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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 with 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 gymnasium where the hostellers can take morning exercise and building their bodies. There are 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 take 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 the 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 begin 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 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 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 the life at home cannot be compared to the life in a hostel; both are really opposite face of the coin. Hostel life is full of fun, amusement and youthfulness and an individual are constantly in a touch of 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 hostel 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.
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. There are students who 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 which is different from their life at home. This life in the hostel is known as hostel life. If you really 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 a number of other students of same age and thinking. In a hostel, a student tends to acquire many good qualities from roommates and other hostellers and at the same time they are also vulnerable to the bad influence of the others. When a student sees his next door neighbour daily taking morning exercise, he also gets inspiration. He too tries to be healthy. One good student may become an example for other 25 hostlers. When one is ill, all his hostel fellows try their best to serve him. Mutual 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-round 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.
In a hostel, life is full of opportunities of amusement and studies along. 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 favourite film actors and actresses, long criticism of the latest picture seen by them, and story-telling, 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:
Hostel life with its so many advantages has some drawbacks also. Students coming for the first time to a 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 to 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. It 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 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 which spoils his character and personality. The students staying at hostels are denied the love and affection of their near and dear ones. The absence of loving care which only their parents and other ones can give tend to a nagging sense of loneliness. Other disadvantages may include:
