Ten of us remained the room after class by instruction. "So what's one thing you all have in common?" Leah asked us. "We all want to return next year" was the group response. I had given Leah my RA recommendation form before class and now she was adding yet another option to the stack. "Reslife doesn't really like to have sophomore RA's," she said. So my chances of being selected are slim--not impossible, but less likely. There are six slots available for returning students into Cronkite Village. Those six students chosen would first have to write an essay to apply, and then throughout the year take a 3-credit peer-mentor class and offer 5 hours of work a week towards Cronkite Village, helping students with their projects or organizating functions. Not so bad, really. The only thing that concerns me is the time committment and, once again, if I were selected, I would still be paying for room and board and have to deal with a rommate; the two key things I was working to avoid as an RA. So what do I do? Well, apply for everything I guess, but here are the constraints... I won't find out if I've been chosen for an RA until May 4. Leah will notify us about the mentors about the week after we return from Spring Break. Josh and Alex are pressing to find out if I'm going to live with them so they know what kind of place they need to be looking for. Sometimes I think I could handle staying here again, being a mentor and all that, and sometimes I think to myself "there's no way!". Marching band, 5 hours a week, plus classes... Actually, at the moment, the mentoring doesn't sound like a bad wrap. It's too bad I still have to pay room and board though; I think that's why I'm so hesitent about it. But I think staying here would give me an upperhand in the program; I could learn more by being here and I can share some useful advice to the incoming freshmen. Plus, I think I have a pretty good shot at being selected. Actually, not to sound boastful, but I think I'm a shoe-in. Looking at the ten of us, I don't think I'd be one of the four to be dismissed, I really don't. Especially now that i think I'm back on Leah's good side. But of course I fear the time crunch, having to share a room again, still paying to live here, virtually doing more work for the same experience. Fate, please guide me right. I'm putting so much trust in other peoples' decisions right now it's uncomfortable. And if none of this works out, I guess I'll just be living in a car. Carrie