I am well aware of the fact that the phrase 'hostel life' evokes mixed feelings within most people, in fact I'm very surprised at the common conjectures regarding it-which are mostly bad, probably because people tend to heed the negatives rather than the positives in most cases. But then what can be more valuable than a hostelite's opinion and that is exactly what I'm going to give you, I being a hostelite for 8 years now.
A LITTLE ABOUT THE PLACES WHERE I'VE STUDIED DURING MY HOSTEL LIFE
My hostel life has been split into 2 segments-school life(Mayo College Ajmer, Rajasthan) and college life(B.M.S.College of Engineering, Bangalore) 2 years till now and still running. One thing common between both institutes is their age,they are both quite old, Mayo being more than 130 years old and B.M.S. being the first private Engineering College in India since 1946.Mayo College, also called 'Eton of the East' was originally built for the schooling of Rajasthani princes, is a vast place to say the least (you're not going to get tired of the campus,no matter how long you stay there), having 350 acres to its name,probably the largest school campus in India.B.M.S. on the other hand is located at the heart of Bangalore, capital of Karnataka, and hence it not having a large campus was a foregone conclusion.However, both are nice institutes in their own way, at the same time so different.
ABOUT THE LIFE AND TIPS REGARDING IT
There are many aspects of this life which I would categorise as good, bad and the ugly.:
THE GOOD THINGS
1.Entertainment:One of the big pluses of hostel life is the neverending entertainment.No matter what the situation or occasion, there will always be someone to break the rules, or some interesting discussion on, or someone upto something funny or innovative. So, there's no way you are going to get bored, why even a quiet guy like me never gets fed up. There's something on offer always in each person's room. And with a roommate like mine, I hardly have to look far for entertainment.
2.Makes you adaptable and adjusting:If one is a hostelite, he /she will have to encounter all kinds of people, willingly or otherwise. And one of the great things about this life is that it teaches you how to live in harmonywith everyone, even those you don't like. It teaches us how to adjust accordingly compromise etc to be able to cope with all company, with experience.
3.Induces sense of responsibility:Well, a hostelite is a loner in terms of family members in most cases.So, it is instrumental in making one feel responsible for his/her actions. Suddenly, everything you do starts to have a meaning, since it's under the scanner. Helps to become independent in the longer run.
4.Increases your friend circle:No matter what type of person you are, if you are staying in a hostel with so many people, you are bound to make some friends with people you meet there,if not many.So, staying in a hostel and making new friends go hand in hand.
5.Will teach you to get out of''No way Out'' situations:Being a hostelite means sooner or later, you will definitely find yourself in some apparently unresolvable trouble one way or the other. But what normally seems impossible starts to seem possible with other hostelites' support and advice.
6.Respect for seniors:A hostelite will in course of time learn to respect for what they are which goes along way to help them later to respect their concerned seniors in their professional life.(what I keep hearing from graduates)
THE BAD THINGS
1.Responsibility,' a double edged sword':Hostel life may make you responsible,but on the other hand it can make you irresponsible too.One may suddenly feel he/she is not answerable to anyone,which may inculcate careless and undesirable habits in the concerned individual.
2.Induces laziness at times:Staying in a hostel often induces the ' extreme carefree' attitude,with people forgetting all their worries.Too much of anything never did anyone any good,which is why sometimes you might find 'Mt. Everest 'in my cupboard.
THE UGLY THINGS:
1.Ragging:Seniority is fine upto a limit,but when some seniors try to release their frustration via the juniors ,it could be real physical and mental 'torture' for them,in the real sense of the word.
2.Wrong Habits:Without anyone asking them to task,take to whatever and wherever their natural inclinations lie and it just so happens that some people do pick up ugly habits like drinking,doping,smoking...
Qualities that would be desirable in a hostelite:
1.One needs to be emotionally balanced and nonsensitive.Oversensitive people will tend to find trouble more often in this life.
2.One needs to have a positive attitude towards everything,otherwise the person may find certain demanding situations overwhelming,when one has to undertake more than he/she normally would.
3.Rigid people are not for hostels,as noone's rigidity counts in a place where so many different type of people stay together.
4.If one is diplomatic,it would greatly help him here,will save him/her from groupism and will also teach the person to adjust.Nothing to match that quality.
5.One must learn to strike a balance in every activity, only then can you gain the most from this life.
But,if you don't have these qualities,it doesn't matter that much either. I myself being a very sensitive person have survived and done so successfully for quite some time. All in all,it is both an enjoyable and educational experience one shouldn't even consider missing.
