When you’re in college, you might have the opportunity to become a Residence Assistance (RA). This involves living in a residence hall and being responsible for creating a welcoming and supportive environment for students. RAs have several responsibilities, such as motivating students to do well in school, enforcing residence hall policies, providing emotional support for students as needed, and providing opportunities for students to become more involved in campus life and academics. Is being an RA worth it? Learn more about why you might want to consider becoming an RA when you’re in college.
Being an RA might come naturally to you in terms of leadership or other qualities, but you’re likely to find that certain situations push you out of your comfort zone. You might find yourself having to deal with an issue you haven’t handled before, such as a personal conflict between students. While these situations might make you feel unsure of yourself or uncomfortable, stepping out of your comfort zone can help you grow. As you grow in this role, you will have a team to support you as you embrace new opportunities and challenges.
Serving as an RA gives you a great opportunity to build leadership skills, since you’ll be responsible for your residents. As part of this role, you’ll be expected to make sure residents follow residence hall rules and regulations. You’ll also be dealing with a wide range of other responsibilities that require leadership skills and abilities, such as handling personal conflicts. Developing leadership skills can boost your self-confidence. These skills can also help you get a good job after graduating.
RAs are responsible for coming up with activities for residents to participate in. This helps create a strong sense of community in the residence hall. These opportunities give you a chance to think of exciting events or activities your residents might enjoy. The activities you choose should appeal to your students, so this also involves getting to know them better. Planning and carrying out these activities can help you build a great relationship with your residents. In some cases, you might consider getting your residents involved with the activity-planning process.
When you’re a resident assistant, you’ll be responsible for residents who come from many different backgrounds. This gives you a chance to learn more about a variety of places—from other states in the US to other countries altogether. You will have the opportunity to learn about your residents interests and experiences. As guide them, they will also probably learn a bit about you too, so as you build these relationships you are facilitating learning in this social context.
As an RA, your residents might turn to you for help choosing classes or handling other academic or school-related issues. They might also come to you for emotional support if they’re struggling with a personal issue, such as feeling homesick. RAs can give residents practical guidance on classes and other school matters that might make their academic experience go more smoothly. RAs can also offer emotional guidance to help ensure that their residents know that they have someone to count on for support.
Being an RA means following certain rules, but you also have a lot of leeway when it comes to other aspects of this role. You might have opportunities to use your skills and talents to benefit your residence hall. For example, you might be able to use your drawing or artistic skills to create decorations for special days or events in your residence hall. If technical skills are more your thing, you might be able to run A/V for a res hall open mic night. Whatever skills you bring to the table can be put to good use.
RAs have several campus events to attend, as well as access to many activities throughout the year. When you take on this role, you are encouraged to go to campus activities and get more involved in campus life. Participating in these activities can help you engage with fellow RAs and students while also learning more about the campus overall. This can enhance your experience as both a college student and an RA.
You might not ever encounter an emergency situation when you’re an RA, but if you do, this can be an important learning experience. From a fire in the residence hall to a medical emergency involving one of your residents, RAs need to be able to deal with emergencies calmly. You might also end up having to learn to resolve conflicts that occur between residents. These situations aren’t pleasant, but they can help you build solid conflict resolution skills and learn how to handle emergencies. RAs receive significant training to prepare them for difficult situations, but they also have a team that they can work with when problems arise.
If you’re exploring your options for continued education, contact Geneva College. We offer several degree programs with a Christ-centered approach to learning, including undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
Opinions expressed in the Geneva Blog are those of its contributors and do not necessarily represent the opinions or official position of the College. The Geneva Blog is a place for faculty and contributing writers to express points of view, academic insights, and contribute to national conversations to spark thought, conversation, and the pursuit of truth, in line with our philosophy as a Christian, liberal arts institution.
Mar 18, 2021
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