Advantages and Disadvantages of Hostel Life

A hostel is a place where economical, healthy, and safe accommodation is provided for the students of a school or college. Many students live in hostels. Some students move in from a different town for their education, generally, hostels are meant for such students but lately even students from the same town are opting for a hostel. There they live a kind of life that is different from their life at home. This life in the hostel is known as hostel life. If you want to know about real-life then you should pass from hostel life that gives you a sense of responsibility as well as independence. Hostel life teaches you a lot of other things like teamwork, helping your roommates, a sense of unity and adjustment, etc.

In a hostel, a student Comes in contact with several other students of the same age and thinking. In a hostel, a student tends to acquire many good qualities from roommates and other hostelers, and at the same time, they are also vulnerable to the bad influence of others. When a student sees his next-door neighbor daily taking morning exercise, he also gets inspiration. He too tries to be healthy. One good student may become an example for the other 25 hostlers. When one is ill, all his hostel fellows try their best to serve him. Cooperation, sympathy, and love are characteristics of hostel life. It will not be an exaggeration to say that only a hostel is the place where an all-around development of personality is possible. On the other hand, few boys who have an addiction to smoking and drinking may also give the same habit to their roommates or other fellow students. If there are advantages then there are also a few disadvantages.

Advantages of Hostel Life

In a hostel, life is full of opportunities for amusement and studies alone. One is constantly in touch with young people of one’s age and can do a lot of other activities except studying. One can make friends with one’s hostel fellows who have varied tastes and aptitudes which can help you out in studying as well. One may choose his friends according to his own likes and interests and can spend quality time with buddies even after the classes. Mutual discussions of their favorite film actors and actresses, long criticism of the latest picture seen by them, and storytelling, add charm to hostel life.

Good arrangements of games and sports, Sunday specials and eating competitions, and day-to-day merry-making make the hostel life a thing of envy for all. Apart from fun-leisure activities, hostellers have a unique unity and are always ready to help one another whenever needed. However other advantages include;· As a hosteller is not under the care of his family, he develops a sense of independence and self-reliance. · Individual forms the habit of co-operation with friends and learn the art of cultivating working and behavior. · Living in the hostel, which is usually located inside the campus, saves your traveling time and expenses. · One gets a chance to bond with classmates who turn out to be one of the best friends for life ahead. · A student can take help of other fellows in studies if he has any problem with any particular topic. · Hostels provide the best atmosphere for study. If students enjoy the hostel life in different ways, they also work very hard when the time comes for it. · When a careless and negligent student sees his partner or his neighbor competing for the position, he also tries to follow his example. Hostel life tends to develop healthily · Hostel life tends to develop healthy competition and mutual cooperation among hostellers.

Disadvantages of Hostel Life

Hostel life with its many advantages has some drawbacks also. Students coming for the first time to the hostel, find an entirely new atmosphere. The freedom of the hostel at times leads them astray. Their parents are not there to check them. This may lead them into evil ways. They begin to smoke, gamble, and at times even drink. A daily visit to some cinema becomes a routine. Some students spend money lavishly and even borrow money from their friends. Living away from their parents they do what they can’t do in their home. They fail to choose good companions. The unlimited freedom proves harmful for such students. If a hosteller falls into a bad company, he has chances of going astray. He does not get proper money from his parents; he has the tendency to develop evil habits and to divert his categories under the influence of the bad company. It is also possible that if he looks at a rich co-hosteller spending extra money and enjoying himself, he develops an inferiority Complex that spoils his character.

On the other hand, the absence of loving care which only their parents and other ones can give tends to a nagging sense of loneliness. Other disadvantages may include:

· Ragging by seniors.

· Influence of bad company may draw a student towards smoking, drugs, and drinking

· At times it is difficult to concentrate on studies in the college atmosphere that is full of youth and fun.

· Living conditions are far less comfortable than those at home.

· A lot of students have the problem digesting the routine food served at the mess.

· Parents send their wards to the hostel for study, but there they waste their time in enjoyment and merry-making.

· Sleeping late may hamper concentration in class on the next day.

Why I loved hostel life while many don’t

I never dreamed of having a hostel life until I completed my 12th. After the 12th you are asked (Or already decided by parents) to choose what you want to study. After having so many thoughts and going to education fairs, it was decided. Unfortunately, the college where I got admission was 2 hrs drive from my home and I had to stay in a hostel. The day came when my parents dropped me at my hostel and left. It was hard to be away from your loved ones, but I had no other option. Initially, everything was difficult. We were given a schedule for bathing, praying, studying, sleeping…almost everything should be done in the given time. Only our parents and local guardians were allowed to visit us. That was my first hostel experience. My room had 4 beds and 3 of us were in the same class. Another girl who came was so homesick that she would cry almost all day and at last decided to change college. For one year, I stayed in the college hostel. After that due to so many issues and not being able to stay in a controlled environment I decided to change the hostel. Luckily through my dad, I got another hostel just next to my college. It was a working women’s hostel.

Their food was very good. We had rules and regulations but that was regarding our in-time which was good and should be followed in a ladies hostel. Our friends enjoyed dinner together, the endless night chats, and our warden trying to catch us for making a sound at night….those are fond memories. I believe you have to experience hostel life once in your life. How to handle situations when you are alone, how to behave with others when you are sharing a room with them.  You tend to be less selfish and understand what is shared. But there is a negative side to this If you are in a bad gang and staying in a hostel that has no rules and regulations. It is all in choosing best friends and a hostel. But it’s not necessary that you will be successful in it. You will learn from experience. Experience is not just important for your resume alone, you need it throughout your life. For that, hostel life helps. After my studies, I had to move to Chennai for a job. I googled the best hostels in Chennai and moved in. But due to a change of location, I had to change hostel, and since there was not much time I got into the worst hostel of my life.

