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I'm a 20something student who just graduated from undergrad and I'm planning on moving out to DC for Law School come August. I won't have a job, but student loans will be my income. I've done the whole roommate business over the last 5 years and to be frank, I can't stand it anymore.
I'm looking for a one-bedroom or studio apartment with parking (I have a car) and (preferably) in-unit washer/dryer. Those are the only two amenities that I care about.
Coming from Minnesota, you can guess that my idea of rent is very different than DC. I am planning to pay around $1,400 in rent, with utilities included.
I spent a week earlier in January in DC while touring Law Schools, so I have an (incredibly vague) idea of where the neighborhoods are. I was told that the Northwest part of the red-line is a good place to be?
I've been "online shopping" for apartments for a while and I'm just looking for some solid advice from actual people; not a search engine.
Lastly, I want a safe neighborhood, close to the Metro, and (if possible) near some sort of 20something party scene. However, I can do without the latter.
Your budget is pretty low for a 1 bedroom and you might even struggle to find a studio at that price with the amenities you are looking for. My suggestion is unless you have some very specific for why you need it, sell your car. You will save so much money that way and be able to stretch your budget without really limiting yourself at all.
A car is just totally unnecessary for daily life in basically all of the hip, vibrant neighborhoods where people go to party. These areas are extremely walkable and have good public transportation. Here I am referring to areas like Adams Morgan, Dupont Circle, U Street, Logan Circle and Columbia Heights. In fact having a car is a burden in these areas because street parking can be scarce and no buildings will offer dedicated parking unless you are willing to pay up to hundreds of dollars a month extra.
Even in quieter areas that are a short trip away from these areas--neighborhoods like Cleveland Park, Tenleytown, Capitol Hill--you can easily get by without a car, and many people do. It's a totally different lifestyle than Minnesota. You just walk to the grocery store instead of driving, and you can ride the metro for trips outside your neighborhood. For times when you do need a car, car sharing services like Zipcar and Car2Go are very popular and much cheaper than insurance and maintenance costs associated with owning a car.
If you need to be near the metro you will already pay a big premium in rent for that privilege, so getting rid of your car would compensate for that.
Thank you for your reply! I really do appreciate the advice! However, I just bought my car in June and I'm not willing to sell it. I plan to drive back and forth to Minnesota with it for long holidays and during my summer associate positions in adjacent states.
Check out Silver Spring, MD. Many CUA grad students and law students live in the downtown Silver Spring area. Tons of apartments offer one-bedrooms and studios. Apartment complexes have parking available for residents and some don't even charge a parking fee. CUA is about 3 Metro stops from Silver Spring and it takes about 15-20 minutes between locations.
If I were you, I would rethink going to Law school unless CUA gave you a full scholarship. There are a ton of unemployed lawyers in DC and you are going to graduate with over 200K in debt. Furthermore, there are 8 law schools within a 30 mile radius and every single one of them with the exception of UDC is ranked higher than CUA. Seriously rethink it.
If I were you, I would rethink going to Law school unless CUA gave you a full scholarship. There are a ton of unemployed lawyers in DC and you are going to graduate with over 200K in debt. Furthermore, there are 8 law schools within a 30 mile radius and every single one of them with the exception of UDC is ranked higher than CUA. Seriously rethink it.
Seconding this. The job market for new lawyers is abysmal, even from the top tier schools, and not only will you likely be going into six figures worth of debt with tuition alone at Catholic, potentially adding an extra 50,000+ to your student loan debts over the next three years for just rent would be brutal.
Best of luck to you if you do decide to go through with it though.
I work for a law firm right now and I'm well aware of the job market. It's saturated. But I've had a few years to understand this fact. I'm going to law school in DC, then moving back to Minnesota to take the bar. But that's not why I posted here. I want to live in DC this fall.
Thank you, coldbliss, I will check out Silver Spring. I also found some apartments off of Takoma (I would need to take a bus to the Metro) but they're decently priced and they have parking for tenants.
Sad when people are telling someone they don't know to rethink their career path. All the person wanted was information about apartments, which is what brought me to this thread. I say chase your dreams, a lot of job markets suck right now.
Sad when people are telling someone they don't know to rethink their career path. All the person wanted was information about apartments, which is what brought me to this thread. I say chase your dreams, a lot of job markets suck right now.
A lot of job markets do suck, but most of them don't require you to take on a debt that rivals most mortgages in America, with few prospects. I see way too many idealistic, starry-eyed kids going into law school STILL under the misguided belief that a cushy and well-paid BigLaw or Government job is waiting for them; all they have to do is get through law school and pass the bar.
It sounds like the OP has things figured out and has a plan, but a lot of people are not as careful.
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