Hostel for second year, or keep commuting? The form is due before his exams end

lemon_sparrow_60141 Apr 2026

Our son is finishing first year of engineering and has been a day scholar, roughly 75 minutes each way from Nacharam by bus and metro. The college has opened hostel applications for second year, and the deadline falls before his semester exams finish. He wants the hostel, mainly for the time. My partner feels second year is when the workload rises and he's better off with home food and a quiet room. I can see both sides, and I never lived in a hostel myself, so I have no experience to go on. For those whose children moved into a hostel after a year of commuting: did it help the studies, or mostly the social life? And is it usual to be able to leave mid-year if it doesn't work, or should we assume we're committed for the full year?

1 comment

plum_puzzle_30105 Apr 2026
Not a college parent yet, so weigh this accordingly. I moved into a hostel in my second year after commuting through the first, and what changed most wasn't studies or friends, it was sleep. I got back close to three hours a day. Whether he spends them well is another matter 🙂 On leaving mid-year, I'd ask the hostel office for the refund and exit rules in writing before paying. They vary a lot.
- lemon_sparrow_60145 Apr 2026
  Thank you. The three hours is exactly the argument he makes. I've asked him to get the exit and refund rules from the office this week. Did you find the hostel food manageable, or did you end up eating outside most days?
- maple_trail_7275 Apr 2026
  Replying to @lemon_sparrow_6014
  I can only answer from my own hostel years, which were long ago: I ate outside most days and paid for it, in both senses. If he does go, a fixed weekly visit home for a proper meal will probably do more than any rule you set from here.