The Office of Residential Programs employs 133 students as Resident Advisers (RAs) and Community Advisers (CAs). Among the entire population of 5,500 undergraduate students, our RAs and CAs emerge as leaders within the Columbia community. RAs develop a healthy community by focusing on the growth and development of each individual on their hall and promote an environment conducive to the overall wellness needs of residents. CAs are returning student staff members who use their experience to foster growth and development within their area staffs and support residential programming for their communities.

Please review the RA Job Description.pdf for more information.

Qualifications

RA's must be current, full-time first-years, sophomores, and/or juniors who would like to make a difference in the Columbia Community. RA's should be creative and energetic students who are strong team players and good listeners. Applicants should be:

• Current CC or SEAS students;
• Have guaranteed housing;
• Have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and be in good academic and behavioral standing.

Apply

The application process for the 2013-2014 academic year RA position is open.  Applicants must attend one of the following RA informational sessions to apply to be a RA.

The Process

The Resident Adviser application process includes five phases.

• Phase I is your attendance at an informational session.  You cannot apply to become a RA without attending the full Information Session. 
• Phase II is this application.  Your timely submission and thoughtful answers to the questions are the first presentation of yourself to the evaluation committee.  The evaluation committee is comprised of Residential Programs professional staff, Graduate Hall Directors, and current RA/Community Advisers (CAs).
• Phase III is for candidates to sign-up for their interview date.  You can sign-up in 111 Wallach Hall during the following times,
  • Monday, November 26 from 1:00pm until 5:00pm,
  • Tuesday, November 27 from 4:30pm until 5:30pm, or
  • Wednesday, November 28 from 9:30am until 11:30am
• Phase IV is a half-day on-campus interview (including an individual interview and two group exercises) on one of the following dates,
  • Friday, November 30, 2012,
    • Only applicants who observe the Sabbath or who are planning to study abroad for the Spring 2013 semester may go through the interview process on November 30, 2012. 
  • Saturday, January 26, 2013, or
  • Sunday, January 27, 2013. 
    • January 26 and 27 is the weekend after classes start for the spring semester. 
• Phase V is a RA Fair for candidates on Tuesday, January 22, 2013 between 8:00pm and 9:30pm.
  • Attendance is mandatory unless you are studying abroad for the Spring term. The RA Fair is an opportunity for you to meet each Area’s current staff and become more familiar with that community. All candidates attending the RA Fair are pre-schedule based on their half-day interview time.  You will be e-mailed your time over December/January break.

Questions?

If you have questions about the RA position or application process, please contact Scott Helfrich, Associate Director of Residential Programs, by calling 212-854-7897.