Opinion | The Hostel Life – Advantages and Disadvantages (PART-1)

A hostel is a place where usually students live and which is supervised by an administration and living in those hostels is called the hostel life. Hostels are aimed at providing budget-oriented, sociable accommodation for students. In a hostel, usually a bunk bed, in a dormitory and share a bathroom, lounge and a kitchen or a mess are provided. Rooms are usually single-sex, although private rooms may also be available for the students who are studying doctorate or PhD level in universities. Hostels are generally aimed at providing an economical and healthy environment for the students that is also safe for them. In a hostel room, it is very important to take care of personal belongings, as other students may share a common living space and things that look alike, so it is advisable to secure your belongings. Most hostels offer some sort of system for safely storing valuables and an increasing number of hostels offer private lockers.

It has been observed that there is less privacy in a hostel room for students as compared to their stay at home, PG or in a private room than in a hotel. Hostels encourage more social interaction between the students due to the shared sleeping areas and communal areas such as lounges, kitchens and internet cafes. Hostels have provision for gymnasiums where the hostellers can take morning exercise and build their bodies. There is a reading room and library attached to the hostel to enable the students to study books, newspapers and computer Internet. In a nutshell, the hostel not only cares for the health of the students but also their studies.

The life in a hostel is completely different from that of the home. The greatest blessing of hostel life is an independent life. Students tend to get an independent atmosphere and learn to make decisions of their own. A student may sleep in a hostel whenever he likes to. You may get up late in the morning but none will question you. During your hostel life, no one is after you repeatedly asking you to study unlike at home, which gives you a great sense of responsibility. Apart from the general rules and regulations of the hostel, which are to be followed necessarily by everyone, one is his own master and learns to control his life. It is due to this reason that many students do not like to go home even on long vacations. Those who love freedom love hostel life.

History of Hostel Life

In 1912, in Altena Castle in Germany, Richard Schirrmann created the first permanent Youth Hostel. These first Youth Hostels were an exponent of the ideology of the German Youth Movement to let poor city youngsters breathe fresh air outdoors. These hostels were not like modern day’s hostels and youths were supposed to manage the hostel themselves as much as possible. Living students or inmates themselves were doing chores to keep the costs down and build character as well as being physically active outdoors. Because of this, many Youth Hostels closed during the middle part of the day. Very few hostels still require chores beyond washing up after self-catered meals or have a “lockout”. Hostelling spread fast. Thousands of hostels opened over the next two decades. In 1932, the first international hostel conference was held in Amsterdam. At the conference, the Youth Hostel Federation (YHF) was formed to unite hostel groups from across Europe. Two years after the YHF was established, the first US hostel opened in Northfield, Massachusetts. And from then onwards the concept of modern hostel culture for students began to pick up and resulted in modern hostels of the present. Hostels haven’t changed much in their hundred-plus year history. They remain an empowering, affordable means of accommodation.

Hostel Life vs Home Life – Comparison

Hostel life can be a very pleasant journey. In a hostel, many students almost of the same age live together who are studying almost in the same class or year. Thus students of the same nature develop great intimacy among themselves while they get their freedom and develop a sense of self-responsibility. Studying and living together develop a great sense of oneness among them and grows a spirit of co-operation and fellow-feeling among them. They help one another in case of need. Also if one needs to study on his own, there are separate study rooms or reading rooms provided where they can study peacefully and in case of any doubt can consult fellow hostellers. To earnest students, it is a better place for studies. They are free here. On the other hand at home, they are for most of the time occupied by some of the other domestic duties which interfere with their studies a lot. But therein hostel students can go on with their studies without any interruption.

It is very obvious that life at home cannot be compared to life in a hostel; both are really opposite faces of the coin. Hostel life is full of fun, amusement and youthfulness and an individual is constantly in touch with people of his age on the other hand at home one has to live as other members of the family live and elders are always there to check the activities of youngsters. At home one has to go on according to the family that includes sleeping time, eating time and time for leisure. One cannot even frame one’s own timetable of studies. One has to keep in mind the convenience of others also. One has to study while others keep on talking and gossiping. Whereas in a hostel students discuss their lessons and help one another in the matter of studies. They can remember a thing well by mutual discussion. Moreover, even non-studious students are induced to read when they see that others are reading.

At home, there is no atmosphere for serious studies. There is constant disturbance due to one reason or the other. The life in a hostel is completely different from that of the home on this issue as there is a provision for a separate study room or reading room for those who want to study in peace. The greatest blessing of hostel life is independence. You may sleep whenever you like. Sometimes social functions are also held in hostels and students take part in these. These develop in them a sense of responsibility, culture and refinement. In the hostel, students have to take care of their own things. They don’t do this at home. All these develop in them a spirit of self-reliance. (To be continued)

– The writer can be reached at vkmalout@gmail.com