Apartment Assistant

My first semester as an RA at Ithaca College has come and gone with its own unique set of challenges, lessons, and experiences. Over the past four and a half months I have adjusted to a new kind of college experience, formed many new relationships, and can honestly look back at it all and say I am truly gratified and appreciative of the opportunity given to me. All of these factors have driven my decision to try and further my role with Reslife and pursue a position as an Apartment Assistant. There is an abundance of obvious reasons as to why I, or anyone else for that matter, would be interested in working as an AA. It is clearly a nicer living environment compared to the average room in the Res Halls providing more freedom and privacy.

As mentioned in the information meeting, AA’s are independently responsible for large clusters or groups of residents. Compared to the average RA who could have as little as one wing to his or herself, this is a much larger responsibility. Being the only Reslife staff member for a group of people that large demands and would help further develop communication skills, observational skills, and overall responsibility; all of which are valuable traits for life after college. Secondly, the living environment provided by the AA position would in itself be another lesson in life skills. Being in an apartment means I would be cooking for myself more rather than depending solely on a meal plan. This would mean I would have to shop, plan meals, budget, and learn how to be even more self-sufficient. Another learning experience would be the best way to maintain a clean living space for myself and possible roommates. The bathroom would have to be cleaned, dished washed, and the apartment would have to be kept in order so that every roommate was satisfied. This would be the first time having my own bathroom, living room, or any other room

After a year of experience with over fifty upper year residents I feel that the next stage would be to take on all of the previously mentioned independent responsibilities that come with the AA position. By moving on to this position I would essentially be taking all of the skills I learned in my first year as an RA and applying these skills in a more independent environment while simultaneously becoming a part of larger group events and organization on campus for upper year residents. The position would also provide me with a drastically different Reslife experience than what is provided in the traditional res halls. This unique experience would help me become better versed as a staff member by giving me experiences with both apartment style living and dorm life on a college campus and becoming familiar with both of types of