Housing for MSFS / SAIS students

[charlotte_asia]

It seems from your calculation, 1300 for room and board per month is unavoidable, if one wants to live in a relatively safe and nice neighbourhood, one that's comparable to Dupont Circle. Budget wise, the two options are similar, so the big decision becomes: communal bath vs. private bath, dorm vs. house, prepared meals vs. cooking by myself, walking to campus vs. taking trains. Each option has two wins and two lose--now I am back to square one, what a wonderful world...

I think in the DIstrict it's hard to get a relatively safe and nice neighborhood . There are very few places I would walk alone late at night- and most of those are non-residential places. The truth is DC is high-crime, unfortunately, and most of the neighborhoods, even the more upscale ones, are urban, not well-light, and not populated/crowded at night. You just have to pick a less-high-crime area .

I would not be so glum if I were you- there are a lot of terrific neighborhoods that are wonderful for biking during the day, with great farmers markets, nearby parks, nice neighbors, and nearby Metro and/or bus stops. Taking the Metro or bus to school is not bad- almost everyone does it. If you are really into biking or walking, you can easily bike or walk from many places into the city to SAIS. I used to bike 3 miles into work, or walk 2 miles into work when I stayed with my fiance, who lived closer to my office. DC is a really small, very walkable city, and leisurely 30 or even 40 minute walks can be very enjoyable before and after a long day sitting at a desk/computer.

I just saw OregonGal posted some great suggestions- definitely would agree with Columbia Heights, Woodley Park, U St and would add Capitol Hill and Potomac Ave as good suggestions. (Cap Hill is great esp if you are at SAIS- it's on the Red Line!)

I would also add that you are still quite a ways out from when you would move in. Apartment turnover in DC is very high and a lot of people use Craigslist. I got both of my places in DC from Craigslist and they turned out great. Other friends lived in apartment complexes out in Pentagon City (which I'll add, is another area to look at if you don't mind living in a big complex without any character, but more safe and access to lots of retail). Many of these only come onto the market 1-2 months before they are available.

My fiance and I are moving to DC in August and we won't start looking seriously until end of May. Most of what is available right now are summer housing/sublets. I would not be surprised if we won't find a place and commit until late June or early July.

Hope that helps!

[tingschu]

Thank you so much again Oregongal and Charlotte_asia! People on this forum are so helpful and upbeat.

Searching for housing now indeed seems early, but it remains my biggest joy everyday at work, now that I have told my boss to start looking for my replacement, and that I pretty much dont have much to do (except for checking gradcafe every other hour)! The rational side of me though, tells me to work hard and try to get a good half-year bonus before I hop on a plane to DC. In that case I dont have to worry about housing budget like this. Oh well, who says human beings are rational creatures. Pre-school summer vacation officially starts for me!

[italiabound]

For incoming SAIS students that are going to Bologna: is anyone else planning on doing preterm in DC and preterm in Bologna? I'm trying to figure out what we should do for the month of housing in DC prior to Italy. Advice from current/former Bologna students would be appreciated!

[cckrspnl56]

For incoming SAIS students that are going to Bologna: is anyone else planning on doing preterm in DC and preterm in Bologna? I'm trying to figure out what we should do for the month of housing in DC prior to Italy. Advice from current/former Bologna students would be appreciated!

It shouldn't be too hard to find a 1 month sublease. I did pre-term in Bologn and DC and found a super cheap $820 sublease at 12th and M nw after about 3 or 4 days of looking.

[dft309]

Thank you charlotte_asia and dcenergygirl for your helpful local knowledge.

I was wondering have you heard of "International House of Washington DC" near Dupont Circle? It seems they have an option of 1300-1400 per month per room including 13 meals per week. Does this sound like a good deal compared with a similar and nice neighborhood like 13th street and Woodley?

I lived at the ISH during the summer of 2010 and it's a fantastic option, especially if you're living in DC for the first time. For what you're paying, you're getting quite a bit, you're very centrally located, and you get to meet a lot of interesting people-essentially lots of foreign students and interns. The only thing is that there's an application, so you should apply nowish in order to get a room. Also, you may get stuck with a double dorm-style arrangement, depending upon whether a single room is available.

[dcenergygirl]

For incoming SAIS students that are going to Bologna: is anyone else planning on doing preterm in DC and preterm in Bologna? I'm trying to figure out what we should do for the month of housing in DC prior to Italy. Advice from current/former Bologna students would be appreciated!

you can contact the office of student life now and ask them about sublets, also once you get your log in information you can look for temporary housing here: https://housing.sais-jhu.edu/