First off, where are you from, what’s your year, major and age?
I am Erin Sweeney from Spring Lake, New Jersey. I am a 21-year-old senior athletic training student.

What building do you R.A. for?
I am a second year R.A. in Mountainview.

Why did you want to become an R.A.?
I wanted to become an R.A. because my R.A. freshman year was really helpful and helped me become involved in the Quinnipiac community. I wanted to do the same for the incoming freshmen.

Was it difficult adapting to the R.A. lifestyle?
It wasn’t difficult adapting to the R.A. lifestyle. We go through a detailed training every August and it well prepares us for all types of situations.

What are some of your responsibilities as an R.A.?
Some responsibilities include being on duty, getting residents involved, conflict resolution, programming, and many other things.

What do you do outside of being an R.A.?
Outside of being an R.A., I am a student athletic trainer with the women’s basketball team, and I have a work study job with Graduate Student Affairs.

If you had one word to describe being an R.A. what would it be?
Flexibility  

Do you feel like being an R.A. added to your college experience, or made it difficult to be a normal student?
I believe that becoming an R.A. has added to my experience here at Quinnipiac. I have met tons of new people along the way, and I think I have built strong connections with most of those people which is no different from a normal student.

What do you like and dislike about being an R.A.?
I like being given the responsibility and the administrative tasks because I feel it is preparing me for life out of college. I dislike the negative connotation that is associated with being an R.A. On rounds, people run away from us like we are the scariest humans on Earth, but in reality, all of us are genuinely caring people who wouldn’t hurt a fly.

Would you recommend this for anyone else?
I would recommend it to anyone who has any interest in the job position. It’s nice to see people who are genuinely interested in becoming an R.A. My advice is apply for it if you have any interest at all!

Is it difficult balancing school, social life and R.A.ing?
When you have a heavy course load, you are an R.A. and you still want to maintain your social life, it just requires some patience and time management but I wouldn’t call it difficult.

Final thoughts on your R.A. experience?
I have learned a lot, I met a lot of great people and I have developed many new skills  which I wouldn’t have gained if I didn’t take this job. So, as a whole, I think it’s been a great experience.