Here at Her Campus, we like to help our fellow classmates! This is our #Bryant2017 Series where we will be writing numerous articles that will help ease the transition from “senior fever” to the new kid on block here in Smithfield. For this article, we wanted to step inside the shoes of a member of the Class of 2017 and ask those questions that we had back when we were incoming freshmen! We sat down with Katie Phung, a current RA on campus who knows everything about Bryant you could possibly want to know…In other words, she is a great resource to go to! Think our questions didn’t answer it all? Comment below with your own questions and we will answer them for you!
Name: Katie Phung
Year: 2014 (junior)
Major: Accounting
Job: Resident Assistant
Hall Assigned: Hall 16 (Suites for first-year and transfer students)
HC: Do you think that I’m ever going to get bored on campus?
KP: There is always something to do on campus, weekdays or weekends. On the weekdays, you will catch most students in their studies at the library. On the weekends, the Student Programming Board (SPB) and Bryant @ Night always plan something fun for everyone to do. If you’re looking to adventure off campus, downtown Providence is only a short (and free!) RIPTA bus ride away. Downtown Providence provides live entertainment, shopping, amazing food and a college atmosphere. As you get further into the semester, you will find your “crowd” to have fun with as well.
HC: Will my RA do events with my floor?
KP: RAs are required to have an individual and a group program in the building every month for first-year students so you can definitely expect that. My first program was a floor meeting and ice cream social for everyone to get to know each other. As the year goes on, many of the programs coincide with current events. For example, one of the group programs was food and the Super Bowl game in the Hall 16 lobby. Not all of them are social, some are resource driven whether it be explaining the class registration process or walking through how housing selection works.
HC: What are the most common things that freshmen come to you with in regards to what makes them most nervous?
KP: The most common things that freshmen come to me about roommate issues, alcohol policy, and being homesick. The roommate issues are very uncommon but homesickness can always be cured through a little bit of chocolate and a movie with your girlfriends!
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HC: Which hall do you think is the best to live in?
KP: There is no BEST hall to live in. As a freshman, I lived in Hall 14 and loved it because of the hallway style setup for me to meet other freshmen on my floor. Hall 14 and 15 are doubles that are placed on a floor or section of a floor by gender with a community bathroom. Boys and girls each receive their own bathroom. The perk of the community bathroom is that it is cleaned every day by someone in the Facilities Department. Each floor also has study lounges that you can do work in if you did not want to go to the library. Hall 16 is suite style and has four doubles in one suite. Every suite is separated by gender; however as an upperclassman you have the option to change that. You do have to clean your bathroom though. Something that a resident in Hall 16 has that someone in Hall 14 and 15 don’t have is a common room/living room.
HC: What happens if I don’t like my roommate? Does that happen a lot?
KP: If you don’t like your roommate, speak to your RA about the issue. Most of the time, it can be worked out and if not, alternative options will be provided to you. It does not happen often but here and there, a case of the “bad roommate” will come up. To prevent that from happening, I would suggest that you do not pick your roommate at orientation. Honestly, how do you expect to know someone and their living styles in two days? Sometimes, a friend from home isn’t exactly the best person to live with as well. You may hang out all the time, but you might be messy and they aren’t. Also, answer your housing roommate matching survey honestly. Don’t by any means try to create an “ideal” roommate in your mind. If you actually sleep at 11 p.m., put that down and not 2 a.m. because you’re going to be in college. It will catch up to you and cause those roommate issues.
HC: What are some rules on campus regarding cars or visitors?
KP: Freshmen may have cars on campus but you have to park in the designated areas beyond the library. Any student may have a guest on campus for a maximum of two nights as long as you sign them in and take responsibility for their actions. If they get in trouble, you get in trouble. The guest must also be 18 years of age or older. If he/she is not then you have to get permission through Residence Life.
HC: What is Orientation like?
KP: Orientation is a two-day overnight session in June. There are four sessions that take place every summer that you can choose from. This is the time to get to know your peers, faculty, and administration at Bryant because they will all be useful at one point or another. One of the most important parts of orientation is being able to create your fall semester schedule. You get a better experience with what you put into it. You get out what you put in. I loved my experience so much that I became an Orientation Leader for the class of 2016.
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HC: I’m a really shy person, how do you suggest that I make friends on my first few days at school?
KP: That was how I came into Bryant, really shy. I got involved with clubs and organizations as soon as I could. But, right from the first weekend on campus, attend all of the sessions that are put together by the Bulldog Leaders. You will meet so many of your peers there and other student leaders that attend the sessions as well. From the dinner at the President’s house to the freshmen Block Party, take advantage of it all and use that to make friends on the first few days of school. Keep the door to your room/suite open whenever you’re in it just hanging out! That is how I got to know everyone around me as a freshman. Whatever you decide on doing, just put yourself out there and step out of your comfort zone. College is supposed to be the best four years of your life.
HC: What kinds of things are not allowed in the dorm rooms?
KP: In the residence halls, you cannot have candles. That morning coffee from your Keurig is going to have to be sacrificed too. Don’t you worry though; we have a Dunkin’ Donuts on campus for that! You also cannot have rugs, a free-standing microwave, or space heater. For a complete list of prohibited items, click here!
HC: What can I go to my RA about? Is there anything that I cannot go to them about?
KP: You can go to your RA about anything. I mean anything. Whether it’s about a significant other or academics- anything at all. What is said to your RA is confidential between you and him/her. As an RA, I have heard it all. I think that is my favorite part of my job. I love talking with everyone and having comfortable relationships with all my residents!