My SD is going to DC for a think tank internship. She needs affordable accommodation near think tank row. Any tips or ideas?
Have her contact her think tank. Sometimes they have leads for interns and housing.
She might also look for summer sublets if there is a college near where she will be.
Many of the colleges offer summer/internship housing for students coming to DC - they do not have to be students at the college. I would have her contact American, GWU and Georgetown.
At least several years ago, George Washington seemed to offer the best balance of flexibility, affordability and location. My kid lived in a 4 person dorm room and became great friends with his random roommates, they were all there doing politics/policy internships. I think to get GW housing, you have to certify you are there for an internship.
You can go onto GW, American and Georgetown websites and search for summer housing and after clicking through, should be able to find it. It was not cheap, but compared to the for-profit intern housing sites, more affordable.
We found GW summer housing MUCH cheaper than the other options, all things considered. No security deposit, the dorms are air conditioned, there’s someone at the desk to receive packages (my kid needed a laptop replaced, and having it delivered to a Congressional office would have been a huge hassle given the security in the mailroom), and guests need to be signed in so you don’t have random people wandering down the halls all night like you would in someone’s sublet. Plus use of some of the GW facilities (library and athletic) made it a great value compared to what you’d pay for a temporary gym membership, etc. And the billing was very straightforward, no credit check needed, no parent guarantor.
Another kid did a short term rental in DC one summer which started out cheaper (on a per month basis) but ended up much more expensive with all the incidentals added in. And this was a scuzzy studio apartment, no A/C, no doorman, in a marginal neighborhood.
I liked the situation in a GW dorm with GW security/campus police outside the building much more!
My daughter stayed at GWU as well and we were very pleased.
Thank you for your replies. Any lead about finding apartments as she prefers that.
My daughter stayed in a GW dorm while doing a DC internship. At the time, it was only possible to pick up mail/packages during business hours on weekdays. But she was working during business hours. Every weekday. So she could never pick anything up. If your child would consider a GW dorm and receiving mail/packages is important to her, she might want to check in advance to see what the current policies are.
What do you have to do to get in Washington Intern Housing on Capitol Hill?
Apartments in DC are very pricey. Even shared apartments are very pricey. Does she want to spend her entire internship earnings on lodging?
Really…consider GWU or something like that.
As I mentioned earlier, she might be able to find a sublet from a current college student…but it will be a shared situation…not her own place.
What is her objection to the dorms (@blossom are any suite style)?
My daughter was in an apartment even though it was considered GWU housing. IIRC there were 2 bedrooms/2baths and a kitchen.
@Thumper1 She wants to be at a walking distance from her work and also to have real DC living experience not campus living.
GWU doesn’t have a traditional campus. You wouldn’t know you were on the campus, except for the signs on buildings. The school is located on city streets. I don’t know which dorm they’re using for summer housing, but GW tends to have very nice dorms, some with apartment-style living and amenities.
Agree that GWU intern housing is not “college dorm” life – these are multistory buildings on city streets, apartments are an option, and all the buildings are very much an urban experience.
https://summerhousing.gwu.edu/individuals-options
If the rents at the for-profit intern housing companies are affordable to a particular student, then I’m sure that would be enjoyable as those buildings looked very posh.
Define “affordable.” $1000/mo will be cheap, and that would be a shared space!
Also, beware of scams. My friend’s son “found” an apartment through some website, paid a deposit and when he showed up at the building, there was no apartment for sublet. It was terrible. Fortunately he rented a corporate apartment (which was probably pretty pricey), but he did find a place to live very quickly. Good luck!
My D1 got housing one time via something called “Washington Intern Summer Housing”
The other times she found sublets of shared apartments, maybe on Craigslist don’t know.
FWIW, this has come up before on CC so if you do a search on “Washington Housing” you will find a number of past on-point threads.
If she wants an apartment on her own, it will be expensive. My DDs is $1900 a month and is across the bridge in VA.
My S have a lovely one bedroom in Arlington VA for over $2k/month. It’s considered a good deal but far from the venue your Child wants.