New Students

The Office of Residence Life will provide resources to assist in the development of residents’ emotional intelligence, resilience and well-being; encouragement to actively participate in social responsibility and personal accountability; pathways for leadership and mentorship; support for navigating processes and procedures of our department; and opportunities for cultivating university community connections and sense of belonging.

The transition from high school to college life is both exciting and challenging. To make your transition as smooth as possible, here are some tips and tricks to being a successful new student in our residential community. 

Connect with Your Roommate(s)

We recommend connecting with your roommate(s) before Move-In Day so you can get to know each other and make plans for shared items that you’ll want to have in your room. You can find your roommate information in the Housing Portal. Also check out What to Bring for guidelines and recommendations.

Know Your Resident Advisor (RA)

An important aspect of on-campus living is the support network that you create for yourself and your Resident Advisor (RA) is an essential part of that network. RAs are student staff members who serve as role models and mentors. They refer residents to campus resources that will provide needed academic, institutional, or personal support. RAs organize and coordinate social and educational programming for residents and they uphold community standards and university policies. RAs help students find answers to their questions and provide individual support. They also serve in a nightly "RA on Duty" rotation which provides support in case of an emergency that occurs outside of business hours. Your RA will be your biggest resource on the Residence Campus. We recommend reaching out and getting to know them as soon as possible. Hopefully, you’ll meet on Move-In Day! You’ll also have the opportunity to connect at your welcome floor meeting.

Find Your Community

Meet fellow new students before you arrive through the Class of 2027 Facebook group and following the Residence Life Instagram @simmonsreslife. Once on campus, keeping your room door open when you're home is a great way to meet passing floormates. You can also get to know people on Residence Campus by attending fun events hosted by RAs, working out at Holmes Sports Center, eating at Bartol Dining Hall, and lounging on the quad in one of the Adirondack chairs. All of these daily opportunities on our residential campus are great ways to get to know one another!

For students who chose to join one of our Living-Learning Communities (LLC), you’ll have an immediate new community defined by shared identity that will be provided with events, resources and support specific to your LLC.

Meet Your Area Coordinator (AC)

Area Coordinators (ACs) are masters-level professional staff members, who live on campus and provide on-call support to RAs on duty. The educational background of our ACs is a combination of higher education and counseling. Each AC oversees an area of three residence halls and their primary role is to supervise RAs. Additionally, ACs work to maintain a safe and inclusive environment, build community within the residence halls, help residents navigate difficult life experiences, support programming initiatives, distribute important information to their communities, and facilitate restorative and educational conduct meetings with residents. They also support the Living-Learning Communities and collaborate with other Simmons University departments to support institutional initiatives.