<p>Was talking with a friend of mine who's son is considering Miami of Ohio or U of Cincinnati. Currently the $$$ are higher than the parents want to be responsible for. Their S of course, is a fan especially of Miami.</p>
<p>She told me last night that they have discussed the possibility of him becoming an RA sophomore year to offset costs. I know at my D's school, the # of those wanting RA jobs well-exceeds the # of RA jobs available, so the process of getting one is very selective.</p>
<p>I'm wondering if this is often the case. Have your kids had the desire but not the opportunity to secure an RA job? </p>
<p>I suggested she call Residence Life to get a better picture of the competitiveness for these positions and to see if this would be a false hope to "count" on.</p>
<p>At my college, there were always more female applicants than positions. Male applicants were in short supply and had a much better chance o getting hired.</p>
<p>However, very few people did the job more than 1 year. It was demanding and I wouldn’t plan on it to pay for college.</p>
<p>My son has been an RA at Wake Forest for 3 years. It was quite competitive, as it not only offered a single room, but also a $325 stipend for all 10 months of the school year. WIth the market decline, it was never more competitive than last year. We are “guilty” of counting on him getting one from the beginning of his college career, as our budget is pretty tight. I have to say, in the end, we should have paid Wake for what it has done for him! He learned to be more assertive, make decisions, and also to manage his own money with the direct deposit all his own. He enjoyed being at school a little early, but perhaps not staying the extra few days at the end of the semester. It was a very positive experience, we are very grateful.</p>
<p>It depends very much on the college, the major, and other factors. I can’t imagine a school (at least one that is larger than say 5000 students), where one could make a generalized statement about odds; or even compare RA opportunities in one area with those in the other at a single college (let alone across colleges).</p>
<p>At the university at which I work, there is a centralized source of undergraduate RA funding, but it is only one of very many sources and much is done on an ad-hoc basis. In some areas everyone wants to be an RA, in others, no one ever thinks about it. Each academic area, research center, professor, will have varying degrees of lab size, funding to hire, and policies about who they hire. Then there are academic programs that work with undergraduates in research as part of their course, or as volunteers, and that can lead into paid opportunities. Just soooo many variables. </p>
<p>Even if one had some kind of meaningful number in terms of the ‘market’, it would very much depend upon the student as well. Any student can ask to be an RA…but the more important question is why would they be actually paid? In my particular experience, relatively few undergraduates even know what research is, let alone can be useful in some way (because they have no experience and no particular skills at the outset, or even necessarily work experience of any kind). I’d take someone who has worked at McDs any day of the week over someone who has never had a job. </p>
<p>In my experience, only a few students are gem I can develop and keep working with and delight in mentoring them. The others are more like burdens, as I (or my graduate students) have to oversee them so much and it is hard to find work they can do without any existing skills. It means the equation is more about us helping them, than the reverse. So I have no interest in hiring someone so they have a paid job, and I look for those that are intellectually curious with clear research interests and goals (and cognitive abilities) to take on graduate school. This way, if I’m investing a huge amount in training them, and getting little in return, it is worth it because it is part of their education and I take great pleasure in developing the next generation of scientists.</p>
<p>I think the RA position at ANY university must be in high demand. Let’s face it --this economy sucks- and at UC Davis that student job would cut our college year expenses in half! $10-$12,000 is a lot of money—so kudos to all the students who apply and do get to be RA’s. My D loved her’s-----she would be a great one- but she also knows the time commitment. I think she knows it would bump into her current lifestyle! Poor me.</p>
<p>This is even more of a financial crap-shoot, but at my son’s school the elected student government association officers and representatives are awarded a “leadership grant” which is a monthly stipend paid directly to their account. This is primarily because all officers and reps are required to put in 20 hours per week in the SGA office. Anyways, we had no idea this was the case when he was first elected and it’s possible that other colleges have a similar stipend. Something to check into.</p>
<p>My son was an RA for his sophomore year. It did bring in some lovely cash for him – but he worked hard for it too. His grades took a hit and he was tired a lot. </p>
<p>He had worked many summers as a camp counselor and had a strong background in group activities and in problem solving. I think others considering this path should really ask “am I a ‘people’ person?” – because it is dealing with all sorts of people!</p>
<p>I suggested S work as a bellboy at the swanky hotel on the edge of campus – I was thinking that the well shod alumni might be great tippers to a college kid bell boy. S laughed and said that the idea had merit but, so far, he has not gotten around to toting suitcases.</p>
<p>I agree that I would not want to count on this as a way for my child to attend a university . If it happens great, but if not…don’t count on it!</p>
<p>The time committment is really important to note - this is the kind of info I am trying to make my friend aware of. Her other S is at a very small school with very small dorm situations/floors of students. I don’t think they have a good grasp on what it would be like at a bigger school (bigger than 2000 students).</p>
<p>The size of the school should really not matter—an RA is responsible for the kids on his/her floor–maybe 40??? Depending on the size of the dorm I guess!</p>