Serge, you are going to meet and talk to these people before you commit to anything, and in my experience, you can tell if something fishy is going on 95% of the time just by meeting and talking to folks. The majority of young people looking for roommates in DC are honest folks just trying to save on some rent. You may have differences about whether you smoke and drink and what the quality standard is for someone you bring home for the night, but there really aren’t many people out there who are going to cut you up and throw you in a dumpster - or steal all your stuff - and you can usually tell that “something is up” beforehand. (didn’t you have roommates in college?) The biggest danger is that someone will not be regular with their rent contributions. That can cause a lot of stress as blame goes around. As for studying… just mention that you are planning to study for this intense exam in June and that having some relatively quiet time for yourself is important. For most folks, this will make you an attractive prospective roommate, because they are usually just as concerned about who they are sharing their space with as you are, and studious people are usually reliable and usually not troublemakers.
Hey guys, much love for all your advice. I’m feeling a little comftorable about accepting this, inch by inch :-). To bchadwick, Yes I’ve had many roommates int he past, but they were all in the context of university. I have never had a roommate who wasn’t a student, and something about that notion seems odd to me. As a quick aside: I’ve looked at Google Earth’s map of D.C, there seems to be a bunch of row homes near the Capitol Building. Are there lots of homes up for rent? My job would be near the White House and IRS Buildings. I’ve seen an apartment advertised (studio quality) naer the Capitol for 800 - 900 bucks. But, is this a little too cheap? Thanks again!
bchadwick Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > but there really aren’t many > people out there who are going to cut you up and > throw you in a dumpster - or steal all your stuff > - and you can usually tell that “something is up” > beforehand. > > (didn’t you have roommates in college?) > I did. Until I cut them up and threw them in the dumpster.
Serge - Where did you find your internship? Going for finance, not at the internship level yet. Also, for those of you that posted - I’m looking for a good “mentor” in the DC/ Norhtern VA area. As far as leading me in the right direction for the real world in finance!!
Hey everyone, i’ve checked out units mostly in the NW area (where all the big goverment agencies are located). I know everyone says that the NW is the best place, but is there any particular part of the NW I should stay away from? I’m looking for apartments for 1k a month or less. I don’t want to room with anyone if I don’t have too. I’m seeing a couple of “studios” for aroud that. Anyone got experiences with Studios in NW D.C. ? Thanks.
you won’t find any studio for under 1k in a decent part of town.
Having roommates is a good thing in DC… the town is ALL about networking, connections, and who you know. Roommates will expand your network faster… and be cheaper. Just check the dumpsters for Joey’s ex roommates. 
Fair enough :-). But given that is the case, most of the Craig’s List roommate things I’ve seen are female only, some religious affiliation house, or some other requirement. I’m just looking for studious/quiet/clean. What universities are in D.C.? Should I look through the papers of some local D.C universities and see if any of their students are looking for off-campus roommates? Are there alot of students in in the NW part of the city?
Georgetown university is in NW, as is George Washington University and American University and Howard University, so lots of students. (incidentally, Georgetown is older than DC, and many people think it was named for George Washington, but actually it was named for King George III) Did you check Washington’s CityPaper? That’s the Village Voice equivalent in DC.
Hey bchadwick, Thanks I didn’t know about this paper, I’ll see if their website has anything. Also: This may be a stupid question, but mind you I have no experience in the “real world.” This would be my first internship/experience. IS there a goverment dress code I can look for? What clothes should I buy? Is there a place I can buy acceptable clothing at an inexpensive rate? I am still a poor graduate student…
White shirt, blue blazer, grey or khaki slacks, brown or black shoes, red tie (unless you’re Dubya, who wears a blue tie)… OK, that will get you started. Fortunately, government and association clothes aren’t as expensive as wall street clothes. Men’s wearhouse will probably be sufficient (I shopped at Filene’s Basement when I lived there).
wow, that seems really informal, khaki slacks are acceptable? Awesome, i got lots of those. Thanks for your suggestions. BTW, how long does it take for these organizations to make their decision?
Every organization has its own culture. When I worked there, I was doing international development consulting and also some environmental stuff. So my sample is skewed there. Different parts of the government have their own dress codes, but relatively few intern-level folks wear a suit every day. Congressmen/women do, as do any press-facing administration members, and sometimes, the press themselves. Even when people wear suits, they are rarely the crisp steam-pressed suits you see on the Goldman Sachs crowd.
BTW, do these goverment organizations have cafeteria’s in them? I have no clue how to cook… i may have to learn pretty quickly. And if these cafeteria’s exist, are the price/fee’s usually reasonable?
Oh are the following areas decent for D.C.? Park View Columbia Heights Woodley Park Ledroit Park I’m primarily concerned with crime and noise.
Woodley park is nice, Columbia Heights is decent. I don’t know so much about the others.