Take the quiz below and find out if your student is getting the most out of his or her residence hall experience.
1. How often does your student call or email you?
A. Once a day
B. Once a week
C. I'm lucky to hear from my student once a month.
2. How did your student like being at home over the winter break?
A. My student loved being at home. It was difficult to get him/her to go back.
B. I could tell my student enjoyed being home for the visit, but I don't think he/she liked having a curfew again.
C. I got the impression that my student couldn't wait to get back and see his/her floor mates.
3. What does your student think of his or her resident assistant (RA)?
A. I don't think my student knows his/her RA very well.
B. My student mentioned his/her RA a couple of times.
C. My student couldn't stop talking about the RA. In fact, my student is thinking about becoming an RA!
4. How often does your student take advantage of the large variety of services provided in the halls?
A. I got the impression that my student doesn't spend a lot of time in the residence hall.
B. My student mentioned that he/she uses the cable channels and Movie Channel 55 a lot. I wonder if my student knows about all the services in the halls.
C. My student not only uses a lot of the services but has joined the Hall Council and voices his/her opinions about ways to improve these services.
If you answered c on most or all of the questions, then that's a good indicator that your student is getting the most out of his or her residence hall experience.
If your student hasn't commented on participating in these kinds of activities or hasn't mentioned a positive experience in the halls, encourage him or her to consider getting involved a little more. Here are a couple of ideas to suggest:
- Participate in a study group within your student's hall or living-learning community to learn more and meet new friends
- Get involved in the Hall Council to become an active member of his/her residence hall community
- Talk with your RA to branch out and meet more people on the floor