Honors housing?

[egret]

So I was assigned to a fantastic dorm- I get my own bedroom and share a kitchen, bathroom, and living area with two other people who also have their own bedrooms. I was a little hesitant because one of them is an RA, and while she seems really cool, I have no idea how strict RAs are and I was a bit afraid I wouldn't have any freedom to party (not that I'll party much) or have my friends or boyfriend stay over when they're in town.

My university contacted me letting me know that as a member of the honors college, I could request reassignment for an identical building that was only open to honors college members.

I can't decide if I should or not.

If I stick with the one I have now, I know I've got a good dorm and my suitemates seem like cool people. However, it's an all freshman dorm and I tend to prefer a mix of age groups. And I'm worried about whether or not the RA in my suite will be strict or not- I'm not planning on doing anything wild, but since I've got my own room, I'd like to be able to have my friends/boyfriend stay over when they're in town- it wouldn't really bother anyone like it would if I had a roommate in the same room.

If I ask to change to the honors housing, I'll have a mix of ages in my dorm, and odds are that I won't get another RA right in my room, so I'd have more freedom (would I? I'm not sure if the RA would even be a problem or not). But, I'm afraid I'll be living with the same people I have class with, and I'm rolling the dice on totally new roommates when my current ones seem nice enough.

So, opinions? Neither option seems bad at all, so I'm sure I'll be fine either way but... is there any one smarter decision here?

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[CScull]

I guess if you want to go through all the trouble then do it... Honors dorms are normally nicer than Freshman dorms, along with all of the other pluses you've listed. They probably won't put you with people you'll hate either, but if they do you could always switch again.

It kinda sounds like it's worth it, but if it's going to be too much of a hassle then I would stay put.

 

[FuturaDocta]

Sweet! I see this as an opportunity for a lot of fun, because RA's are usually the cool people if you ask me. I think you don't have anything to worry about and should just be happy your room mates aren't druggies. RA's do party on sometimes if that is what you are worried about. But, of course, this varies from RA to RA. You just have to know them as a person before you judge them. I wouldn't go to SDN for something like this. I would try to contact some of your room mates and form a bond with them before the school year starts. If you can avoid the awkward first meeting portion of the school year, you may find that you can start the fun part of college much sooner. Have fun with your roommates. If you go the old fashion way, you may end up learning you like them a lot and find you didn't have enough time with them in the end.
hope this helps

 

[Dciple]

So I was assigned to a fantastic dorm- I get my own bedroom and share a kitchen, bathroom, and living area with two other people who also have their own bedrooms. I was a little hesitant because one of them is an RA, and while she seems really cool, I have no idea how strict RAs are and I was a bit afraid I wouldn't have any freedom to party (not that I'll party much) or have my friends or boyfriend stay over when they're in town.

My university contacted me letting me know that as a member of the honors college, I could request reassignment for an identical building that was only open to honors college members.

I can't decide if I should or not.

If I stick with the one I have now, I know I've got a good dorm and my suitemates seem like cool people. However, it's an all freshman dorm and I tend to prefer a mix of age groups. And I'm worried about whether or not the RA in my suite will be strict or not- I'm not planning on doing anything wild, but since I've got my own room, I'd like to be able to have my friends/boyfriend stay over when they're in town- it wouldn't really bother anyone like it would if I had a roommate in the same room.

If I ask to change to the honors housing, I'll have a mix of ages in my dorm, and odds are that I won't get another RA right in my room, so I'd have more freedom (would I? I'm not sure if the RA would even be a problem or not). But, I'm afraid I'll be living with the same people I have class with, and I'm rolling the dice on totally new roommates when my current ones seem nice enough.

So, opinions? Neither option seems bad at all, so I'm sure I'll be fine either way but... is there any one smarter decision here?

I just graduated from undergrad and I was an RA for my last two years. There is a HUGE variation between the strictness of each RA (most just want to be your friend, but some want to think that they are cops...). I don't know what your Community Living Standards are, but most likely you won't be able to have alcohol in the dorm or smoke. You can still "party" but if you live with the RA you probably can't party with alcohol. However, you are well within your rights to get drunk outside of the dorm and come back home with no consequence...lol.

If you are a big partier that likes to break alcohol policies I would switch. If you can deal with drinking at a frat/house party than I think it would be fine for you to live in the current situation. However, your best bet would be to just ask your RA how she feels...she is a person (and not to mention a student) after all lol. Hope this helps!!

 

[mathlegend]

Whats RA?

 

[tennisball80]

Whats RA?

Me too. What is a RA?

 

[ksmi117]

An RA is a resident assistant. They are like the student leaders of the res. halls. They enforce rules. OP, I think you can't judge the RA without meeting her first. Y'all make become super great friends. However, if you blatantly break the rules, it will put her in a hard situation. She gets paid and if she knew you broke the rules and did not report you, she could easily get fired. If you plan to break the rules in your own room, switch. It's not fair to put her in that situation. This is a decision you'll have to make. Personally, I'd switch. I have plenty of RA friends, but I'd never want to put their job in jeopardy by breaking rules around them.

 

[mathlegend]

Oh, thanks. I thought something like "religious athlete" which didn't make any sense at all

 

[ksmi117]

Oh, thanks. I thought something like "religious athlete" which didn't make any sense at all

Creative.

 

[FuturaDocta]

religious athletes party more than anyone I know, which wouldn't fit the category. haha!

 

[Therapist4Chnge]

I lived in the quiet house (popular with honors students), and it definitely was a good experience. It was rather an eclectic bunch, and more academically stimulating than freshman housing, which was much more of a party atmosphere. Many students didn't even know where it was, as parties were never held there, but it was nice when you wanted to actually get some sleep/study/etc.

As for the RA situation....just don't stomp all over the rules. I was friends with most of my RAs and they are cool people as long as I didn't cause them a headache. I'm not sure how much of an issue it would be to live with one, unless you have people over to your room for parties and whatnot.

 

[sumstorm]

As a former RA, we did a lot more than enforce rules! Actually, there were very few rules that we enforced; but alcohol, smoking, drugs, firearms (which include firecrackers) are the ones I remember as 'big deals' and that is because the school has some potential liability.

It depends on the RA and the school whether drinking elsewhere and stumbling home are issues. Trust me, if you spend the weekends puking all over the floor between the front door and your door, your RA is likely to start doing something about it! If you have to be put to bed, or monitored all night (which was a chore I did get stuck with as an RA), you won't have friends. Of course, that stuff isn't really that cool to do anyways! Beyond that, as long as you could walk, you weren't blatant, and I didn't have to worry that you would be a corpse the next day, I could care less. I also had to design programs and campus activities, plus attend classes on peer counseling. I was trained in emergency response as well.

I would probably go for the honors dorm, but if you think you might eventually want to be an RA, stick to the normal dorms....or if you wnat a more 'typical' college experience.

However, even in the honors dorms, you can still experience dorm parties and such. Also, if you have any doubts about handling homesickness, peer pressure, problems in classes, etc, stick to a freshman dorm. Your RA is probably pretty well informed about the options to help you with any of these issues. On the other hand, fellow honors students may know more about opportunities in departments and such.

I was in a freshman dorm my freshman year, my sophmore year (transfer student), my junior year (RA) and honors dorm senior year (RA.)

 

[Maygyver]

I would suggest an honors dorm. I was in one and it was really nice to be with people with common goals and probably common classes that you can study with and are easy access to become friends. Not all honors people are lame so you will still get to have fun in an honors dorm.