I’m a 4th year college student and am hours away by plane to home. So I live with 3 other roommates near campus (I used to live alone, this marks my first semester having roommates, I had a single room in first year residence). My boyfriend from high school lives a 5-6 hour bus ride away from me and this is our 3rd year doing long distance.
This semester I have a lighter course load and also have my lectures recorded. I’m usually just back for labs and am mostly at my boyfriend’s. (Approximately half the time or even a little more). I love spending time with my boyfriend, like his city more and overall it just feels great to be able to be so close after all this long distance. As I work better listening to recordings anyways it works out for me, but I am unsure what my roommates think of this. They seem fine when I tell them I’m going, but this is my first time having roommates and I guess I’m slightly stressed out. My roommates and I are actually very close and are all friends.
Anyone had roommates who were hardly home? How did you feel about them?
It’s awesome when roommates are never there. Having the whole place to yourself? Fantastic.
I’ve been the roommate who was never home, and the only time there was ever an issue was when I came home way later than I normally did and my roommate got worried and texted me. I’ve also had roommates who were rarely ever home (at least when I was), and it was great. If we ever wanted to do something together, we would just make plans to do so.
I spent a month last summer living with a roommate who basically only came home to sleep, and I really liked it because I need lots of personal space and the situation gave me that. If you are really stressed because of this, why not ask your roommates if they mind, just to be sure it’s not causing any issues? I’d imagine that would help
I am a first year in a quad, but one of my roommates is a “phantom roommate”. She comes in to sleep and switch stuff in and out of her bags but is otherwise never around. The other three of us don’t mind at all, although sometimes I do worry about where she is or has been if she comes in 2 AM as she often does on weekends. Other than being worried about her whereabouts sometimes, though, I am fine with her not being around.
The only time a phantom roommate (suitemate) was a bad thing was when she had little birds in a cage and she left the cage in the suite and was gone all the time.
Someone paying their portion of the rent but never being around? Um, yes please! If it’s truly that infrequent that you’re there, it may be a good idea to let your roommates know a little in advance before you drop in though.
It can be annoying when you need to talk to them in person about something and they’re never around when you are. In cases like that though, we talk through text and IM to set up a time if we need to talk in person.
Beyond something like that, I love it when neither of my roommates are home and I get the apartment to myself.
