Apply to be a RA! FAQs
By: Sophia Pei ‘22
What is a RA? It stands for Resident Assistant and we’re the people planning your community meetings and giving out free food at your residence halls across USC. The application to apply for the RA position for the 2020-2021 school year is now open and can be found at Erezlife. Keep reading to learn more about the position and application process!
Why should I apply?
Everyone applies to be a RA for a lot of different reasons. It’s a great leadership position, an amazing way to make meaningful connections, and overall just a great emotionally gratifying job.
Personally, I decided to apply to be a RA because I was intrigued by the position and had a great experience with the USC freshman residence hall my freshman year. For some background, I lived in Parkside International College last year and I LOVED it. Parkside is suite style with the most common layout be an eight-person suite. I instantly clicked with one of my suitemates and my roommate who I definitely consider to be amongst my best friends now. I lived on the Women in Science and Engineering (WiSE) special interest community so it was lovely getting breakfast and walking to 9am general chemistry with all the other science majors who lived in my hall. When I learned that I could apply to be a RA for the next academic year, I committed. I wanted to encourage, like my RA’s had, my residents to develop close relationships with one another and enjoy their college experience.
What makes an eligible candidate?
You must be a full-time student with a good academic standing (2.5 GPA or higher) who is taking less than 18 units for both semesters (this is to ensure you can excel in both your role as a student and RA).
What does the RA application involve?
The applications came out Nov 15 and are due in January, so you have all of winter break to work on it. It has a demographics section (just typical name, age, etc), an essay portion with 5 short essays, and a section for letter of recommendation. After submitting the written application, you can expect group interviews followed by 1:1 interviews.
What does the RA role entail?
The primary goal is to host community meetings for your residents and ensure your community is a safe space for people to excel both academically and socially. As a RA you’re expected to post bulletin boards, plan and host community meetings, engage your residents individually in Trojan Talks, and work with your fellow RAs and RCC (Residential College Coordinator) to organize building wide events that vary by building (eg. Tuesday faculty dinner at Parkside). With the new shift towards the Residential Education curriculum, most the content for bulletin boards, community meetings, and Trojan Talks will be provided, as a RA it would be up to you to present it in an engaging and meaningful way for your specific community.
How big of a time commitment is being a RA?
Being a resident assistant is basically a full time job. The workload varies between communities but you can expect to have 2 hours dedicated to staff meeting, be “on-call” about once a week (this means that from 7PM to 8:30AM you would be expected to engage with your community, conduct safety walks, and remain in your assigned area), and be available for your RCC, residents, and fellow RAs.
What does being “on call” mean?
Every RA will be on emergency response or “on call” a few shifts per semester. On weeknights (Sun-Thur) this is a 7pm to 8:30am shift and on weekends (Fri-Sat) this is a 24 hour shift. During this time, you will be in possession of the emergency response phone and be in charge of handling lockouts, resident issues, and therefore will be required to stay in the building/immediate area around your residential college.
Depending on the size of your staff team, you may have more or less shifts. At Parkside IRC, with a staff team of 22 RAs, most RAs average about 12 emergency response shifts per semester.
Can I balance the RA role with classes and extracurriculars?
Short answer: yes! I was able to pursue all the clubs and classes I had planned to with the RA role
Longer answer: Balancing coursework, clubs, other extracurriculars and the RA position is definitely an adjustment for most RAs. Residential Education understands that your primary role is still as a student that you’re wellbeing is important, but ultimately it is up to you to find a way to make all the things you want to work. During summer training, you will submit your availability for shifts with preferences to a group of returning RAs who will then plan the emergency response schedules. Personally, I found scheduling all my classes in the morning and early afternoon was the most effective so I had the afternoon to focus on clubs, research, and work, and finally reserved most evenings (7PM and onward) for RA tasks.
Is it true I have a shorter summer and winter break as a RA?
Yes. Summer training starts 2 weeks before the start of school. This is MANDATORY though a few exceptions can be made. As a community leader, you’re also expected to participate in Welcome Week activities.
For winter break, you will come back to USC for winter training two days before the start of the Spring Semester.
Can I study abroad as a RA?
No. You must be present in the community the full academic year you plan to be a RA. But can study abroad in the summer (check out maymesters and problem without passports!)
Do I get paid?
No, you don’t get paid hourly wages but if you are selected to be a RA, you will receive free on-campus housing in your designed community and the corresponding meal plan.
Can I have a roommate as a RA?
It depends on what community you live in. If you get assigned to a freshman residence hall, no; you will get a single.
If you get assigned to a continuing students’ community, likely yes. As an apartments RA you’ll likely have apartment mates, if not also roommates. Technically you can choose your roommate but you won’t know until RA decision day in April which can put you roommate in a weird place.
Should I look for Housing while applying to be a RA?
Since it is a selection process, yes you should continue to have a backup plan for housing in case you are not selected to be a RA. You will know in February if you are selected and find out in April where you will be placed.
Can I choose where I get placed as a RA?
You get to rank your community preferences (first year, continuing students, graduate students) but ultimately you get assigned to a particular residence hall. The RCC and GRCC handpick each member of their RA team based off of your written application, group interviews, and 1:1 interviews.
What are the differences between the first year, continuing and grad fam communities?
The level of commitment for each community definitely varies. You can expect to need to be more present and engaged with freshman and less so continuing and graduate communities.
What happens after if I am selected?
Congratulations! After you are accepted, it is up to you to decide if this is truly a commitment you want to make. Assuming it is, you would go to STU200 on RA signing day to sign up for the position. Following this, you would sign up for a RA training course which takes place the second half of spring semester (the time commitment is 2 hours a week). At the end of the session, there will be an event where you will find out where you will be placed as a RA for the next year.
What’s your experience as a RA so far?
I’m currently a RA over at Parkside International Residence College and this has been one of my favorite jobs. I personally believe that being a Resident Assistant is one of the most rewarding jobs you can have while in college. You get to work with an extremely motivated, hand-picked team of fellow RAs who will become like a second family. And while meeting your residents can be a bit daunting, especially if you’re an introvert like me, it’s an amazing experience to be able to build a sense of community for your wing or floor. One of my favorite parts of my job is when residents say hi to be around campus. Often when I’m in a rush to class or texting and walking, it’s so nice to have residents call out and say hello. I also really appreciate when my residents choose to come talk to me – whether it’s a simple question about recommended restaurants, course planning advice, or a longer conversation about adjustment to college, it’s incredibly validating to feel like such an integral part of the community. I personally struggle with seeking help and advice from others so I definitely appreciate when my residents can trust me enough to confide in me. I’ve learned so much from my role just this semester. This role definitely pushes you to be a more empathetic, open-minded person as well as a more effective communicator and role model.
Have more questions?
Check out Residential education’s official FAQ here. Feel free to reach out to me at sophiakp@usc.edu or email RA selection directly at RAselection@usc.edu.
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