How Being an RA Has Helped Me in "Real Life"

by Bridget Kiley, Stanford RA

When we arrive at college, we enter a brand new place where we are exposed to hundreds of other fresh-faced students, un-filled course requirements and thousands of decisions to make from “what do I wear today?” to “what will my major and future career be?”

Some freshmen enter their first year of college witnessing RAs through a certain lens, which portrays them as the ones ending parties, on duty late nights, and handling difficult situations. Inevitably, individuals viewing RAs through that lens end up thinking, “There is NO way I will ever become an RA.”  Yet, they are seeing through a lens portraying a small sliver of the RA experience, which shows a distorted image.

I was fortunate to see the RA experience through a different lens then the one described above that led to one of the most formative decisions I have made during my time at Villanova. That decision was, “I WANT to be an RA.”
I had some great RAs and friends who were in the role during my undergrad years. I learned about what I could gain from the experience through those individuals, but it was not until I was actually living out the role of RA that I realized the effect the experience would have on me and the ways it would prepare me for “real life.” From relationships, to skills for my everyday life, to learning how to expertly handle difficult situations and preparing me for a future professional career, I value all the ways I have grown from my experiences in Residence Life.

With 15 RAs on my direct staff, 500 students in my building, 100+ Residence Life staff members throughout campus, and a whole staff of professionals working in Residence Life, you see the immense amount of individuals, work and organization involved. It gives you an appreciation for the work behind any staff or organization. In being with so many others, you can learn a lot about communication, developing interpersonal relationships and group dynamics. You are immersed in community building, group meetings and one-on-one conversations simply because you are a part of the community. In turn, you discover a web of skills and knowledge through all of the people and experiences you have.  Crafting skills have been a huge area of growth for me. I have learned about the beauty of mod podge and created numerous Christmas presents as a result of decorating my hall and uncovering my artistic side.

Being an RA has not just provided me with the opportunity to make friends and get crafty. I feel prepared career-wise through this job. Forbes came out with an article in 2013, “Top 10 skills employers want in 20-something employees.” After reading through it, it helped me realize how much the RA experience has prepared me. Forbes list includes:

#1 Ability to work in a team 

#2 Ability to make decisions and solve problems 

#3 Ability to plan, organize and prioritize work 

#4 Ability to communicate verbally with people inside and outside an organization 

#5 Ability to obtain and process information

If you provide the motivation and care in the RA job, these ALL are skills you learn to master. Working with crisis situations, responding to incidents, time management, planning events, communicating with residents, not to mention the confidence you build through knocking on doors and talking to strangers… (I could go on)… show that being an RA has indeed helped me in real life. Will you let it do the same for you?


Questions, comments, or just want to chat and see if being a RA is as cool as I want to convince you it is? Email me at bkiley01@villanova.edu or stop by Stanford 438!