I have been thinking about maybe becoming an RA since my parents want me to live on campus all four years of undergrad. What kind of benefits do you get (like getting payed, a free room, etc)? Is it a lot of work and is it hard to get the job? I heard it was really competitive. In an application do they look for things like extracurriculars or anything in particular?
I think it is competitive. In my experience, you need good recommendations (or have acquired a good reputation) from your own RA or higher up in your residence halls. Ideally someone who will say how involved you are in residence hall life, how mature you are, and obviously how you are not involved in drinking, etc. I would guess that good ECs ideally would be residence hall related.