Hello and thank you for stopping by to read this article! My name is Jason Scott and I am in my 3rd year student at Illinois Tech pursuing an Applied Mathematics Bachelors and Computer Science Masters. I am very involved on campus within student organizations, the occasional recreational sport, DJing at WIIT, being a scholar of the Leadership Academy, and being a Resident Advisor (RA). Now get those blue light glasses out and be ready to take a dive into what a day in the life of an RA looks like.
A typical morning starts with a 7 or 8 am wake up depending on when I work my shifts at the Office of Residence Life (ORL) or at the front desk of Rowe Village Middle. When I am not answering calls and greeting IIT residents, I am often planning out and making posters for constructive events for my residents to enjoy in the following weeks. These often range from study sessions to food and music get-togethers where they can de-stress from the studious weeks at Illinois Tech. In addition to RA tasks, I also make sure to stay up to date on emails and coursework while I finish a cup of coffee or two during these shifts. While working, it is almost impossible to not take breaks and have conversations with the amazing RAs and supervisors that make up the ORL team.
Depending on my course schedule, these morning shifts are then followed by one or two morning classes. During these classes, I am often found taking notes and collaborating on team projects with peers. I also tend to provide vital brain breaks with sciencey puns that are quite a knee-slapper. These morning classes are followed by a lunch break where I often meet or see residents and get meals from the Commons or Center Court. After enjoying my lunch and the conversations with others, I then head back to another one or two classes and finish my day around 5 pm. I then return to the Commons to grab some dinner.
Depending on the day of the week, I will begin my RA duty at 5 pm and conduct rounds throughout Rowe Village to ensure the dormitories are kept clean and safe. I will then return to my dorm and my night will consist of student organization meetings although with plenty of homework to chip away at. Lastly, I close off my night with a workout in the Rowe Village gym or a yoga session in my dorm before heading to bed and repeating this process.
With plenty of busy days and stress during the week, I like to relax a bit more on the weekends. I start by spending each morning knocking out any additional coursework I may have so that I can have the afternoons and evenings off. I normally spend this free time with friends by going off-campus for food, like sushi and other dishes at Chinatown, or playing ultimate frisbee. If I happened to have RA weekend duty, I will then spend that time cooking in Rowe Village and watching movies instead.
Well, this may have turned out to be a week in the life of an RA, but I hope this provided you with some great insight into the dynamics of being a student Resident Advisor here at Illinois Tech!
