With resident assistant [RA] application season coming to an end at Saint Mary’s College, students and faculty alike are preparing to assign and organize both residents and resident assistants across the campus’ five residence halls for the fall semester.
The office of residence life released an open-call job posting through students’ emails on Dec. 2, 2024. All applications were due Jan. 16. These emails outlined minimum qualification requirements, some of which state that applicants must be of sophomore standing or higher by the beginning of the employment period, must have two semesters of residence hall living experience and must be in good academic, financial and community standing with the College.
For resident assistants who go abroad and or vacate their position, a new application will open in late September through early October for a new selection pool during the 2025-2026 school year.
Director of residence life and community standards Juls White detailed this year’s application agenda. She explained that newly aspiring candidates go through participate in four different group activities, while returning applicants give a presentation of their year as an RA which is reviewed by a committee. Although the specific activities change year-to-year, White said they help students exercise skills that are needed for the position such as communication, collaboration and leadership.
Freshman Keely Bonin explained how the application has gone for her so far.
“Filling it out was pretty straightforward. It had really good questions, like a personality test, and I feel like it was a good way to get a feel for the person before the actual interview," Bonin said. "Once you submit the application, then you have a group process meeting that you have to sign up for, which ultimately divides you into smaller groups. You’re basically given group activities just to see how you interact with each other and how you would react.”
Junior Kayla York, a current resident assistant who's reapplied, said the application for returning resident assistants included a prompt on why students wanted to continue in their role and a personality test. Additionally, applicants were required to create a slideshow of what their previous experience in the role.
“I always had a dream of applying and being an RA and building a community for all the girls, and it felt like a great opportunity within my section. It was like some sort of culture where everyone gets along and made friends with each other,” York said.
All resident assistant decisions are made before any room selections are considered and decided for on-campus students, as the position requires a look at the long-term logistics of rooming and working as a residential assistant. According to the office of residence life, neither the acceptance to application ratio nor has the year ratio of applicants have been calculated. White said for most application seasons, rising sophomores are most likely to apply.
Decision-making is currently underway. White said that only forty-four resident assistant positions need to be filled each year, and selecting them is not easy.
“The RA position is a very unique position, as it is very rewarding and challenging at the same time. As an RA, you share some of the most special moments of residents’ lives with them and vice versa,” White said. “There are a lot of really great candidates, but you can't always employ everyone. It’s like making a puzzle of the best team to connect with students across campus. Fortunately, Saint Mary’s has no shortage of people who want to do good work.”
