Dreaming of spreading school-wide cheer and reliving your freshman year? When college students picture being an RA, they usually imagine the single room and the paycheck. Yeah, put those dreams right where you found them—in your sleep. Aspiring RAs forget that this job involves dealing with underage drinking, a ridiculous amount of arts and crafts, mental health crises and so much more. After all, there’s no such thing as an easy job.
1. Training is 12 hours long…per day.
Remember the naps you enjoyed in your dorm freshman year in between classes? Say goodbye to your favorite activities…especially sleeping.
2. People always knock on your door.
As much as you love to help those poor freshmen, sometimes you just need some “me” time. Too bad you came up with the 24/7 open door policy.
3. Residents steal/rip up the door decs you spent four hours making.
You walk around on the first day, admiring your under the sea theme and gloating with pride. And then the freshmen rip off their glorious name tags as you walk by their door. Do you know how much effort went into them? Do you?
4. Vomit. Everywhere.
I miss peeing in a clean bathroom. Basically just avoid the bathroom at all costs.
5. What is a social life?
The only time you spend time with other people your age is at the weekly staff meetings.
6. How many hats do I need to wear?
Am I a student? Am I staff? Am I residential education? Am I housing and dining? Nobody knows. Just do it all, basically.
7. The bulletin boards you spend (too much) time on end up in the trash.
Why do I have to keep redoing them? No one appreciates my Marvel versus DC theme anyway. Geez.
8. “That seems like a Residential Director problem,” is our new catchphrase.
Not on duty, not my problem.
9. From inside room: “I’m not here.”
If my bulletin board says I’m out of my room, I’m probably sleeping or watching House of Cards and don’t want to deal with you. #sorrynotsorry
10. “Student” staff.
What is schoolwork? Oh yeah, that’s right—I need to work in a thing called “college” in between RA hours.
