1. You will learn to handle rejection well.
It can be tough getting residents to come to programs and community enrichment activities, but at least it can thicken your skin. And hey, look at the bright side, even if 25 out of 30 residents say they are not interested or do not have time, five of them did say yes.
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2. You will develop a mild addiction to caffeine.
Between late night rounds to make sure the building is not on fire, extracurriculars and a mountain of homework, resident assistants often are unfamiliar with a good night's sleep. To keep us going we usually consume lots of caffeine in the form of coffee, tea and soda. No, it is not a healthy lifestyle, but at least it keeps us awake during class.
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3. A close staff is a strong staff.
A staff who can be goofy together can earn trustworthiness quicker and be able to be a lot more useful in incidents. Staff bonding may sound silly at first, but it makes for a great opportunity to get to know your coworkers better. After all, you will be working and living with them for at least one semester and in some cases, three years.
SUNY Oswego Residence Life & Housing
4. Hanging up a ton of flyers is a pain.
Every day you will receive a multitude of flyers from various events and organizations on campus that you have to hang up on one bulletin board. There are always too many and they never fit. Ever.
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5. Writing on whiteboards just to have them swiped is irritating.
It is a given that if anyone draws something cool or writes something nice on their whiteboard, someone is bound to swipe their fingers across it. It is agitating, but you get used to it.
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6. Missing out on plans with your friends because you are on-call is far too often.
It will always seem that as soon as your friends make plans to go out to dinner or to go on a short road trip, you can't go because it is your night to make sure there are no fires or other incidents in the building. "Maybe next time" is a more likely answer than "Yes."
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7. You hear a knock at your door at 4 a.m. because someone got locked out of their room.
When you have to groggily get out of bed after the dreaded sound of a resident knocking on your door so you can get their lockout key, you simply have to remember that this is your job. It is your responsibility to help your residents and to sacrifice your sleep at times.
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8. You scramble the night before residents move in to make door decs.
It is time consuming to make roughly 40 door decs, so it is probably a good idea to make them ahead of time. Otherwise, you will be a tired mess with glue and snips of paper all over yourself and your desk the morning you have to check in residents for the year.
Kassadee Paulo
9. Knowing that helping at least one resident makes it all worth it.
The best thing about being an RA is having someone tell you at the end of the year that you made a difference for them or that you really helped them through something. As an RA, your biggest struggle can be getting through to some residents, but when progress is made, it can be a great feeling.
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10. Being an RA can lead you to meeting some super people.
When you are hired as an RA, they talk about the connections you make to your residents, but the friendships you make with each other are not emphasized enough. One of the most rewarding parts of being an RA is the friends you make in the process that you probably would never have met had it not been for being hired together.
Kassadee Paulo
