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What made you want to be an RA?

The residential college system at Rice

Why wouldn’t I want to have 5,000 squirrelfriends and 3,000 undergrads as my neighbors? Before we dive into more of my why apply, let’s get you caught up on what being an RA at Rice is. The residential college system at Rice University is one of its key selling points. For their time as students, Rice undergrads are affiliated with one of 11 (soon to be 13!) residential colleges. 99% of first years live in their residential college and most students spend 2-3 of their 4 years living on campus in that college. As part of the residential college system, select faculty and staff (and their partners, pets, and families) live among the students and hold the titles of Resident Associates (RAs) or Magisters. These are not disciplinarian roles, but rather part of the support system enmeshed in campus. We serve as the eyes and ears on the ground, trusted advisors, and community members.

My experience in a residential college system

While the College system at Rice is relatively unique, there are other universities with similar setups, including my alma mater, Harvard. As an undergrad living in Kirkland House (the smallest and best house), I benefited greatly from the community a residential college system provided and from the mentorship of Tutors (the Harvard equivalent of RAs). Even as an undergrad I wondered how I might pay forward the experience I’d had. Now, I get to: my husband and I (and our two cats, Charlie and The Beast) are RAs at Baker College (the oldest and best college).

Two cats on a windowsill look out the window.

Charlie (right) and The Beast (left) watching over Baker from on high.

Two cats curled up together napping.

Charlie (left) and The Beast (right) taking a much deserved nap after playing with Bakerites.

My philosophical why

My path in life has most often been guided by a call to service and I’ve worked to identify job opportunities, volunteer roles, and other experiences that strike that balance of helping others while providing me opportunities to learn, grow, and be fulfilled. I firmly believe in the power of the next generation (and each generation after) and that belief drives me to invest time, energy, and care into the development of those who will run this world when I’m old and gray. While there are many paths that align with my personal philosophy that I could pursue, the opportunity to be an RA is at the nexus of both this balance and the beliefs that shape how I move through the world. And the timing was right.

It’s all in the timing

The application cycle for becoming an RA (that’s right it’s application-based a pretty dang competitive process to boot) came at a time when my husband and I were at a crossroads. I was coming off a high stress tech founder role where work had been the bulk of my identity and time spent. I had been working from home with a very small and entirely remote team. Even before I made the call to wind down my business, I was feeling disconnected and disregulated. I’d let my hobbies slip, I sat on the couch shrimped over my laptop all day, and could go several days without leaving home. I wasn’t a complete hermit; my husband and I were intentional about maintaining our weekly date night and I got out to see friends. But overall, I was in search of more intentionality and community. The cherry on top – it was looking like I would have the chance to work at Rice. My husband had already been working at Rice for two years. Win-win-win.

Building the life we want to live

My husband and I are both big on lifestyle design. We think and talk a lot about how we might design our lifestyle to map to our values and priorities. And we act on it. Living on campus served many goals including some fairly practical ones: minimal commute, lower cost of living, work-life integration. We were already spending several evenings a week on campus to go to exercise classes, Valhalla, or events. While our previous commute was only a seven-minute Vespa ride, now it’s a 100 yard walk. We don’t overly value privacy or quiet in a living space. We were coming off a stint of waking up to the pitter patter of our neighbors children and were fine trading that in for some evenings of chaos on campus. Not to mention, if you’re going to live in Houston – the third largest city in the US, Rice’s oak-tree lined campus is absolutely the most beautiful place to be. Last, but far from least, we had been wanting to get cats for years and our current apartment didn’t allow them. 

Reflecting on the experience a mere 2 months in

I couldn’t be happier with the decision we made. I’ve met so many vibrant people from all corners of the Rice community. I get to start my mornings by realizing just how old I am (30 is not that old!!!) when my husband and I have to explain who Shania Twain is to our Bakerites. I am never wondering what music is popular these days because I hear it loud and clear from 10pm to 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. I’m also surprised by how much of the music that plays was popular when I was in college. Do they consider Macklemore, Oldies? 

But on a more serious note, I’m grateful for the opportunity to be there for my community. I’m still new and building up the connections I have, but the conversations so far have been a beautiful mix of meaningful and fun. College is a truly unique chapter for many students and Rice has the tendency to be a pressure cooker. Any underlining tendencies toward anxiety or unhealthy coping mechanisms are likely to emerge. All it takes is for a handful of assignments to stack up or roommate tiff to emerge for things to start boiling over. I know they did for me in college! I am happy to be the steam release valve, whether by getting students to come to arts and crafts study break or grabbing a quick lunch. In the past two weeks, my husband I have hosted S’mores for 200, helped a student figure out who to call to rescue abandoned baby bunnies, and taken our cats for a walk in the courtyard. 

Celebrating Baker Christmas at Life Office Hours

Students participating in arts and crafts study break

Our first time hosting s’mores we underestimated the popularity. Round 2, we shopped for 200!

I am lucky and glad to lead a life that I love. The experience of being an RA is hard to fully imagine or comprehend until you’re in it. If you’re curious and think this path might be right for you, I would be happy to talk more. I’d encourage anyone interested to apply – the application process is instructive in and of itself and helps you get closer to imagining being in the role. 

Hell Yeah!

Sophie Randolph is a Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at Rice University’s Liu Idea Lab for Entrepreneurship and is a Residential Associate at Baker College. But this isn’t Sophie’s first Rice rodeo! Sophie first joined the Rice community in the full-time MBA class of 2022. In her student era at Rice, Sophie founded her own startup, Green Room, participated in Techstars, and raised a pre-seed round for the business. Sophie ran Green Room for three years before making the hard decision to wind things down. Before business school, Sophie spent 4 years working at an early-stage startup and grew from her role as Executive Assistant to Director of Customer Success. Sophie brings together the best of experience gained flying by the seat of her pants in the fast-paced startup world, and the knowledge she gained in the classroom. She leverages these skills and her boundless enthusiasm to build systems and experiences that empower students to explore what innovation and entrepreneurship mean in their lives. Sophie holds a B.A. in African American Studies from Harvard University and an MBA from Rice University.

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