Resident Assistant

Started by Kuba
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

Browse articles Compare schools My application plan Read Interview Feedback
Practice for interviews Ask an Advisor
Kuba

Kuba

Full Member
Verified Member
Physician
15+ Year Member
How much would this help? I've been one for 2 years, going into my 3rd. Sorry for starting a whole thread just for this question, but didn't know where it would fit. Oh, and in case you are wondering, in my 2 years I have never actually written anyone up 😎 .
 
DRKUBA said:
How much would this help? I've been one for 2 years, going into my 3rd. Sorry for starting a whole thread just for this question, but didn't know where it would fit. Oh, and in case you are wondering, in my 2 years I have never actually written anyone up 😎 .
Click to expand...

i would think it helps, it shows you have leadership skills and it definitely helps to do anything for 3 years! shows commitment!

good luck!
 
DRKUBA said:
How much would this help? I've been one for 2 years, going into my 3rd. Sorry for starting a whole thread just for this question, but didn't know where it would fit. Oh, and in case you are wondering, in my 2 years I have never actually written anyone up 😎 .
Click to expand...

I did three years as an RA in all Male Dorms. My first two years went smooth but the third year, I will admit, I didn't want to deal with anything. Which, of course, makes it all that much more difficult. On your application, yes, the three years stands out but, some people don't even know what a RA is (mainly becuase it goes by so many other names depending upon the school). I don't know what your situation is but, I only applied for my third year because the free room and board. Think carefully on this, talk to some senior class RAs and ask them how their last year went. As for not having written anyone up haha, I wish I could say the same. :laugh: :laugh:
 
DRKUBA said:
How much would this help? I've been one for 2 years, going into my 3rd. Sorry for starting a whole thread just for this question, but didn't know where it would fit. Oh, and in case you are wondering, in my 2 years I have never actually written anyone up 😎 .
Click to expand...

It will help you, but it won't make up for lack of clinical experiences.
 
DRKUBA said:
How much would this help? I've been one for 2 years, going into my 3rd. Sorry for starting a whole thread just for this question, but didn't know where it would fit. Oh, and in case you are wondering, in my 2 years I have never actually written anyone up 😎 .
Click to expand...


Yea, I was one of those for two years. I think it helps to show the admissions committee that you are responsible person. As for writing people up, I wish I could have gotten away with not doing that but people did some stupid things (i.e., pooping in the shower).
 
I was one for 3 years. I used it in my personal statement and essay questions. Almost every question I had during interviews could be answered using stuff I saw and did as an RA.
For example

Q: "What would you do if someone from a different culture disagreed with you about a problem?"
A: "Well, when I was an RA in the dorms I had a large variety of cultures on one floor and many problems arose. This is how I handled them......"

Q: "Would you consider yourself a leader and why?"
A: "Why yes, I served as a 'role model' for 50 college freshman for 3 years of college, bla bla bla..."

Q: "What was one of the toughest problems you have encountered and how did you handle it?"
A: "Well, this one time in the dorms... I had a guy on the floor we thought was doing drugs and his roommate was suffering because the other guy was up all night acting weird so we tried counseling the guy to help him with his problems......"

The interviewers seemed to like answers I gave them and I got many complements.
👍
 
This is my first year as an RA. I know quite a few resident assistants who got into medical school. Personally, I don't think this type of thing will receive recognition until an interview. One thing I have learned about this job is that everybody has an EXTREMELY different experience. Not only from the personality of the RA but the composition of the floor residents. For example, I have a 34 year old undergraduate on my floor. Nice guy! Interesting history (not medical history, sorry, I almost forgot I was on SDN...).

Point is...It helps, but only if you really can talk about it. In other words, adcomms will tell if you are enthusiastic when they ask you about it. If you had a pretty bad experience as an RA, chances are 1) it wont be in your personal statement, and 2) you won't talk about it much at the interview. If you had some great leadership experiences, you'll really stand out.

I'm still waiting to have some of those experiences. RA's at my school tend to be more "leaders" when they work in all or mostly-freshmen dorms. I work in a dorm which houses very few freshmen. So my experience is a little different, but I'm coming back next year and we'll see if things change.
 
MichiganEMTInt said:
This is my first year as an RA. I know quite a few resident assistants who got into medical school. Personally, I don't think this type of thing will receive recognition until an interview. One thing I have learned about this job is that everybody has an EXTREMELY different experience. Not only from the personality of the RA but the composition of the floor residents. For example, I have a 34 year old undergraduate on my floor. Nice guy! Interesting history (not medical history, sorry, I almost forgot I was on SDN...).

Point is...It helps, but only if you really can talk about it. In other words, adcomms will tell if you are enthusiastic when they ask you about it. If you had a pretty bad experience as an RA, chances are 1) it wont be in your personal statement, and 2) you won't talk about it much at the interview. If you had some great leadership experiences, you'll really stand out.

I'm still waiting to have some of those experiences. RA's at my school tend to be more "leaders" when they work in all or mostly-freshmen dorms. I work in a dorm which houses very few freshmen. So my experience is a little different, but I'm coming back next year and we'll see if things change.
Click to expand...

Just FYI, the OP (original poster) is already in med school. This is an old thread.
 
prionsRbad said:
Just FYI, the OP (original poster) is already in med school. This is an old thread.
Click to expand...

:laugh: I think this has to be one of the best old thread bumps ever. I know there's a term for it, I just can't remember what it is.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.