Movies have glamorized hostel life no end. Of course, no one tells you about how you have to do your own laundry, make your own bed, clean your own rooms, wait in queue in the mornings, and most of all, bear the infamous mess food. About how you have to learn to live with other people from different cultures, thinking and traditions, about how you are responsible for everything you do and you don't do, and the fact that you're basically on your own for the next four-odd years.

Initial pangs of homesickness do make frequent appearances in the first week or so, but as you start realizing that it is much more fun to get to know new people and participate in the hundred-odd activities that happen on campus than sitting and crying about missing home, things get much better.

Hostel life is fun. Not that I'm an expert, I haven't been here long enough anyway. It teaches you to do things on your own, to deal with all kinds of people, bond with people you never thought you'd bond with, manage your time, take your own decisions and generally live it up.

To all the juniors out there reading this, hostel life is not as terrifying as it sounds. Sure, you have the random bouts of how-will-I-manage-my-money (which is funny because as a hosteller you will always be short of money) and how-will-I-live-without-mom and so on, but you will also get to learn new things and see the world differently. And if nothing else, there are always the late-night talks and 3-am-Maggi-and-chai sessions to look forward to. :)