Premed Resident Advisors

[HessExpress]

I'm wondering if being a resident advisor this fall will conflict with my studies at all...

Any former premeds here that were resident advisors who had fun doing it/ not fun doing it?

I've never lived on campus before either, and combined with this and the new position, I'm taking some harder courses like Orgo and Intermediate German. I'm probably just worrying over nothing, but just wonderin if anyone has any input.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[rCubed]

my best friend has been an RA for two years and is also pre-med

i don't know if RA duties r the same all over, but she says its not that much of a problem. if ur on duty one evening a week, its really good time to get work done.
just be sure that whenever u have exams coming up u dont' leave the studying till the last minute, cuz emergencies with ur residents can come up

and she has to deal with people checking out at the end of the semester, so that cuts a little into her time, but not too much

on the bright side: it looks good on ur application, i think

 

[umass rower]

The RAs here do next to nothing and get pretty nice perks for it. I probably would have done it if not for the fact that I have practice in the mornings and races a lot of weekends (and therefore, it'd be crappy having to be on-call late at night). I would assume that it looks good as a leadership position, but if it works the same at your school as at mine, you don't really have to do much. I say do it, especially if you're light on other extracurriculars. If nothing else, you'll get paid and get free housing in a double-single (or at least that's what RAs here get).

 

[Minimal5]

I agree, it depends on the school...

I was an RA last year, and the first semester, I thought the hardest part was adjusting. An RA at my school isn't just someone that checks people in and out, but is more of an advisor/leader.

More meetings, spending time on the floor, programming stuff for your residents - it definitely takes up time. But if you're organized and manage your time wisely, I'm sure you'll be fine.

Definitely an awesome experience Good luck!

 

[Amit1]

Im an RA and its a lot of fun. Good perks. However we do a lot of work. Some nights I work 7pm to 2am. Programming is fun and it forces you to do stuff you normally would not. It really molds you into a leader and you learn compassion and understanding. Holding meetings and stuff on a regular basis is also good because it develops your self confidence and comes in handy when holding presentations for other things as well - its hard to be nervous when you are used to talking in front of many people. You really get to know your residents well, and residence life at the dorms is alway hella fun no matter what college you are at.

It can hurt your grades at my college. We have resident checkout at the end of the semesters and that is during FINALS WEEK! So all of finals week you are checking people out instead of studying and its hard to concentrate. I got screwed because i didn't get to study well for my physics II final and ended up making a B when I know I was capable of an A. Oh well. I think people realize that it requires sacrifice.

Have lots of fun, don't be a dork or a hard-ass. And whenever you catch that nerdy freshman enjoying his first beer, be sure to turn the other cheek.