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Settling in the U.S.:
Cultural Adjustment: Why Should an International Student Be an RA?
By Khizar Diwan (ENG '03)
I wanted to work in a professional environment as part of a team;
a link in a network that makes a difference. I wanted to work in an
environment which was different from the generic "college kid" jobs,
yet friendly and flexible. The resident assistant (RA) position at
Tufts gave me just that and a bit more.
Exposure to and opportunities to be in various social setting are
not hard to come by here, but a chance to work through the year with
your RA duty team gives insight into a different aspect of people's
character and ways. It also gives one a feel for the kind of
problems that come up in teamwork and achieving long-term goals. It
gave me a lot of exposure to the judicial and disciplinary issues of
the university or an institution in general. Being an RA is also an
opportunity to meet many other ambitious people from varying
backgrounds and a gateway to many other university wide
opportunities. The job is not about being the hound in dorms or the
babysitter for those in trouble as much as it is about ultimately
creating a comfortable environment in dorms and making the campus a
safer place as a whole.
Although the RA job is a great learning experience and a lot of fun,
there are some challenges to be met. First, there are the language
problems of understanding the lingo used in formal settings and
"customized" terms used by people in general. It takes, well, the
entire year before you know all of the slang terms as you keep
discovering more and more. Another challenge is the two-week
training period before the fall semester, which is extremely intense
and demands patience and mental alacrity. In most cases being an RA
also means you will not be partying in your hall, which can get a
little in the way of your "within the dorm" social life, especially
as a sophomore.
All in all though, there is much to gain from the RA position. Being
the link that bridges the gap between administration and students is
an idea that deserves good thought!
Read more about Cultural Adjustments.
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