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So my roomie decided to move into a sorority house, so I'm floating in the uncertainty of where to live next year. Having lived and worked in the residence halls for two years, I think becoming a resident advisor is my best option for my 4th (and final) year of school.

For the people on this site who either a.) lived on campus with an RA or b.) worked as an RA, what qualities are vital to be a successful RA?

edited Feb 10 at 18:46

asked Feb 8 at 19:59

Tessa
834●1●8

	Any updates on your thoughts of becoming an R.A.? – Chad Feb 14 at 20:21
	Well, I got an interview (which is at the ever-so convenient time of 8 a.m. on a saturday...). I think I'm going to give it my all. Hopefully I get a building I want. :) – Tessa Feb 14 at 22:10
	Congrats! Hope it goes well for you! Keep us updated! – Chad Feb 14 at 22:47
	update: I did the individual interview on Friday (apparently that's relevant cause everyone else I talked to did their interview on Saturday...) and then my group interview on Saturday morning. Think I did well. Then I went to Disneyland and forgot all about it. Nothing to think about until late March! :) – Tessa Feb 22 at 6:48

Gillian · Accepted Answer · 2010-02-11 05:39:50Z UTC

As I have both lived in the resident halls for 5 years for as an RA for 4, I have to agree with all of Chad's listed qualities are right on target.

A few important qualities that come to my mind:

Be willing to work as a team on staff.

Be dependable.

Enjoy working and speaking with others. Open communication is key between residents, staff members, and your supervisors.

Be ready to work with different populations and area. Freshmen, upperclassmen, apartment style living, or suites style dorms... you never know where you may be placed.

Being creative in the ways you engage with your residents; it's not always about the social aspects of life on campus. Academic, health, life skill are also important areas to work in.

You are representing your university, whether you are on campus or not. Especially as you are a upperclassmen be aware when you are out and about, that to most people on campus you're "that RA"... even when you out at the bars, concerts, etc without the Res. Life tee on.

You may start out just looking at the RA position as a place to live but it is so much more work than just room and board. You have to at least enjoy it a little bit because there will be some days or even weeks that will be tough. But it's the little moments when your goofing off during a program, or when you are having a heart-to-heart with a resident that are so wonderful.

One of the most important parts of being a RA is creating a sense of community among your residents. It won't be so much a dorm to them but a home away from home if you manage. It isn't always easy but man when it works... man it's awesome.

Good luck : )

Chad · Answer 2 · 2010-02-09 03:04:49Z UTC

Having lived in dorms for all of my undergraduate degree, I had just about every kind of R.A. possible. From my experience, this is my opinion of the qualities I can say make a successful R.A.:

Be available and accessible to residents by making a strong commitment to be present on the hall
You have to have a good memory - so you can know all of your students that live under your supervision
You'll be kind of like a counselor to some of your students, so you have to know your university and the proper places to send students if situations arise. Remember, you will b held accountable for your students no matter what.
Along the same lines, you'll be talking to be about confidential things. Don't share confidential info
Encourage your students to mingle, talk to one another, include everyone whenever possible
You'll need to be creative as you'll be expected to plan and host events for your floor, i.e. Super Bowl Party, Root Beer Pong Tournament (I won my halls two years in a row!)
You'll be your students role model, so you have to hold yourself to some kind of decent standards
Along the same line of knowing your university, know, explain, and enforce your colleges policies
Be good at keeping "clean house" as you'll be responsible for keeping the floor generally clean, enforcing people to keep things clean

You should get the idea. You need to be responsible and be there for your students. Communication is key! Have fun and show them a good time. And since it is your senior year, you'll have a lot of college experience under your belt. You'll be a plethora of knowledge compared to freshman. Good luck with your decision.

sean · Answer 3 · 2010-02-16 08:14:59Z UTC

i lived with an RA, first off i would say choose your roommate because my roommate was the only ra on campus who just got stuck with me. we got along great but because I enjoy smoking weed, and I did mushrooms, the rd asked me to move out as a favor to him just so nobody could be like "well you didnt write up your roommate" it sucked moving everything. but you need to be firm yet chill

What qualities make a good RA?

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3 Answers