Hostels- The home away from home

Hostel life is highly underrated. Having spent the first two decades of my life with parents at home and afterwards in different locations, I have first-hand experience of both the worlds. During my undergrad days, being a day scholar, I would always wonder about a typical day in the life of a hosteler. I used to think what under the sun a hostler would spend time on. With no family members around, in a new town, with a bunch of unknown faces, what would keep them busy. A few years later, post getting into the shoes of one, it was an unmatched exposure for me. Hostel life inculcates the real life-skills in a student. It’s more impactful during the young age. Categorically, I can recollect the core areas it has impacted to my life: 

Responsibility: You are responsible for all the actions around. If you are late for the 8:30am class, bad scores in mid-terms, non-submission of assignments/group projects, it’s you and no-one else whose actions made it happen. One definitely rethinks and acts responsibly next time you face this situation. 

Peer-learning: While in hostels, you learn more from your peers than in a classroom. You live with people from various parts of the country, having diverse backgrounds, culture and stories to share. You equally get inspired from each other when you see something better or worse in certain situations, which, till now you felt was solely happening to you. 

Mindful spending- road to Financial literacy: With limited funds in your pocket, you think twice before spending even a penny while in college.

Social bonding: Since you spend most of the time with your friends sharing rooms/hostels, eating the same food. You end up making friends for life. I have read somewhere “The last time you make good friends in life is during your last college degree. Every new relation post that is a barter for one reason or the other” I might have missed enumerating more benefits of living in hostel, but the ones who been-there-done-that can vouch for the dent it makes in one’s universe. Practically, you can consider dividing your whole life into two phases 1) Before going to hostel and 2) During and after the time you spend in hostel. 

At times, I feel, it should be made compulsory for everyone to spend a few years of early life in hostels, for it’s equally transformative to the society as a whole as it is for an individual. Army personnel are considered transformed, conditioned, responsible and good citizen for a reason, and there is a reason some countries make it compulsory for its citizens to serve in the army. Skills learnt away from home are crucial and important to transform us into better humans. 

HostelerForLife 

Jokar2012