hallway. It's really simple: there's this handle that moves, you push it and the toilet flushes. You would think it's harder than the classes we're taking, but it's really not. You don't have to question the ethics of flushing the toilet, you don't have to conduct experiments on the flushing mechanism,you don't have to sell the toilet, you just have to flush it.
2. Don't walk around naked
No one in your hallway wants to see you naked. I don't care how comfortable you are with your body, don't walk around naked. If you feel comfortable enough with yourself to do that, then that's your (and your roommates') business. But as soon as you walk into the hallway your business becomes everyone else's business too. Wear a towel. Not that hard.
3. When it's quiet hours, be quiet
I get that sometimes people are up late and scream out of fear or excitement, that's no big deal. But don't run up and down the hallway screaming at the top of your lungs at 3 in the morning on a Tuesday. We have tests, homework, and sleep to get. Quiet hours are there for a reason.
4. Come to programs and don't deface hall decorations
Your RA works really hard on the programs and decorations that are up and around your hall/building. Don't draw penises on the bulletin boards, don't rip down posters. Just walk past them. I would rather my residents not read something I post than tear it down, any RA would. Just be respectful of each other.
5. Take care of your responsibilities
Do your homework, brush your teeth, shower, let your professors know when you'll be gone, keep your room at least fairly clean, take out your trash, and do your laundry. If you're an athlete it is especially important to do your laundry. Sometimes stinky cleats can give off a rather skunk-like smell and confuse your RA.
What this boils down to is simply respect. Just be courteous to everyone in your hallway and it will be a better living experience for everyone.
