Whether you’re excited, nervous or downright petrified about living on campus, I guarantee you aren’t alone. As a Resident Advisor on West Campus, I’ve seen it all, and I’m here to give you some tips that will make your experience just a little bit easier.
Moving In:
Moving is never 100 percent stress-free. When I started my move as a freshman, I burst into tears when my mom informed me not all my clothes were going to fit in my dorm room. But ladies, she was right. There’s nothing that can’t be shipped, picked up or bought again. Remember: You’re going to be moving into a tiny space and sharing it with another person. The harsh reality is we don’t actually need five black skirts, and the harsher reality is that even if we do, they’re not all going to fit in your dorm room closet.
Guys, some of you might be stressing over your electronics. My advice to you would be to get to your dorm with all the necessities first, see how many outlets you actually have to use and how much space you have, and then send for your gadgets.
The most important thing I can say about moving in is to communicate with your roommate. You might be surprised by what they’re bringing and – trust me – there’s little room for two of anything.
Roommates:
Living with someone new is difficult enough; throw in a tiny room, a shared bathroom and regular injections of exam stress, and it might seem impossible. Whatever it is you’re feeling, take a deep breath! You might not know how to handle roommate conflicts that inevitably arise, but your Resident Advisor does.
As a new resident, make it your responsibility to get to know your RA. Show up at events. Stop by their rooms to chat. Say ‘hi’ to them in the halls. It’s their job to help you, but it’s also a role they chose to take on. Don’t feel like an obligation, become a friend. Never hesitate to let your RA know if there’s something wrong. Believe it or not, we RAs go through extensive (and I mean extensive) training to be able to help you out. We might just have a solution you haven’t thought of.
Getting Settled:
I’m going to level with you: You will get homesick. At some point during your first semester you’re going to want to drop out, hitchhike home, build a time machine and go back to the security of your high school halls. I know that sounds like the dumbest thing ever to you right now, but it happens to everyone. The cool thing is that you have a friend living just a few doors away from you: your RA.
I know, I know, no one wants to hang out with the lame RA. In fact, your first inclination is probably to stay away so you don’t get on their “to bust” list. But I’m going to let you in on a little secret: RAs are trained not to bust you. That’s right. We don’t spend our free time patrolling the halls, sniffing at your windows and pressing our ears against your doors. Yes, we have to walk the halls every night, but we hate having to bust people because it means filling out reports, and no one likes reports. Don’t get me wrong: If you’re violating a noise code, or if someone else complains about your room or suite, or if we have any reasonable suspicion that something wrong is happening, we’re going to do our jobs. But our main purpose on campus is to be your friend and help you get settled in your new environment. So don’t think your RA joined to be a snitch or because they didn’t have any friends. We joined because we’re friendly people who want to help you make the best of your experience living on campus.
How can you do that? GO TO EVENTS. Seriously, there’s food at almost all of them – free food. Events happen several times per month, and they’re great opportunities for you to meet some people and get to know your RA. Some are just plain fun, while others offer great information, but all of them are guaranteed to help you get involved with your campus and make it a home.
And if you were skimming the whole time, here’s all you need to know: the first rule about housing, is don’t talk about housing.
