Depending on who you ask, whether it be an Auburn student past or present, most will provide you with differing opinions of living on campus.
Some will inform you that dorm life couldn’t be worse, that your RAs are hell-bent on ruining all your fun and everyone on your floor will be completely different from you. These people will insist that off-campus housing is the only way to go.
On the flip side, some students will tell you there is no better way to enhance your first-year experience than to immerse yourself in the campus life.
They’ll insist that placing yourself in the heart of campus is the best way to make friends, attend university events and in general be closer to all the Auburn action.
Regardless of where you swing on this residential pendulum, one constant exists for both parties: there
“Definitely get out of your room and meet the people in your building,” said Gillian Carusone, Little Hall RA. “Go spend time in your lobby, because that’s how you meet people outside of your major and outside of the people you graduated high school with.”
“That’s how you find out about what’s happening on campus and how you just make friends in your building. It’s a really convenient thing to have your first year. When you’re both awake at 2 in the morning, it’s fun to have somebody to just run off to Waffle House with.”
Finding friends in your building is an incredibly vital part of improving your first-year experience, Carusone said.
Many
RAs encourage students to not be afraid to put themselves out there and meet new people.
Carusone, sophomore in economics and political science, will be an RA in the Upper Quad’s Little Hall again next semester.
“The residents have been my favorite part,” Carusone said. “They’re why I became an RA.”
The utilization of your resident assistant will vastly increase your quality of life in the dorm.
Your RA is there to be a friend and a mentor, along with someone to guide you through the ups and downs that are sure to come with getting comfortable on campus.
RAs offer a couple of helpful tips: Leave your hall on the last day of class without any regrets. Have an open mind towards others and approach the challenges of freshman year with your peers. They’re going through the same things you are, so embrace those trials in a fun and constructive manner.
Carusone stressed the importance of relaxation during Camp War Eagle.
“A lot of what you’re told during camp will be harped on by your RAs,” Carusone said.
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
