We know most of you are stressing over exams…so here are some words of wisdom to inspire you! This week, Residential Life spoke to some graduating Resident Assistants (RAs), and they gamely shared with us their reflections on their NUS journey, their future plans, and what they’d like you, their juniors, to know.
Panel of graduating RAs
First things first…
Congratulations on your graduation! How are you feeling right now?
Ajith: It’s pretty surreal to think that all these years of being in academia has gone by so fast. I’m definitely apprehensive about leaving the protected school environment but at the same time, I am quite excited to face the challenges that lie ahead.
Vincent: I am happy and sad at the same time. Imagining the possibilities and opportunities available out there really makes me feel excited! However, I am also sad because school has given me a lot of exciting memories with my friends.
Nica: Happy – very, very happy. I got a job at the company I really wanted to work for. I think it’s gonna be a really good experience because I’ll get to see how start ups build from the bottom up, which is in line with my long-tem goals.
Jingya: Whenever I think about life after graduation, I get very excited. After all, it will be my first “real” job, and I will get to do what I enjoy and get paid! It will also be the first time that we will be seeing [dental] patients without supervision.
What are your immediate plans for the future?
A: I’m thinking of taking it easy for a while. Maybe I will do some voluntary work and figure out how I can put myself to use in society.
V: My immediate plan for the future is to work. I have been involved in starting up a water innovation company called WateROAM and have been contributing to its since last year. I am going to work full time on it after my graduation.
N: I’ve started working part-time for Golden Gate Ventures, but I’ll be taking a one-month “break“ in the Philippines soon while corresponding with the company online. Afterwards, I’ll be back and it’s full-speed ahead from July onwards.
J: I finish my exams in early June and will start work on the 1st of July. There is not much time for a grad trip, but I will probably go for a short one. I am also thinking of taking driving lessons so that the next time I travel, I can rent a car and drive around! Most importantly, I plan to buy a gym membership and start losing some weight…
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Life in NUS
What is your fondest memory of school?
A: My fondest memories are the late night suppers at food haunts in and around NUS with friends, acquaintances and even strangers. I’d definitely miss this about school once I get a proper job.
V: Many memories of school are too precious to forget. Among them are training and competing for the NUS Archery club and being with my Environmental Science and Engineering family. My two years with Residential Life is also among my fondest memories. To be able to work closely and bond with other RAs from different backgrounds was an unforgettable experience.
N: I’m going to miss going to Starbucks UTown. When I’m not in class, I’m mugging at Starbucks UTown cause it’s open 24 hours. The baristas – special mention to Nazirah – are very friendly and encouraging. When they see you’re stressed, they say, “Oh, you can do it!” or “It’s only a few more days!”
J: My fondest memory was Rag and Flag in my first year, when I danced as a Barbie Doll for the Faculty of Dentistry. Being an RA was also fun; I had the chance to meet a lot of people and organise events for my residents.
Looking back, what would you have done differently?
A: I wish I’d travelled the Southeast Asian region a lot more than I’ve done!
V: Looking back, I think I could have joined more activities in school. There are opportunities in every nook and cranny in NUS.
N: I would have spent more time pursuing things I was interested in, instead of spending most of my free time focusing on meeting academic requirements.
J: Haha, maybe study harder? That’s what every student would say at the end of their university life.
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Life in Residence
What were the toughest parts of being an RA?
A: I absolutely enjoyed the social aspects of being an RA, but I had to teach myself to embrace the enforcement aspect of being an RA.
V: Sometimes, housing rules are broken by the residents. The toughest part of being an RA is handling these cases because some incidents involve residents that are less cooperative, which result in delayed solutions.
N: Enforcing rules could sometimes be a struggle; for example, residents who returned from exchange and had lived at overseas hostels that were a lot freer were not keen to follow the rules. Also, some residents may want to check in at 3 am…but we RAs sometimes have tests and need sleep too.
