I’m currently in my second semester working as a Resident Assistant in West Halls. I started going through the application process back in Fall 2019 and started working in Fall 2020. My intention is to keep working as an RA until I graduate, and in this article I will talk about the application process to become an RA, and I’ll also shortly describe the residential areas on the University Park campus.
Traditionally, the RA application process starts by attending an information session where a residence life coordinator and a working resident assistant talk about the interviewing process and the work RAs do. Some of the general RA responsibilities are to build/develop community, mentor/counsel students and enforce policy.
After the information session, the next step is submitting your RA application. The same application cycle takes place in every semester, and you must have at least 12 credits in order to apply. The application is fair and simple, they’re basically looking to learn what’s motivating you to apply and which skills/experiences you have that might make you a good resident assistant.
After applying, there are 2 required interviews. Each interview is hosted by a working RA and a residence life coordinator. These 2 interviews may not be back-to-back and one of them is more focused on application problem solving questions. If you pass the interview stage, you get an invitation to join HIED302, the resident assistant class!
Taking the class is an absolute requirement to becoming an RA. The course is divided between large group and small group. During large group classes, we are lectured by multiple guest speakers and in the small group classes we mostly have discussions about different aspects of the RA job. Some students will start working as an RA while they’re simultaneously taking the class. In my case, I applied to work in special living options (SLOs) while I was taking the class, and started working the following semester.
In order to be considered for an RA position, you must either apply to work in an SLO, which is the first application cycle, or you can go through the regular application draft. Applying to SLOs allows a little more space in demonstrating explicit interest in where you would like to work at. While they take into consideration your area preferences in the regular draft, it may be a little more random than SLO applications are.
It’s important to learn about the different residence areas and their respective cultures in order to find the best match for you. I chose to apply for a 9-month position in West (the 9-month component means you work during some school breaks, like Fall break) and Eastview Terrace, which is located in the South area.
Penn State has an outstandingly large student population and the University Park campus is divided between 5 major residential living areas: Pollock, East, South, North, and West. There’s also White Course apartments, but those are mostly for graduate student families.
Pollock is close to South halls and it has a large first-year student population. Pollock dining is one of the only dining halls that stays open year round. I remember collaborating with some of the Pollock RAs in doing a haunted house during Halloween 2019. It was pretty fun getting to scare all those freshmen!
East halls is where most of the first-year students live. You may only reside in East as a freshman and it’s the most populated college residential area in the United States, with over 16 residence halls and over 4,000 students.
South halls is where sorority housing floors are located. During Spring rush, thousands of college women are walking around the sorority floors and buildings in their coordinated outfits, getting to know the different sororities as well as each other. South halls is located right in front of College Ave and downtown.
North halls is the smallest residential area on campus. It’s close to the arboretum and the music, art, architecture and business buildings. North is a fairly newer area on campus and it’s suite style, meaning there are no communal bathrooms. Each dorm space has 2 double rooms connected to a bathroom and a living room.
West halls is located by rec hall, the Nittany Lion shrine, the engineering and information sciences buildings, and the Pattee/Paterno library. West is also very close to downtown. I love working and living in West because the student population living here is diverse, academically focused and chill. West chocolate cookies are known for being the most delicious dessert around campus and the West quad has this Ivy League feel to it. For these and other reasons, the saying around here is that “West is Best!”
The compensation for RAs is pretty standard across the board: We get compensated with Room & Board, meal plan level 3 and tuition reimbursement. Working as an RA is basically the only opportunity as an undergraduate student that you get to work for rent, and that’s one of the main reasons why so many students are interested in applying to work as an RA.
If you’re interested in applying to be an RA, I definitely recommend you check out the information available online and reach out to any friends you know who have worked or are currently working as resident assistants to ask about their experience. While this work is not for everyone, it has been a foundational part of my college experience and I love talking about it!