Have you ever lived on a college campus in a dorm or residence hall? Your Resident Assistant (RA) is that one overly energetic person on your hall that you may have seen as a rule enforcer, a friend, an event coordinator, and a leader within your community. Being an RA is both challenging and rewarding leadership position one could pursue. There are a lot of responsibilities, late hours, awkward times, beautiful moments, general craziness, and, overall, an unforgettable experience. RAs have seen all of the bad and all of the good, and whether you are an RA, who will understand, or someone who wants to have an understand their RA, here are their confessions...

1. When the residents break the rules and then tell you about it

It happens more than you would think, so you have to improvise blocking out details of stories that you should not know.

2. When your residents keep you up past your bed time

We love and we care about our people, and sometimes to the point of exhaustion

3. When you catch someone violating visitation hours

We really do not like writing people up for visitation violations, even when it seems the RA is out to get you.

4. When someone hides their significant other in their closet when the RAs are room checking

And when we do have to do a room search we most definitely always hate what we find, unless it's nothing... we like finding nothing.

5. When you awkwardly run into the person you just wrote up

As previously stated we do not like being the bad guys who have to get people in trouble, however, it is our job, so some less awkward moments would be appreciated.

6. When you have to handle your resident's roommate conflict

I am sorry who drank whose milk again? Or did someone not take out the trash?

7. When your residents distract you from doing your homework

What is homework when you have residents that want to spend all their time with you?

8. When you accidentally room check the wrong room

This is just incredibly awkward for both parties involved. It is just better not to openly discuss this.

9. When you have mandatory training

Say what? The weekly meetings and month long training in the beginning of the year was not enough?

10. When you forget you had to pick up the RA phone

An RA's worst nightmare.

11. Or forget you were on duty

Another terrible nightmare... but we do get a nice cardio exercise booking it from wherever we were to make it on time.

12.When you hear the RA phone ringtone

The worst sound to all RAs ever... the ringtone. It occurs in the nightmares of RAs, and is sadly incurable.

13. When you call a resident by the wrong name

There seems to be a lot of awkward moments trying to remember everyone who lives in your community. If we do not know your name we still know who you are and do care about you.

14. When you realize every moment, good and bad was worth the outcome

Through every struggle, awkward moment, sleepless night, and long duty nights we all would suffer through a lot more to keep our position. We love what we do, who we care for, what we are apart of, and know looking back that every moment was worth it.