The Resident Adviser Process

Every semester students at the University of Oklahoma enroll and compete in a semester-long resident adviser class to become a RA for the rewards and benefits.

Before enrolling in the RA training class, students have to submit a resume and cover letter, RA Meghan Saunders said. The training class is a 3-credit hour course, and is required before they can apply for a RA position.

Students must maintain a grade “B” or better with a semester GPA of 2.5, and attend orientation at the beginning of each semester, according to the University of Oklahoma’s Housing and Food department.

Oklahoma is the only state in the region that requires students to take a class before they can become a RA, according to the Oklahoma Daily.

Over the last four years OU has hired an average of 45 advisers each academic year, but an average of 114 students enroll in the RA training class, according to documents obtained by the Oklahoma Daily. Only 40 percent of the students in the class become a residential adviser.

 “The most difficult part about becoming an RA is the competition because there’s two applicants for every one opening, so there’s a decent amount of competition when you apply,” Saunders said.

The number of students hired depends on how many current advisers will return for another year, Saunders said.

Students of the University of Oklahoma, who become a RA, receive free housing and food for every semester they are a resident adviser, RA Anica Taylor said.

After completing the training class, students turn in an application, attend an interview, and wait a few months for a response from the Housing and Food department, Taylor said.

Housing and Food prefers their applicants to show leadership, dependability, an interest in other students, and an ability to relate to them, according to the Department of Housing and Food.

Students, who take the training class, develop life-long leadership and listening skills, even if they don’t get the position. They can also use these skills to guide them in their future jobs.