Do you remember your resident advisor from college?

Resident advisors are the students who lives in the dorms with you as the eyes and the ears of the housing program of the school you attended. You likely remember them as ghosts who were never there, assholes who wrote you up for ridiculous "infractions," or cool kids who organized great programs and for the most part left you alone (I like to think I was the latter).

It was pretty tough, but it was mostly a great way to make some money (I saved about $9,000 in room and board!) while gaining leadership experiences and meeting new people. It was basically another year in the dorms, which was great for me because I loved living on campus. However, it's not for everyone... there are a lot of commitments to make, and sometimes you have to do things you really don't want to do.

Here are some things to keep in mind if you are thinking about being an RA:

• Make sure you have enough time for this job - There's no way around having to do rounds around the dorms or going to meetings. Your coworkers and supervisors will notice. It's not something you can get away with. I had about three or four meetings a week with students or supervisors, and we had to create about 6 programs for residents every quarter, along with rounds 2 or 3 times a week with occasional weekend duties. Being an RA probably took up 15 hours of my time every week. Many have time for other jobs, but what's hard is that there are things you have to do at certain times... it may be inconvenient.
• Be a good role model - The students will see how you act and will react accordingly. If they see you drinking, they'll feel like it's ok to do it... even in the dorms. Make sure you don't have those pictures on Facebook or anything or you might find yourself with more problems than you bargained for.
• Be fair - Don't write kids up any chance you get. Pick your battles; if you write them up all the time, especially for reasons that are hardly valid, then you'll lose their respect and they will be less likely to listen to you.
• Don't pick favorites - I guess it's like having kids; don't let them see you hanging out only with a certain person or group. Even if you don't particularly like a person, don't show it; try to treat them like your other residents.
• Be professional - Don't fool around on the job... at least not too much. Residents won't want to ask you for advice if you seem like just another student. You have the training to give students more than that, so show them you are qualified!
• Listen to what residents want - Though your job is to give students what they need, such as academic advice and resources, make sure you have an idea what they want to do or have. Give surveys or go out and ask them what kind of programs they would attend. Attendance is one of the hardest things to get with program, so the best way is to hold something that they are interested in.
• Have food! - This is probably the best way to get students to come out to events. My RA friends had a "Pot Party," in which they painted pots with facts about drugs printed inside of them... and they had brownies!
• Be around - Let your residents know you care about them and their livelihood. Don't go out all the time when you can spend time with them. Let them feel comfortable around you, and then you can be more comfortable with them in giving advice and answering questions. I took pride in every time my residents came to my door, sat down and just talked to me.
• Take time for yourself - Don't let this job take over your life, however. Make sure to spend time with friends, and don't neglect your work! School comes first, and oftentimes you will not be allowed to be an resident advisor if your GPA falls below a certain point, often around 2.3 or 2.0 or so.