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I will be attending Georgetown Law this fall and I am relocating from the west coast. What are the advantages/disadvantages to living near the university as apposed to say the Arlington area; can you live without a car near Georgetown? What is the commute time from the Arlington area public trans and auto? What are other areas of the DC where students generally live?
Well, first things first. The law school is not on the Georgetown campus. It's not in Georgetown, it's actually near Union Station in a somewhat unnamed area filled with some buildings. To name it I'd say 'Between Union Station and Chinatown'.
Anyway, a lot of people live on the law campus at the law dorms or nearby in the condos / apartments in Chinatown. Some live on the Hill. Benefits--you can walk to class, you are near lots of other students like you. Downside--you are near lots of other law students who will stress you out your first year beyond belief.
A lot depends on your likes and lifestyle. If you've been out of school for awhile and are used to your own life, living space, etc, then you might want to get a place slightly farther away and live a more normal life. If you are just coming out of school and want to stay in the 'school' environment then being on campus might be helpful to meet friends, socialize, etc.
I don't go to Georgetown Law, but I work across the street. My younger coworkers (22-25) tend to live in Capitol Hill, Columbia Heights, and Pentagon City/Crystal City. The closest metro line is the red at Union Station, but from Pentagon City (or anywhere along the blue/yellow line) you can take the yellow up to Chinatown/Gallery Place, and it's about a 10-minute walk from there. From Pentagon City it's about a 10-minute ride, Crystal City probably 11 minutes. For Columbia Heights or U Street in DC it's similar, take the green line down to Chinatown. Also, if you don't want to walk, you can transfer to the red line at Chinatown, but I've found it tends to take just as long if I just walk the 5-6 blocks.
Anyway, a lot of people live on the law campus at the law dorms or nearby in the condos / apartments in Chinatown. Some live on the Hill. Benefits--you can walk to class, you are near lots of other students like you. Downside--you are near lots of other law students who will stress you out your first year beyond belief.
A lot depends on your likes and lifestyle. If you've been out of school for awhile and are used to your own life, living space, etc, then you might want to get a place slightly farther away and live a more normal life. If you are just coming out of school and want to stay in the 'school' environment then being on campus might be helpful to meet friends, socialize, etc.
Good luck.
Well said. There are definite positives and negatives to being surrounded by other law students while you are outside the classroom. If I were you, seeing as how you are coming from the west coast and may not know anyone in DC, I would live in the dorm area or near the GULC campus, with the thought that I would move out for my second and third year if I didn't like living in that area. I think it would be easier to make friends and bond with your fellow students that way. While it would be nice to make non-law school friends, I think the reality of law school is that you will find yourself primarily hanging out with other law students. That's just how it goes.
Law school takes up a lot of your time. You don't want to have to sit there deciding whether or not to apply for law review because of your commute. And if you do get on a journal, you will be on campus ALL THE TIME. So I say live close. There's nothing wrong with that area as far as I know.
The area is nice. Love the law school. Don't even consider Georgetown itself, because as others have said, it's quite a ways away from GULC. It's pricier than the area around the law school is, too.
I applied to GULC, and if accepted, I plan to commute from Maryland. I already own a home in Columbia, but I'd still probably try and rent in that area and just ride the MARC or Metro down to the area close to GULC, then walk a few blocks. Good exercise. If you're looking to be very active and full-time, I'd of course suggest living closer.
The commute is going to be about 45 minutes from Clarendon to GULC, a little bit later at night. Driving is about 45 minutes during rush hour and about 20 minutes driving at night. Student live basically where they can afford to live, there isn't any one area. GULC isn't near any residential housing, except for luxury brand new condos near Chinatown.
The really cheap folks live in MD or NoVa, Brookland near Catholic Univ., Petsworth, Columbia Heights, Shaw-Howard Univ., or near Galludet. But I typically run into people living in nicer places like Adams Morgan (a lot), Dupont, Tenley-American U. Park, Pentagon City, Clarendon, or Eastern Market/Capitol Hill. The dorm is really social, with a lot of party and club loving foreign students.
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