One skill of underestimated importance for a person to develop while growing up is their ability to take care of themselves. The ability to be independent. Your parents aren’t always going to be there to take care of you. In fact, as the circle of life goes, you’re going to have to take care of them. Not just them either. Chances are you’re going to have your own family to take care of – A significant other, kids, and maybe even pets. How are you going to take care of all of them if you can’t even take care of your own self? A hostel you live in, no doubt, has facilities and faculty that get your work cut out, but as time has shown, a lot of skills that facilitate independence are gained in a hostel setup. In this department of holistic growth, can a hostel be better than living at home? Continue reading as we explore the link between hostel life and independent living.
Adaptability: Charles Darwin once said – “It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” This sort of adaptability to chance is born in any student exposed to hostel living. All that they have been used to, the comfort in their routines, their isolation, family involvement, freedom of rebellion, all of it is put on pause while they’re in the hostel. They’re forced to be the grown-ups that they are throughout this tenure and independent living skills are inevitably born. Being away from their comfort zones at home also helps develop emotional resilience in them.
Money management: One is also forced to develop money management skills as they deal with their limited resources. Handling finances is a crucial part of being self-sufficient. This is something that’s learned in hostel life and independent living calls for this kind of maturity.
Resourcefulness: Taking care of one’s self also depends on their problem-solving skills, and this is another area that hostel life nurtures. One is forced to use their mental faculties and think for themselves to navigate through all challenges, academic or otherwise, that come up in day-to-day living in the hostel.
People skills: Besides this, social skills are enhanced greatly too due to exposure to peers from all backgrounds, and as no man is an island, standing on one’s feet involves developed communication skills with the rest of society.
Managing time: Finally, perhaps one of the most crucial skill gained by a resident in a hostel is time management. As one tackles academic and person responsibilities, the importance of time-management is undeniably understood. Time is money, and if you can manage time, you’re already on the path of independence.
At S’ Residences, every year we see students evolve from rough clay into strong masterpieces, capable of taking on the pressures of the world. Although we do provide them with all the comforts, they’re stripped out of their comfort zones of dependence. They become ready to face the world, to take care of themselves, and as a result, to take care of others. They all learn how to adapt to change, and according to Darwin, that’s the secret of survival.