Column: An RA’s survival guide
College can be exciting and a little overwhelming. As a junior and second-year resident assistant, I’ve seen, experienced and learned a few things worth sharing.
First off: Don’t sit in your room all day. You’re paying thousands of dollars, and a portion of that goes towards events and activities. Free food, free T-shirts, free entertainment. True Aggie Night? Go, even if you think kissing in front of a crowd is weird. Become a True Aggie anyway. Experiences like that make college fun and don’t let that money go to waste.
Freshman flu is real. The minute everyone comes back to campus, you’re suddenly surrounded by new people, new germs and probably not the best habits when it comes to sleep, food or self-care. Make sure to stock up on medication because if you haven’t caught it yet, Homecoming week, the Howl or finals will finish the job
From a resident assistant’s perspective, get to know your roommates. You don’t have to be best friends with them, but it’s important to feel comfortable in your own home. You’re all new to this, and figuring it out. They could turn out to be some of your best friends. If not, that’s also okay — at least you gave it a shot.
With that, friendships do change. I don’t hang out with the people who I thought were my best friends freshman year. This isn’t because of a massive falling out but just because people drift apart and you discover new things. Don’t let yourself be held back from meeting new people, and don’t worry if you start to drift.
RAs are not the fun police. We’re students too, just trying to do our jobs. Yes, part of the job is reporting policy violations, but trust me, we don’t want to. Writing incident reports isn’t any fun. So, the easiest way around it? Don’t break the rules. Simple. We’d much rather chat with you in the hallway or help you figure out the Wi-Fi than fill out forms.
It’s okay if you don’t know what you want to major in yet. I came to college thinking I had it figured out, but I switched majors after my first semester. Your first year is the time to explore, try different classes and find out what really interests you. You’re not behind if you wait to declare a major, and most students don’t graduate in the standard four years anymore.
Everyone gets obsessed with finding a relationship in college, but honestly? It doesn’t matter. Sure, dating can be fun, but it can also bring way more drama than it’s worth. Speaking as an RA, it gets really awkward when two residents start dating and then break up, while still living down the hall from each other. Trust me, seeing your ex in the laundry room every week is not the college dream.
Go to class. You’re literally paying for it, so show up even if it’s early or cold. Skipping once in a while won’t ruin you, especially when Logan decides to blizzard, but be smart about it. Falling behind in college is way harder to fix than just dragging yourself out of bed in the first place.
Ultimately, college can be a lot of fun. Many of the experiences I’ve mentioned are common for most students. However, if you can navigate some of the challenges or at least learn from them, you’re sure to have a much more enjoyable time.