| "It would be helpful to get some honest feedback as to why she wasn't chosen, so that she could work on those skills. Unfortunately, she may have a hard time getting that kind of feedback."
I think that this is a good idea. I also think that since she applied for an RA job at a college, she is likely to be able to get honest feedback about what she can do to improve.
It also is important to realize that RAs need to be assertive enough to be able to get the students whom they supervise to become involved in fun activities together. The RA also has to be assertive enough to be able to address problems, including some very difficult problems such as students who are breaking the rules.
It is a very difficult job that requires having the the kind of skills that one typically would need in order to sell oneself in an interview. Being RA is doing far more than being a person who can listen well to others' problems and give good advice.
Frankly, I would not want to deal with the problems RAs face -- and I've got a doctorate in psychology and have worked at a college counseling center.
Should your D be shy and passive, from what I've seen, she probably would not have been a good RA. I had a very sweet, smart, but timid student who was chosen as an RA, and she wasn't able to last the semester in that job because she found it so difficult having to cope with the various problems that are dumped on the RA's doorstep. |