The apartment is old and a bit outdated but the management is very responsive and you can't beat the location (and you pay for it)

Just to name a few problems I've encountered so far: in August 2020 my apartment had a major pest outbreak; in January 2020 a rat was seen in my apartment; the entire back wall behind my dishwasher was missing; the walls are always creaking; at one point the building maintenance took away my fire alarm and failed to replace it for more than a month. The building management tends to ignore the maintenance requests when asked to--I literally have to threaten to take legal actions to get someone over to take care of the missing back wall/ rat a week ago.

The building is a bit old but there’s nothing wrong with the units, no bugs or any other issues like that. Laundry facilities have some issues and the gym is small, but for price and location, it’s worth it.

The apartment is very nice and spacious. There is a small, cozy rooftop as well as a small gym. Staff is nice and maintenance requests are generally completed within 24 hours. Location is also very convenient for attending GW in foggy bottom. It is approximately an 8 minute walk from the foggy bottom metro and whole foods which is a bit far.

Pros: The staff are extremely friendly, repairs are always made quickly after I submit a work order, and I’ve had very few issues with pests. It was nice to have someone at the desk 24/7 because it made me feel safer. It is quite expensive, but it was worth the price pre-covid because I could walk out of my apartment 5 minutes before the start of class and get to class on time. As a law student, the convenience of my apartment being nearby was priceless because of the time I spent at the school. When it’s warm, the AC is a lifesaver. My apartment was a veritable oasis in the DC summer heat. It was always pretty easy to get laundry done because of the number of machines in the laundry facility. Additionally, if you are a law student, this is a pretty good location even in the summer. It is very close to the Foggy Bottom metro, and about a 15 minute brisk walk to the Farragut North Metro. It makes commuting for summer jobs pretty easy. It’s also nice to be so close to the National Mall.

Cons: While remote class/work is still ongoing, it’s not worth the price, especially because Foggy Bottom is a pretty boring area- not many restaurants, and the Mall is fantastic, but you can only walk it so many times. Again, it’s fine to live in Foggy as a student with in-person classes, but once that’s gone you’re trapped in a neighborhood occupied mostly by students. Also, if you’re a graduate student, keep in mind that a lot of undergrads live here, and they make a lot of noise. I get that college is fun, but it was really frustrating to hear music blasting and people screaming and running up and down the halls at 3 AM on a weekday when I had to get up for early class or an exam the next day.

There was a lot of construction noise in all three years I was here. They always give you notice, but even when they claimed the noise should not be noticeable in my area of the building, I noticed it. Hopefully they’re done with construction for a while.

P.S. If you’re looking at these apartments, pay attention to the size of the kitchen. My kitchen had barely enough room to make basic meals without resorting to using bookshelves and tables to make up for the lack of counter space. I was in one of the 625 sq ft units. My friend was in a 500 sq ft unit, and her kitchen was much more reasonably sized. I would have gladly given up the size of my dining area for a slightly bigger kitchen.

Decent living. The walls can be a bit thin, so if your neighbors play loud music, generally you will here them (a good number of undergrads live here if you're living here as a grad student), but the building has a quiet policy from 10pm-8am, and I've found neighbors are generally willing to quiet down if they find out they're being too loud. I've found putting carpets on the wood floor and hanging paintings/wall coverings has helped insulate the room from too much noise.

The thing this place has going for it is the amount of space you'll be getting for the rent price. This is the best ratio of space-cost near George Washington University that's not a condo. The downside is you'll be living in an older building, but utilities are included, and you have a 24-hour doorman, so the building is secure, plus an Amazon locker by the loading dock.

It will cost more if you get a street-facing apartment, but I live in a studio facing the inner courtyard and even on a lower floor, I still get decent sunlight, plus I'm insulated from the street noise. There is a garage underneath, but it costs $9 per day if you get a monthly pass. There's also 2 Capital Bikeshare racks within 2 blocks of the building.

Location is the best feature

it's close to school
hardwood flrs

The studio apartments are quite large for a reasonable price. It also had a large amount of closet space for a studio apartment. The people and doormen are very kind. It is a 5 minute walk from GW campus. The rooftop is nice, but small. The gym is probably slightly below average for an apartment gym. It has dumbbells up to 50lbs (although one of the 50lb weights isn't there), one adjustable bench, and a few treadmills.

I debated between the Statesman and Columbia Plaza because both seemed to be very close to the law school. I am extremely glad that I went with the Statesman because the relatively small difference in distance actually makes a big difference. I am a big homebody and focus much better on schoolwork when I am at home so it helps that I can walk 5 minutes back home in between classes (I have a 1.5 hour break in between some of my classes and usually come back home to work or eat lunch). I also saved a lot more money by being able to run back home and cook something simple.