To dorm, or not to dorm? That has been the age-old struggle that has plagued the minds of local college students for generations. Whether it be staying home to save money or living on campus to be closer to classes and clubs, all students strive to make the decision that ends up being right for them. This topic of discussion has only recently begun at the University of Washington Bothell (UWB), when three new dorm buildings officially opened in 2024.
UWB was created in 1989 to expand UW’s education access for community college transfer students who desired a four-year degree. It began as a small commuter school. However, as the student body began to grow, Huskies desired to feel more connected to campus, prompting the creation of on-campus housing.
Housing was first offered to students in 2009, as UWB began to lease a small apartment complex right next to campus. As the student population increased, UWB purchased Husky Village in 2011 and began to use it as student housing. Big changes were made since then. In 2023, Residential Life finished construction for their first large-scale dormitory, which offered housing for over 300 students. The Husky Village had to be demolished in order to make space for new residential life additions. Summit Hall and Terrace Dining Pavilion officially opened in fall of 2023. In 2024, Residential Life was finally completed when Forest and Horizon Hall opened. Now with over 6,064 UWB students, there is housing to accommodate up to 1,000 students.
There are 21 Residential Advisors (RA) and six Apartment Advisors. RAs are live-in positions at UWB; they help residents in the dorms make the most of their time on campus. According to the job description, the RA “establishes a cohesive and responsible community in their designated area, facilitates the holistic development of residents through one-on-one interactions, promotes resident involvement, and refers and supports residents as they manage academic and personal issues.” RAs are key to sustaining community and safety within the dorms.
Stuti Adhikary, a second-year RA and a third-year student studying Biochemistry, shared why she wanted to become an RA, stating she “wanted to maximize [her] involvement with campus organizations and events as much as possible. Living on campus during [her] first year made [her] realize how much RAs contributed to building a welcoming environment for first-time residents and returners alike.” Likewise, Sawyer Grant, second year RA and a fourth-year pre-med and business student, described that he wanted to become an RA because he “wanted to be in a position where [he] could lead others but also be a friend and support system when they needed it. Lucas Tercero, a first-year RA and a second-year student studying accounting, echoed similar sentiments, as he, “decided to apply to be an RA because [he] wanted to be more involved in the community.”
Being an RA is a complex job that creates rewarding moments. Adhikary noted how, as an introvert, she gets a sense of fulfillment from helping and connecting with others. So far, she has, “aided residents with all different kinds of issues… [and] has gotten a chance to connect with them in a way [she] doesn’t think she would have if [she] were just a student.” She also highlighted how the “diversity of our residents and the Residential Life staff is also a huge plus, because [she] gets to expand [her] worldview.”
Grant loves being an RA in Summit Hall because all his residents are first years. He states that it is, “so rewarding to be there for my residents as they transition from high school to college life, and I am very grateful that I could be part of that journey with them.” While Tercero’s favorite part of being an RA is hosting events. He really enjoys meeting new people by sharing common interests. However, as with any job, being an RA comes with its share of challenges. Adhikary and Tercero stressed the importance of time management and how challenging it was at first. When Adhikary first started, she was “struggling to find [her] footing with scheduling shifts and Husky Chats alongside a 19-credit course load. What makes it even trickier is that each resident has their own busy schedules and time commitments, so sometimes [she] needs to work around to meet them.” Tercero noted how he needed to stay on top of his schedule to make sure that he is not spreading himself too thin.
Grant states that his Residential Director always says, “This is the hardest, funniest job you’ll ever have.” He describes how working in ResLife has been quite time-consuming, and it can be hard to “juggle event planning, hall decorating, 1:1 chats with residents, and duty shifts. It has forced [him] to stick to [his] calendar and hone time management skills, which always seems to be a little more difficult than [he] expects.”
All three RAs express that being a student leader has helped them with their time management to balance their work, school, and social life. When asked about their favorite events that Residential Life has thrown so far, the RAs had quite a variety of events listed. Adhikary illustrated that her favorite event was a collaboration with the VPA (Violence Prevention and Advocacy), “Mocktails with the VPA.” This event was hosted “during the first few weeks of the fall quarter, which is called the ‘Red Zone’ because of the heightened rates of sexual assault. They provided resources to residents to raise awareness while we prepared mocktails for them to drink.”
Grant’s favorite event was when Forest Hall hosted an F1 event for a race during the fall quarter. He and “RA Vlad got to dress up as Louis Hamilton and Max Verstappen and sign autographs for residents. It was fun putting on a fake red-carpet show, doing LEGO giveaways, and watching the race with a huge group of residents.” Tercero’s favorite event was the Smash Bros Tournament hosted at the beginning of the year. He described how “it was a great way to meet people early on, and [he] enjoyed the competition.”
Together, they recommend this position to students who want to get highly involved with the campus community.
Ultimately, UW Bothell has grown tremendously within the last few decades, and it will be exciting to see how the campus and Residential Life will change within the coming years. Although Residential Advisor applications are closed for the year, they will reopen again in December and close in January. If you would like to stay in touch with all things Residential Life, be sure to follow @uwbreslife on Instagram!
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