Placement

Hiring UGAs

There are approximately 106 UGA positions per term each year (except summer term, which varies based on the number of summer residents). Because we are filling each spot by term and not all candidates are on for all three terms, we usually need to hire around 130-160 UGAs to fill the openings we have throughout the year. 

In the past, there have been around 200-300 applicants.

If you are not offered a position initially, you may still be able to obtain one. A few candidates will turn down positions that they are offered; we then make a new round of offers to fill the vacant positions. If you are not extended an offer initially, we may ask if you're interested in being on the list to be considered for positions as they become available.

Leave Term UGAs

You can apply for a position during a leave term, but we cannot officially hire you until we find out if we can house leave-term students for that term. 

Being a leave-term UGA comes with some pitfalls and challenges, so before you are hired, we will lead you through a brief process of being granted an exemption to the requirement that you be enrolled for all terms for which you are employed.

If you plan on applying for a position during a leave term, please contact the UGA Recruitment and Selection Committee.

How Placement Works

Please note that the information you provide here does not guarantee the type of community in which you will be placed. We try to place candidates where they indicate they will work best, but we must balance this with the need to fill all open positions and meet the staffing needs of our residence halls.

Candidates often ask us if they can specify in which residence hall they prefer to be placed. With the exception of Living Learning Communities and senior apartments, UGAs are placed in a residence hall within their House community or on a FYRE floor that feeds their House community. In placing candidates, we seek to find the best match between a candidates skills and talents and the needs of the residents in the various residential communities. The outcome of this process may be that a candidate is placed in a residence hall that is not their first preference but that nonetheless is a great fit for them.

In the case of special housing needs due to a medical condition, we will do everything possible to accommodate you where your needs can be met, provided that appropriate documentation has been filed with the Housing Office.

We encourage you to let us know—on the application and/or in your interview—where you think you will be most effective as a UGA. At the same time, we ask that you keep an open mind about your eventual placement and remain open to being a UGA in any location.

If you will only be on campus for one or two terms next year, you can still apply. All D-plans are considered; just be sure to indicate on your application which terms you will be on and officially enrolled.

Residential Population Options

First-Year Residential Experience (All First-Year or Mostly First-Year)

The First Year Residential Experience (FYRE) communities are floors made up entirely of first-year students or with a smaller number of upperclass students living within the community. Any upperclass residents are likely to be sophomores, but could be juniors or seniors. UGAs in these areas will implement the FYRE Program while also working to meet the needs of the upperclass residents, and will strive to foster interaction and a sense of community among all residents in the community.

FYRE is a residential program that intentionally targets the needs of first-year students through the delivery of programs and resources. If you have an interest in this type of community, it is important to note that FYRE UGAs facilitate a weekly floor meeting and discussion with their residents. Many of the discussion topics are pre-determined, particularly in the fall term, based on the needs and issues typically faced by first-year students. Training and supervision are provided to help FYRE UGAs function as effective meeting facilitators.  FYRE UGAs also help organize social and educational programs for residents.  Some FYRE communities will be located in buildings that have upperclass students living on nearby floors.

House System: Upperclass Experience

The house system is made up of six different houses. All houses hold upperclass students.

Note about the following two residential living options:  It is important to note that at the time that we place UGA candidates, we do not know where upperclass students will select to live in the Room Draw process, so the class-year composition of each community will vary from floor to floor. We will place candidates based on what we think is the most likely composition of that community; the actual composition may be different from what we had anticipated. If you have a specific interest in one of these sub-categories, it is suggested that you add it to one of your essays or bring it up during your UGA Interview.

• Upperclass Experience—Sophomore/Junior Concentration: Candidates who indicate that they will work well in this type of community are likely to be placed with younger upperclass students, particularly sophomores but possibly including juniors and perhaps even some seniors. UGAs in these communities focus on developing relationships with all residents and creating a sense of community among everyone on the floor. They will provide advising and programming targeted at the needs of  sophomores and juniors, such as major choices, social networking, transitioning to and from off terms, and decisions about life after Dartmouth, as well as the basic issues generally faced by all college students.

• Upperclass Experience—Junior/Senior Concentration: Candidates who indicate that they are well-suited for this type of community are likely to be placed with older upperclass students, particularly juniors and seniors (possibly including some sophomores). UGAs in these communities focus on developing relationships with all residents and creating a sense of community among everyone on the floor. They will provide advising and programming targeted at the needs of juniors and seniors, such as social networking, transitioning to and from off terms, giving back to the Dartmouth community, and decisions about life after Dartmouth, as well as the basic issues faced by all college students.

Transfer/Exchange Students

Candidates who indicate that they are interested in this type of community may be placed with transfer or exchange students. UGAs in this type of community will use advising and programming to meet the unique needs of students who have transferred to Dartmouth from other institutions or who are new to Dartmouth, visiting through an exchange program. These UGAs may also have other students, upperclass or first-year, living in their community, and will work to meet the needs of those residents as well.

Residential Program Options

Senior Apartments

The Maxwell/Channing Cox Apartments located behind the Tuck Business School, The Ledyard Apartments on East Wheelock Street and the North Park Apartments located on North Park Street make up the senior apartments. The UGA position in apartment style housing is unique given the set-up and the makeup of the hall being mostly seniors and juniors. This means that the UGA does not function in a traditional way, but instead needs to be very outgoing and innovative in meeting the needs of the residents.

Living Learning Communities

Living Learning Communities are located throughout campus, from free-standing houses to program floors within residence halls. Each community is unique in its interests, yet one thing that unites all LLCs is that there is a strong connection between in-classroom learning and out-of-classroom experiences, with a faculty or staff advisor connected to each community and UGA to help spur programming and interaction.

Currently, there are specifically assigned UGAs in the following Living Learning Communities:

• Chinese Language House
• DEN in Residence
• East Wheelock
• Foley House
• Gender Equity Program Floor
• Global Village
• Humanities Floor
• Interfaith Program Floor
• La Casa
• LALACS (Latin American, Latino & Caribbean Studies) House
• Native American House
• Shabazz Center for Intellectual Inquiry
• Sustainable Living Center
• Thriving Through Transitions Floor
• Triangle House

All UGAs are expected to meet the Residency Expectations of their assigned Living Learning Community.

We do not currently hire UGAs specifically for the Design Your Own communities; however, there will be UGAs who cover the floors that contain those communities.

To apply to be the UGA for a Living Learning Community, you must complete the essay prompts connected to that community.

Substance-Free Options

Substance-free areas are designated as places free of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs. Residents who live in these communities agree not to use substances while in the building or to cause a disruption while under the influence of substances used elsewhere.

UGAs placed in these communities are expected to support the substance-free lifestyle through role modeling, by establishing community standards and holding residents accountable to them, and through the programming and advising they offer to their residents.

We cannot guarantee placement in substance-free housing to candidates who indicate that they must be in this type of housing, though we will make every effort to do so.