by Rebecca Carvalho

Created on: November 26, 2009

I am locked out of my room what should I do?!. I am homesick and need someone to talk with. I do like my roommate, but sometimes we disagree I just wish I had someone to help me figure out how to overcome this. My neighbor is so loud, and I need to study. I already talked with him and he did not listen to me. Who should I talk with to resolve this problem?.

College students generally face the Who should I talk with? dilemma, and 1st-year students almost always are the most affected ones: they are new to the college environment, and trying their best to manage their academic life and the new emotions brought by a new life experience. Sometimes all the instructions provided during 'Wecome Week' can be overwhelming, and even the best memory would not be able to store all the information given when your eyes are distracted with many new things. Who students seek out for help? Resident Advisors, the famous RAs, students just like every other student, but with a strong predisposition to helping. If you are not a Freshman, and remember how you felt when you passed through major or minor difficulties adapting to college life, you probably understand how your younger (and even upperclassmen) fellows feel. If you like helping; wants to improve the community you live in; then you should apply to become an RA at your school.

J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter saga introduced us to Percy Weasly, a prefect who took care of the Gryffindor students. You do not have to be a wizard like Percy to help maintain a healthy community at your school simply be yourself; because, in other words, a college dorm resident advisor is a job you would normally do without the title: listen to other people's problem and help them find a solution, or feel better about a situation; program activities that will bring joy to the lives of stressed-out kids; and diplomatically handle different circumstances no matter how hard they are.

You do not need to have super powers to handle the job, though before applying to become an RA bear in mind that the job must be taken seriously: be professional and ask yourself whether you really can cope with extra responsibilities; because, above all, no one wants you to feel overwhelmed by school and your community's problems. After making sure you can do the job, then, just look out for the application deadline; talk with other RAs about what their opinions are about the job, and what difficulties they faced so far.

What is most important, though, is that you do not need to be an RA to make a difference at your college one does not become a leader after simply being appointed as one. Leaders are born leaders, and will always be no matter who they are; what jobs they have; where they live.

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