Cant wait to meet you all!
I've been living in DC and Virginia since April. I definitely recommend looking into housing in Arlington, VA or even Alexandria. It's a bit cheaper than living directly in the city and you're only a few minutes from campus by metro. It's still crazy expensive, but you get way more bang for your buck, I've found. I went from a roach-infested studio with no laundry units, no dishwasher, useless management, and broken AC to a beautiful one bedroom with high ceilings, central AC, a full kitchen and a trusty washer/dryer for about the same price. If you room with someone it's definitely worth the extra $100-200 overall and short commute.
If you don't mind a slightly longer commute, even look into Maryland!