J: Part of my job was doing lock out duties, which means to open the door when residents lost their keys or accidentally locked themselves outside. This can happen any time, but mostly at night and especially during check in and check out period. The toughest part was having to to wake up multiple times at night, even when I have lessons from 8am-5pm the next day. As RAs, we are also the first line of contacts for the residents. There have been various situations I have had to quickly respond to, like helping residents look for their credit card in their room, search for lost laptops or sweep bugs away. It can be tough but interesting at the same time.
And what will you miss most about being an RA?
A: I will terribly miss working with my amazing bunch of fellow RAs, both at UTR and in other residences around campus. They are some of most genuine and sincere people one could hope to meet. It has been an absolute privilege and joy to work with them.
V: I will definitely miss the times I spent with my fellow RAs in PGP as we are strongly bonded through lots of fun and laughter (and food!) together. I will also miss my resident advisors Prof. Chui Chee Kong and Dr. Linda Sellou for their advice, motivation, as well as endless care and love towards the team and me.
N: I’ll miss working with my RA teammates! We go through a lot that there’s so many inside jokes between us. I’ll definitely miss RAD Ms. Goh – she is a super awesome mentor, beyond training us for our job as RAs. She likes to get to know us as people, and how we are doing emotionally and academically.
J: I will definitely miss my team the most. Sometimes we do fight, but most of the time we help each other organize events. Some of these people have become very good friends, and we support each other. And let’s not forget the RADs: kind, generous, humorous, caring…I want to use all the good words on them! Before joining the RA team, I did not know lecturers can be so friendly and approachable!
Any colourful memories in residence?
A: One event that stands out is ‘Ice-breaking’ which some of us compared to “speed-dating.” The idea was to get complete strangers to play some fun games and hope they end up making friends to hang with for the rest of their stay at the residence. We watched many of them become friends throughout the semester and that was really heartening to witness.
V: The most colourful memories were whenever we saw the effort we put in planning events pay off, by seeing the enthusiasm and happiness in the participating residents. Seeing these made me feel I have contributed in making the residents’ life in NUS more meaningful and enjoyable.
N: KFH is so tiny, but this means the community is closer. It’s easier for the RAs to know our residents and for us to organize things like, “Hey, let’s all have dinner together.” Over Chinese New Year, some residents were having steamboat. Even if our events are very simple, our best events are always in-house and are about feeding people.
J: As RAs, we always get to be treated by the RADs no matter in which residence. In RC4, Dr Lena would drive us out for dim sum and in RVR, Dr Zhu, Dr Yang and Dr Lim would invite us to join them for different occasions, like meals during festive seasons! I can still remember all the good food I had! Shopping with the RAs for residential events was also fun because we would end up buying a lot of other stuff for ourselves and couldn’t carry all the goodies back!
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Final words…
What is your message to your juniors in NUS?
A: Your time at NUS will be over before you know it. The friends you make here will probably be the ones that will stick with you for the rest of your life. Do cherish every moment with them – the happy ones and, more importantly, the sad ones. Many years from now, you’d look back at these memories with absolute delight.
V: Always try something new! I believe that university life is not all about academics, although that is important. It is also a period where opportunities are presented to you to learn more about yourself, your interests, and find the pathways to pursue them.
N: Stop obsessing over your CAP – there’s so much more to life! For junior RAs: Have fun! And don’t be afraid of doing difficult work, or having to do more work than other people. You learn how to manage your time, and how to work with different kinds of people. It’s worth it.
J: To my juniors in Dentistry: know that you have made the right decision to come to Dentistry. The 4 years are going to be tough, but no one has an easy path laid out for them anywhere. Just hang on and you will make it through! To everyone else in NUS: Nil Sine Labore [Nothing without labour]. But also, enjoy! To my future RAs: Take on this job! It will be one of those things that will make your campus life more fun; you will have parties all the time and have friends all around school. Give yourself a chance and allow yourself to grow and bloom!
