Why You Should Stay on Campus – And Other Lessons from an RA

Living on campus provides a unique experience for many students. From experiencing dining hall food to the interesting things that one could run into around campus. One of the most special things available to students on campus are Residence Assistants, or RAs. Your RA functions not only as the person who makes you follow the rules and makes sure there are no problems with your living space, your RA, also works towards making you feel comfortable, taken care of, and welcomed. RAs spend weeks training to prepare for any situation on campus and they work incredibly hard to make campus feel like home. I sat down with Martin Residence Hall RA, Rachael Browning, to ask her what she think you can so to make your campus experience a good one. 

I asked Rachael about how to handle homesickness and the problem many residence face, she said, “homesickness is a real struggle for a lot of students I know I have struggled with it too. My biggest piece of advice would be to distance yourself.” She continues, “When I say this I mean don’t go home every week and you don’t have to call home every single day, being constantly reminded of everything you are missing will make it harder to stay.” Browning gave advice on this topic, “Stay on campus over weekends, a lot of organizations such as CAB (Campus Activities Board) put on events over the weekend.”

Another thing Rachael suggests is getting to know your RA, “a large number of students find that they don’t know who to ask about a number of things on campus,” she continues, “all the RAs care about our residents and we want to see them happy and successful.” Rachael encourages all residents on campus to ask questions, so that RAs can either answer them or direct students to someone who can. 

Rachael also talked about the importance of taking care of yourself and staying healthy both mentally and physically, “many of the problems people experience are because they aren’t taking care of themselves. Make sure you are drinking water and taking time for yourself to make sure you and your mental health are doing ok.”

Residence life encourages community through the various programs they plan and put on for residents throughout the year. Make sure you check out these events for community building and fun. For more information about Residence life and what they do follow them on social media at mcmurryreslife.