Living in a student hostel for the first time with people of similar ages and interests can be both exciting and frightening. This is especially true if you have never been away from home for an extended period of time at once. However, living in a premium student facility inside the larger university campus should be a better experience.

Given this, between a hostel and a student housing facility, the latter is a better choice as it comes with more amenities. It has student-centric management that accords top priority to your education, comfort, and safety.
And keeping this in mind, here are five things that you should know before you decide to move into a hostel or student housing.

1. Check out online reviews
If you are considering living in student housing, check their reviews first. The quality of service, hygiene, and location are the factors that should be taken into consideration. On campus accommodation that lies on the university campus should be a safe option.

If you want to know more about the amenities, facilities, and surrounding areas, you can check out the hostel’s social media accounts, which will give you an idea of what kind of nurturing you might receive.

2. 24-hour reception
This service comes in handy if you’re coming late or planning to go out at night and don’t want to carry the keys or access card of the hostel room with you.

It is reassuring to know that there will always be someone available to assist you whenever you need it, regardless of what time it is. Besides, having friendly staff is always a plus. A premium hostel accommodation would ideally have a 24-hour reception.

3. Pack necessary things
It is important to note even the best hostel in India would not provide the same level of service as hotels. So, you must bring your toiletries, towels, a hairdryer, and even an iron in most cases.
A good tip would be to bring flip-flops with you because you won’t want to be standing on a wet bathroom floor after 2 people have used it. The hostel packing list can be much longer and you shouldn’t spend some time adding or removing items from it.

4. Expect Some Noise
If you are going to live in shared hostel accommodation, you should expect some noise. After all, it’s community living. It will not be hushed at night. So if you need complete silence when sleeping, think about taking some earplugs with you.

Pro Tip: Pack your bags or set your stuff out during regular waking hours to avoid groping around or making noise in the dark and irritating your roomies.

5. Examine the Security
It’s a big plus since you have to leave your things in the hostel room when you go out. The hostel buildings that are equipped with 24/7 security via CCTV cameras, biometric entry and 24/7 floor staff is a safe choice to make.

Bottom line
This list is by no means an exhaustive one but it should be enough to help you review the services of a student hostel accommodation. But you can only know for sure once you truly experience it.

Don’t be afraid to pick on-campus housing in the vicinity of the university, something S’ Residences promise at Dayananda Sagar University, Bengaluru. This can be a lot of fun, and you will meet new people.