I had stayed in five different hostels that include the worst and almost the better ones. The worst one had poor hygiene, less space, and bad roommates. The better one is good hygiene, more space (with its own cupboard and mirror), and superb roommates. Many parents won’t support staying in hostels due to the present situation of women’s safety and increasing crimes. But how long will you keep her in a cage? When she gets married it would be more difficult to adjust to a new environment and in dealing with situations. At that same time, this doesn’t mean all those who had a hostel life would succeed. When you are sending your daughter or son to the hostel you should continue to keep in touch with her/him. Know what is happening in their life and most importantly are they happy. Try out how it is to live with strangers who will turn out to be your best friends in life.

Moving to a hostel? Expect to experience these 8 things

It is tough to leave the comfort of home but most students are happy about moving to a hostel as it gives them freedom. Here are 9 things they should expect from hostel life. Moving to a hostel? Expect to experience these 8 things. Starting college is like entering into a new phase of life. New city, new friends, new experiences, new responsibilities these are just glimpses of what awaits you. One of the biggest changes that occur in the life of most students is shifting to college hostels. The nervousness and anxiety of having to move to a different city and sharing your room with a stranger etc, all fade away in the excitement of the freedom that college life offers. And although hostel life can be a lot of fun there are some aspects that you must be aware of before embarking upon the new roller coaster ride of being a naive hosteller. Thus, in this article, we have shared some hostel life experiences that you should be prepared for.

You’ll Experience mixed emotions

You might feel homesick but at the same time, you would also be pretty excited about living alone. It will be like a feeling of nostalgia has grabbed you and you can’t just shake it off. Living away from home all on your own can be a little difficult. But isn’t that what you wanted all along? Life in a hostel might not initially be as much fun as you thought it to be. But everything has its pros and cons, right? So, why not make the best of what you have. There are some experiences that you can have only as a hosteller. So, just relax and try to settle in your life as a college student. Because once you graduate in a few years you’ll look back fondly at these experiences that you had in your hostel.

The fear of ragging 

This is one of the biggest worries of the students going to college. The nature and the extent of ragging in hostels depend on the degree of strictness of the hostel rules. A lot of universities have made ragging a punishable offense in the light of some tragic events that happened in the last few years. So, chances are that you might not have to experience it. But if by any chance you do, you must be prepared for it. Senior students usually call it an introduction process and ask the first-year students to dance or do mimicry and other such acts. Most of the time they are simple acts, but sometimes the tasks can get nasty or discomforting so, be prepared to brace yourself for the same. However, as mentioned before ragging is a punishable offense so if you see it happening in your hostel it’s best to steer clear of the students partaking in it and inform the college authorities at the earliest possible.

The fight for food gets real

At the hostel, the rules of eating are strict and the menu is monotonous. It was only back at home where you’d get piping hot food served on the table while you were fondly watching your favorite sitcom. Here you’ll have to rush to the mess at mealtimes and beat your fellow hostellers to it. Because if you reach a little too late, the paneer in matar paneer will vanish in no time and gravy is all that you will have with chapati. Also, be prepared to have the same weekly menu served to you month after month as hostels usually have a fixed weekly menu.

The nights will no longer be for sleeping

Well, you will not turn into an insomniac; it’s just that your sleeping schedule will change. Night time is for gossip as everyone is finally in their rooms after classes and extracurricular activities. The trick is that this session is hard to end as the loop is tough to break. Once you get into gossip mode, the entire night passes in a blur. So, when do you make up for the lost sleep? Well, as expected in the classes and lectures the next morning. Eventually gossiping becomes a ritual. It also has some perks, as it gives you a golden chance to witness the mesmerizing sunrise views from the hostel roof with your friends or an early dawn stroll to your favorite chai spot.

Going to college in pyjamas

Since you live inside the campus, dressing up might become a pain for you on some occasions. You will go to classes in your pajamas and flip-flops which will distinguish you from day scholars who have to dress up because they travel to college from home. If you decide to dress up for a change, brace yourself for endless questions about whether you are going on a date (Because why would you dress up otherwise?)

You won’t need reasons to party

There will be multiple jam sessions for no reason whatsoever. There will be a random announcement asking you to reach the common hall for dancing. Why? Because you can! With no one to impress around, these dance parties will be super fun and might be followed by a round of (sneaked in) hard drinks. Waking up for classes the next morning will be a tough task but you will have to. Bunking classes mean low attendance which means a notice to your parents. And that is something you do not want to be done at all.

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Scarcity of money

Since most of your expenses include things and activities you can’t tell your parents, managing money will be a tough task while living in the hostel. You will learn how to come up with creative excuses to get more money from home. Tweaking the amount of fee and sudden medical expenditure are some widely used excuses to burn a hole in the pocket of your parents. Some of you might also be lured to take up a paid internship or a part-time job to earn extra money. All in all, it will be a good learning experience.

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Everything will be done in groups

With 200 people around you all the time, it is tough to resist the desire to study, gossip, or just do about anything in a group. This will make every activity a fun activity. For example, studying late at night before a tough exam or a test can be difficult but with so many people doing the same, you will stay motivated to burn the midnight oil.

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To conclude,

These are just a few moments that will fill your dull life with sheer excitement as a hosteller. Remember that every college has a different crowd; depending upon the course and circumstances, expect unique moments in your life. All in all, living in a hostel can be a life-changing experience and you will cherish it for years to come. For more such articles on college life, please visit our website,

Written By:- SHASHANK MISHRA