What was your biggest surprise when you moved into student housing for the first time?

My biggest surprise was how loud it actually gets at night. I thought hostels would be quiet after 10 PM, but students study at different hours — some are up until 2 AM watching cricket, others are on calls with family back home. I didn't bring earplugs or noise-canceling headphones, and I regretted it for the first two weeks. Also, I was surprised that sharing a room with a stranger turned into one of my best friendships. We ended up being study partners for two years. So the surprise was both bad (noise) and good (friendship). My advice: bring earplugs anyway, and keep an open mind about your roommate.