11 things freshers face in a hostel

1. Missing your home-cooked food

Credits: Creative Commons

When the students go to mess or dining hall, they think in advance that today the breakfast, lunch or dinner will have a different menu, something delicious or a fried kebab, but alas! it is not what they get. When they are being served with dinner they usually get the same rice, dal, pickles, and mixed vegetable which often lacks taste. Freshers residing in a hostel in such cases may reminisce their mother’s delicious cooking. Hostel food is always like that.

2. Missing your laundry garments

Credits: Creative commons

This is actually common in every hostel, whenever any individual washes his/her clothes and hangs them on ropes for drying, the next day one or two garments are missing. This is because hostelers have a common place to dry clothes, unknowingly some individual might take someone else's uniform, socks, handkerchief, sometimes boxers too! It may sound strange but it does happen a lot. The best advice is to use some marking on the inside of the clothing.

3. Making your best friends

Credits: Creative commons

It is quite challenging to live in the hostel as a lone wolf. While staying in a hostel far away from my hometown sometimes we meet others from the same language, state or district. Needless to say, but a friendship bond creates among them and they live together under the same roof. Taking selfie (self-portraits), sharing snacks, books, shoes, shirts and celebrating festivities with homemade sweets. Life in a hostel becomes smooth when we have buddies like this.

3. Ragging and hierarchy

Credits: Think stock photos

Almost every reputed Institution has an anti-ragging cell or committee, but even today there are some cases of ragging or new methods of bullying freshers. Ragging is a serious offence and it leads to brawl, sometimes serious injury too. In a hostel, there are many cases of favoritism, mostly by the warden who chooses one as nominal hostel leader. Often misuse of power leads to conflict and sometimes forming a gang against the rest of the hostel dwellers. Such an environment often leads to the door of trouble, fear and suspicion among others.

4. Rules and regulations

Credits: Istock

Discipline is very important in every aspect of life; without that it's not going to be smooth sailing. When it comes to hostel, the same things apply as well, stick with the timings, clean your dormitory, inform the warden, report to the in-charge etc. But at times when you break any rules, it often leads to serious consequences. It will be a wise thing to adhere to rules. But if you don’t want to stay in a rule-abiding hostel, you have the right not to continue in hostel. However, staying in paying guest, has a different level of hinderances, keep that in mind!

5. Homesickness

Credits: Study Breaks

Moving away from your comfort zone is a good thing - to start a new chapter, but the journey may not be a bed of roses. Often in this period of struggle we may break down or face depression with work outcome, it is part of life. Homesickness is also another issue every hosteler faces. Mostly remembering the home, the open garden, those long conversations, delicious sweets, far away from tension. There is no medicine for this, but an individual should realize why staying in a hostel involves some degree of sacrifice

6. Responsibilities and Authoritative

Credits: Ian Viggars

The good thing about hostel living is that grooming yourself - from staying under parents’ shadows to being an independent and self-reliant person. It takes time to learn many things in such conditions, you would interact with many people, make friends, learn new things and latest trends in gizmos or new lifestyle. Overall, there is a sense of accomplishment that you as a person have made it so far and can survive any condition in a city or working abroad as well. In this sense, it is a personality development.

7. Gossips and rumours

Credits: Creative commons

When you stay in a hostel there is a popular belief “what goes around comes around” - any action or any award you do has an impact on others; some may appreciate but few people take it the other way round. There are several reasons - it can be jealousy, competition or ego, or anything. Rumours are either way spread by haters or someone in your friend circle. Be careful of these people, they are present in every hostel, so be wise in calling someone your best friend forever he/she may be your foe next door.

8. Carry only necessary items

Credits: Istock

While moving in hostel there is no need to carry all the items to the hostel, like expensive jewelry or watches, personal diaries, suits, sunglasses or any other item which is at risk of getting stolen. Remember that document that you signed in the hostel application? It says something like this “Hostel authorities will not be responsible for the loss of any item”. Even though CCTV camera was installed but the warden probably orders us to cross-check everyone bags. You don’t know who will be the culprit. But if you want to keep those expensive at your risk, I would suggest carrying a solid steel box with latches on it to keep your money, documents, gold or anything which seems to be stolen.

9. Be on your best behavior

Credits: Creative commons

This is important while staying in sharing rooms or in single sharing room always remember that be on your best behavior. It is not easy in the hostel but it is possible when you can keep in a calm state by thinking about what to do next action and what is your next motive. Always maintain a healthy relation with warden. Don’t get too personal with the warden or don’t reveal your family matters in the hostel, unless you feel if it’s necessary. Just focus on objectives, have good sleep, be involved in any sports in campus and in case if you don’t like the food, you can buy food from outside during lunch break. Think and plan accordingly and rest is assured that it will lead to a disciplinary life.

10. Health care

Credits: Creative commons

This is vital and should not be ignored at all. Staying for long period in Hostel does have a huge impact on individuals’ body. Diseases like common cold, diarrhoea, jaundice, flu, malaria, measles etc. Taking care of your health is important, as there is an old quote - “Health is more important than wealth”. Regular exercise is actually good for mind and body, meditation is also good for focus, outdoor sports with hostel friends is a good idea, playing with them creates a strong bond perhaps comradeship as well. If possible, hitting a gym workout is not a bad idea, studies show that spending an hour in activities is beneficial for an individual personality developed.