Diary of an Alternate RA

With the Resident Assistant applications coming up, I am here to share my story as an alternate RA and give my honest opinions. 

I am currently a junior and it is my second semester being an RA. Starting with the interview process: as someone who anxiously refreshes my email constantly, it was an extremely long, grueling process. First, you start out with a required interest meeting. It is about an hour long and they give you a brief outline of what being an RA entails. The meeting also consists of other RAs as panelists in a Q&A format. Then, you have to complete an online application. 

After that, your four-to-five-month process truly begins. Now you get to sit back and wait for nearly a month and a half until you hear if you got to the interview process. My interview process went as I expected. I was an extremely nervous freshman, but they gave me the opportunity to talk to an RA who offered advice to calm my nerves on my walk to the interview room. Then, I sat with one of the Resident Directors (people who are essentially two levels above Resident Assistants). He asked me so many questions spanning from diversity knowledge, community building experience, and mental health assistance. 

My interviewer asked me why I was interested in being an RA. The best advice I can give is to be honest! Honesty is what brought me to the position I’m in today. I was very blunt. I am a low-income first-gen student, so I was very vulnerable regarding needing housing. He was interested in hearing how confident I would be in building a community of my own- which was a loaded question, especially since it was asked roughly three minutes after I sat down for my interview. Then, I was given five scenarios and I had to rank them in the order of how I’d address them, then explain my reasoning. 

It was all a whirlwind, and quite overwhelming. After the interview part was over, they brought me to a room of RAs, essentially a post-interview debrief. It was nice to be in a comfortable space after something so very stressful. I must’ve asked them 50 questions about their experiences. I was so interested in whether or not being an RA was something they regretted. I asked about their craziest stories and experiences. To my surprise, they didn’t scare me at all. They were so comforting, which was a glimpse at what I was to experience.  

From what I remember, more than half of the RAs in the room were alternates. Alternates are students that are offered a position in the event of another RA leaving. The best advice I could’ve been given is to accept the alternate position. As I mentioned earlier, I am an avid email refresher. I knew I had two months before I heard anything, but every time I was on my phone, I’d search for an email from housing. Then, the email came. Alternate. I was utterly devastated. I was so disappointed in myself, and I thought all hope was lost. I had no idea what I was going to do for housing, but thankfully grants pulled through when I needed them to. 

Fast forward to the next semester, Fall 2023. I heard nothing from housing about fulfilling an alternate spot. I was living in Temple Towers. The semester was fine but crowded. I didn’t reapply to be an RA because truthfully, it was a touchy subject, and I still felt pretty sour about my experience. One random day in December, I received an email from housing about an open position in Morgan North, and how they would love for me to fill the spot.  

It may seem dramatic, but I was absolutely trembling with excitement. I remember immediately calling my dad and explaining how big of a turnaround it would be. I remember sitting down with my five roommates at Temple Towers and telling them I’d be moving out, which was expectedly emotional. The first week of January, I moved everything from Temple Towers to Morgan North for winter training. I expected more alternates to be there, but I was one of six. I was also the only new staff member in my building. Though I thought it’d feel more alienating, my team became the best support system imaginable.  

I was given a mentor who now has graduated, but she is still one of the most wonderful people I could have ever worked with. I went through a week of training, and each day was about 10 to 12 hours long. I really hit the ground running, and I did not anticipate having my team and supervisor support me as much as they did. It was very interesting to be in an environment with such like-minded people. By that, I mean so many people chose to pursue this opportunity for reasons similar to mine. I was often embarrassed to say how much I relied on free housing, but it truly does make all the difference, and I didn’t have any reason to be ashamed anymore which is something I learned quickly working with other RAs. 

Since I was an alternate, I took over the floor of an RA who was studying abroad. The students were all upperclassmen and did not really want anything to do with me. I knew it wasn’t personal, but as upperclassmen, they don’t feel obligated to stay involved with residential life, especially if they’ve already established their friend groups. I am so grateful for my floor of residents, though. The ones that were very involved understood that there was a lot of trial and error within the tasks I would be completing with/for them and were extremely patient. 

Duty was relatively overwhelming the first few times, but like anything, it was a learning experience. I have had a few unpleasant duty experiences, just like every single RA has or will have. My best advice is to expect chaos, that way you won’t be surprised when chaos ensues! There will be nights the duty phone doesn’t ring a single time, there will be times you get called for 5 consecutive lockouts at 3 o’clock in the morning, and there will be instances where a mom is demanding to speak to you because her child has a messy roommate (which is above your pay grade to assess). The nights will vary, but you always have a secondary RA to help you, and that is truly how I got to know my team, just by being on duty with them. 

This was my first time living on my own, which was an adjustment. I thought I’d never want a roommate again, but sometimes I just missed the presence of something else. It was during a lonely duty night that I realized I didn’t need a roommate’s permission to get an emotional support animal! My cat has become the best roommate imaginable and unexpectedly helped me settle into my space more comfortably. Being in my own space allowed me to go down a path of self-discovery, I even changed my major because I was able to have my own creative space to explore my interests. 

Altogether, there are quirks within being an RA, but everything is an adjustment. In the midst of my second semester, I feel like nothing phases me anymore. I truly feel so grateful to be in the position I am in. It has given me better public speaking skills, assertiveness, and it is an incredible resume builder. I absolutely adore my team and my supervisor and have made amazing friends along the way. I wouldn’t have my college experience any other way. If I had not been an RA there would have been an insane butterfly effect on my life. The friends, the connections, the unexpected feline roommate, and the self-discovery of it all have made my experience worth more than anything I could put into words. With that, I highly encourage this route for anyone interested. Even if it’s on a whim, or if you think the competition pool is too great if you are determined and patient enough it is surely the path for you. 

• advice
• campus life
• college
• dorms
• ra