Information for Incoming Students
Orientation
An orientation program is held at the beginning of each academic year for new graduate students in both MA and PhD programs. The usual schedule is Thursday and Friday of the week preceding the start of classes. A schedule for the orientation program will be posted here during the preceding summer. For more information please contact Miriam Okine Davies, the Coordinator for Graduate History Programs.
Housing & Transportation Resources
Housing in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area is in high demand. Therefore, you should arrange accommodations for the fall as soon as possible; incoming students are advised to begin looking for housing as early as May. Students who have waited until August have often been disappointed as they search for affordable housing in convenient locations. (Be sure to have your deposit ready when looking, but do not feel pressured to sign a lease.) Georgetown does not have on-campus housing for graduate students, but Georgetown's Off-Campus Housing office and those at other nearby universities have some useful information and resources on their web sites.
When choosing where to live, please keep in mind the availability of Metrobus, Metrorail, and GUTS (Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle) routes to Rosslyn, Dupont Circle, and Upper Arlington, as parking in Georgetown is both difficult and expensive. There is no on-campus parking for students at this time, and street parking around the university is generally limited to two hours and is difficult to find.
Incoming students frequently ask where current graduate students live. The answer is all over, but there are some "popular" places. Many graduate students live in the neighborhoods around the university (Burleith, Glover Park) or areas easily accessible by Metro and GUTS (Rosslyn and North Arlington in Virginia, Dupont Circle in the District), while others commute from outlying suburbs. The transportation resources below should help to acquaint you with the areas and issues involved.
- Housing
- Georgetown University Off-Campus Housing Georgetown's searchable database of local housing for rent; the site also contains useful legal information. Until you recieve your NetID, you can login to the service with the following username/password combination: guest, auxhoya.
- American University Off Campus Housing
Information on parking and transportation, including GUTS bus routes
- Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Metro's homepage and visitor's guide
Visiting the Department
If you wish to visit the Department during spring or summer contact the Assistant to the Director of Graduate Studies, Kristin Carpenter, and the faculty member(s) you wish to visit before coming. The department has shortened hours during the summer and faculty are often away doing research. The University provides directions to campus here.
- Listserv Info
The official department list delivers department updates, reminders, announcements of job postings, and other information relating to the History Department. As an incoming student, we invite you to join the administrative graduate student list at your earliest convenience. To do so, please send an email request to our Graduate Program Coordinator, Miriam Okine Davies.
