Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program (PSSP) Resident Advisor Selection

2025 Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program (PSSP) Resident Advisor (RA) Selection Process Overview

Information about the 2025 Pre-Collegiate Summer Scholars Program (PSSP) Resident Advisor (hereinafter referred to as PSSP RA) position can be found on the Housing and Residential Life Pre-collegiate Summer Scholars Program Residential Advisor (RA) Position Description page. You must review Housing and Residential Life Pillars as well as the eligibility requirements found within the position description prior to submitting an application.   

Application  

Applications are submitted through Qualtrics. You can find instructions around the application process within the Qualtrics application.

The application will include the following questions: applicant information, eligibility questions, and three (3) short essay questions. Each short essay question should be completed in 450 words or less.  Below you can preview the short essay questions.

Please note, there is one (1) application for both the PSSP RA position and the Summer Session RA position.  The application will ask which position you are applying for and present you with questions pertaining to that role. In the application, you are able to indicate interest in applying for both positions and will be required to answer questions accordingly. 

Application Questions 

Question One  

As a Resident Advisor, your role is to promote social responsibility by addressing conflicts and concerns, building relationships, setting expectations, helping residents identify harm, and repairing relationships.  Through this process, residents can learn about their own values and how to incorporate these values into decision making while keeping personal and community impact in mind. 

• Give an example of a time you addressed concerns and/or engaged in conflict.
• How did you identify the conflict and what actions did you take to address the conflict?
• What did you learn from this experience?
• How would you apply what you learned to the Resident Advisor position? Provide examples of what this would look like. 

 
Question Two  

As a Resident Advisor, your role is to foster an inclusive community through intentional interactions with residents with diverse personal and social identities (gender, religion, race, orientation, to name a few), backgrounds, and experiences. Through this work, Summer Session Resident Advisors role model inclusivity and promote a sense of belonging within the community.   

• Give an example of how you have intentionally built relationships or engaged with individuals who have different social identities, backgrounds, and/or experiences.
• What actions did you take and what skills did you use to promote a sense of belonging? 
• How would you apply what you learned to the Resident Advisor position? Provide examples of what this would look like. 

Question Three

As a PSSP Resident Advisor, you will be working alongside other student leaders in the community who will have different roles and responsibilities to address the different needs of the residents. Specifically, PSSP Resident Advisors will be supporting safety and security while other student leaders will be supporting community engagement which can result in different relationships (level of rapport) with residents.    

• Give an example of a time you had to provide feedback or address a concern with someone you did not know well.
• What was your approach in building a connection in order to provide feedback to or address a concern?   
• What challenges and/or successes did you experience in navigating this situation?  
• How would you apply what you learned to the Resident Advisor position? Provide examples of what this would look like.   

Note: Submission of application does not guarantee an interview or position.   

Once your application is submitted, you will be presented with the submission end screen where you may download a PDF copy of your application. It is highly encouraged that you download a copy for your own records.  All application submissions are final and cannot be edited once submitted. If you believe there was an error in the information you provided for the applicant information, eligibility questions, and preferences, please email hrl-sl-selection@cornell.edu with the selection.  

Timeline for Resident Advisor (RA) Application

* All applications will be considered if submitted by the priority deadline. 
* Application consideration or submission does not guarantee an interview invite or position.  
** Applications sent after the priority deadline will be considered based on departmental need up until all positions are filled.  This means that an application review is not guaranteed.  

Communication will come from hrl-sl-selection@cornell.edu regarding application updates.  

Interview and Status Updates 

Interview invites will be sent on a rolling basis after the priority deadline and will continue through April. If an applicant is extended an interview invite, applicants will have 2 business days to sign up for a 30-minute interview time slot upon receiving an interview invite.  

Interviews will occur Monday through Friday between 9 AM EST and 5 PM EST. Interview will be conducted virtually.  If you are offered an interview and require accommodation, please contact us at hrl-sl-selection@cornell.edu.  Interview dates will be included in the interview invitation. Please monitor your Cornell email account regarding updates.

Final position status updates will be sent out on a rolling basis starting late April.  

If offered a position, candidates will have 4 business days to accept or decline an offer. If we do not hear back from the candidate after an offer has been made, they will be removed from the selection process.  

Note: An interview invite does not guarantee a position. We ask that you wait for a status update regarding interview invitations and position offers post interviews as inquiries can further delay the process. 

Additional Information and Resources

It is highly recommended that you speak to a representative from the Office of Financial Aid prior to applying and interviewing for the position. The remuneration for the position is room and a semi-monthly stipend and this may affect your personal financial aid. Information can be found on the Office of Financial Aid website.  

If you are an international student, it is recommended that you connect with the Office of Global Learning to learn about eligibility requirements. Information can be found on the Office of Global Learning website. 

If you are a graduate student, it is recommended that you connect with your Graduate School to learn about eligibility requirements.  

If you are interested in resources available to you regarding interview preparation, we encourage you to visit the Career Services website. 

Questions

If you have questions after reviewing materials for the RA position and visiting the Frequently Asked Questions page, please email hrl-sl-selection@cornell.edu. 

Please allow at least 2-3 business days for a response, as we may be experiencing a high number of emails during the selection process.