7 Ways To Stay Engaged With Your Residence Hall
7 Ways To Stay Engaged With Your Residence Hall
Don’t know where to start? We asked an RA
With the stress that comes with schoolwork, it’s crucial to have a crutch to fall back on. The dorm is where the heart is, they say. However, sometimes it can be daunting to put yourself out there and reach out to your fellow neighbors! To help, we asked Kripa Paudel (Sargent’24), a Resident Assistant (RA) for Stuvi 2, to share her advice on the best ways to get involved with your residence hall on campus.
Attend Floor Meetings
These meetings are hosted by your RA once at the beginning of the school year and then several times throughout each semester. Stay up to date with upcoming events and use these occasions to get to know your floormates.
Go to hall events in your building or community
Each dorm residence hosts monthly events like karaoke night, movie night, etc. Some events are related to the holiday seasons and others are held just because they’re fun! Definitely attend! This is a chance to meet students that you haven’t gotten to meet before in class or clubs! Maybe that person you always bump into in the elevator might be there.
Join RHA (Resident Hall Association)
This group exists so you get the most out of your living experience on campus. Be the voice you want to hear and help implement programs and suggestions that could make your dorm hall better! They also get a budget for sponsored events.
Apply to be an RA
Join the team! Help enrich and support your residence hall and be a source of support for people on your floor. This might be a good role for you if you are a natural leader. RA’s also get free housing and meal plans, an added bonus.
Attend RA events
Every once in a while, RA’s on each floor will host floor-wide events similar to what they do for the residence hall, but on a smaller scale. This is a good way to make friends and branch out to different people you may not see on the other side of the hall! Plus, it’s not like it’s out of the way or anything. It’s on your floor.
Attend Faculty In Residence Events
Did you know some professors and staff live in apartment-style housing in your Residence Hall? Yup, indeed they do, and often they will be kind enough to bake or cook for you. Keep an eye out for a brownie night sign in your lobby. Usually, the professors will have an open-door policy where you can come in and grab a treat during certain hours.
Start a floor group chat
This is the easiest hack, and so worth it! Floor group chats are ways you guys can connect by sending funny memes, asking questions, etc.
Reaching out and making new friends at a big school can be hard. It’s always good to start with your neighbors! We asked Kripa for one simple piece of advice for making connections at BU: “get involved in what you’re interested in”.
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