International Student House of Washington DC — Local services in Washington

This place definitely deserves more credit! I lived at ISH for two semesters and it was one of the best experiences I had. If you are seeking housing at the great location, don’t have time (or don’t know how) to cook, prefer international crowd to mingle, discuss global issues and hit the bar on the weekend, this place is for you.

The location of the house is unbeatable. You can easily reach almost any part of DC metro are from Dupont Circle. World-famous institutions with great speakers and events are just around the corner (Brookings, Carnegie Endowment, German Marshall Fund, AEI, Johns Hopkins SAIS…). When it comes to restaurants, this area provides everything from upscale dining, casual seating, take-out, to 3am jumbo slice pizza (i.e. Duccini’s). The neighborhood is probably the safest in DC, LGBT friendly, with a lot of international people, young professionals, and plethora of cultural events. Public pool, tennis courts etc are not far away. You can enjoy a morning run, read a book or sip coffee on the ISH patio or in the library, or hit the bars and indulge in the nightlife at the U and 14th Street, just a few blocks away.

When it comes to facilities, ISH buildings are old, but in a solid shape. The main building is a Tudor style mansion with dining hall, TV room, library, patio, great hall, and the residence area. It looks like Hogwarts! Van Slyck and Marpat Hall are built later, very simplistic, but still a good living area. Rooms are warm in the winter and there are AC units or central HVAC in all rooms. Common areas are clean and well maintained by the support staff, but the cleanliness of your room depends on you. It is a true convenience to wake up in the morning or come in the evening and have a hot meal. While food is not the best in the world (this is not a hotel or your mom’s kitchen), it is pretty good. There are usually two dishes, vegetarian option, salad bar, soup, desert, coffee, tea,… plenty to choose from.

Now, the monthly price varies between $1,300-$1,650 per room, depending if it’s a single or shared room. This includes room, food, use of the common facilities and all events. Also, if you stay a bit longer you can work at the front-desk for a few hours every week and save some money. Good luck finding studio (without food) for this price in the neighborhood!

The best part of ISH are people. We organized a variety of events, traveled on the weekends, went out together, had movie nights, cookouts, Halloween party, attended a bunch of fancy events with Congressmen and Ambassadors visiting the house. Alcohol is not allowed in the common areas, but having a few drinks in your room with friends before going out is totally ok.

Again, this is not a hotel so don’t expect a queen-size bed, etc. It is a student dorm. For your money, you get decent housing, food, great facilities for common use, great location, safe neighborhood and opportunity to make friends worldwide and enjoy yourself.

I strongly recommend it to students and interns! ISHers will become...

I stayed at ISH-DC starting in summer 2018 and had a wonderful overall experience.

LOCATION (5/5): Dupont Circle is a fantastic neighborhood — it's safe and pleasant with tons of food options, a very central location, and easy transit access. The metro stop is about a five minute walk from ISH-DC, plus there's a Capital Bikeshare station right outside the door.

COMMUNITY (5/5): ISH-DC has a strong community, and it's very easy to get to know other residents through the meals, occasional events, and group outings arranged in the WhatsApp channel. If you enjoy interacting with people from differing backgrounds, you'll love it. I'd guess around a third of residents are domestic during the summer, and less than that during the academic year. Almost all residents are in their twenties.

PRICE (4/5): D.C. isn't cheap, especially in a neighborhood like Dupont Circle, but my understanding is that ISH-DC is very reasonably priced. Consider also that you'll be saving some money on food compared to living elsewhere (see below).

ROOM QUALITY (3/5): I stayed in Marpat Hall, which is a short outside walk away from the main building. The rooms are fairly old, and look/feel a little quirky and dusty, but they're perfectly satisfactory and (crucially) air-conditioned. More recently, I stayed in Van Slyck Hall, which has a more modern but less homey aesthetic. Generally, maintenance issues are addressed reasonably quickly. Most rooms are doubles, and there's a waiting list for the singles.

COMMON FACILITIES (4/5): ISH-DC's main building is a gorgeous tudor-style mansion. (You can check it out on Google Street View.) There are several great common areas, including a library with a TV, game room, and exercise room. The main hall is straight out of Hogwarts. The laundry is free, although there aren't always enough washers/dryers to go around, and they sometimes break down. The house lacks adequate facilities for personal food preparation, as there is a microwave but no kitchen available to residents. The communal refrigerators are overcrowded and unclean, and the cleaning staff often remove food that has not yet gone bad.

FOOD (5/5): ISH-DC provides free breakfasts and dinners every day from Mikko, a local Nordic restaurant. It's a great perk that helps reduce living costs and brings the community together. The food is high quality (not the same as a restaurant, but much better than the old Sodexo services), and the Nordic elements (e.g. lingonberry jam) are fun. Coffee, tea, and milk are available at all hours. It's possible to order late meals, but this needs to be done by 4 p.m.

POLICIES (4/5): Packages and mail are all handled conveniently at the front desk, which is staffed 24/7 by a resident (someone you'll probably know). Some house policies are frustratingly restrictive, though. For instance, visitors are not allowed after 10 p.m., and if you have a friend visiting D.C., they cannot stay with you unless you arrange it days in advance and pay...

ISH is a great place to live, and I would highly recommend it. I lived here for two years (June 2014- August 2016) and enjoyed my stay. Ultimately, the resident experience is what you make of it. If you are excited about living with around 100 young professionals from all over the world, this is a great place for you.

The People: By far the best benefit to living here and you will make connections. Think tankers, international scholars, visiting professors - ideas are well represented here. I made many lifelong friends all over the world, went on road trips and vacations, went out to classical concerts and operas, went for evening dinners, and took advantage of everything historical and culture DC has to offer. It's nice to be around people who always want to do something, and you will not get lonely.

The price: It's unbeatable for the location. For $1,100 - $1,600 a month, you get a room in one of the best neighborhoods in downtown DC, food, utilities, maintenance, and resident activities included. You will not find better. Trust me, I looked.

Booking: You can book for a minimum one month stay and can book month to month. That flexibility is crucial if you're trying to extend your stay in the US.

The Staff: The staff and maintenance are all welcoming, warm, and sincere people. When problems arose, they were addressed properly, professionally, and promptly.

The Facilities: Since Google came in and took 360 panoramas of the house, you can get an idea of what the communal areas are like (not the case when I applied).

The Rooms: Some rooms are nicer than others. If you aren't comfortable living in a somewhat small room with others, you may not want to live here. Marpat (the men's hall) is essentially dormitory style living and is in...