DC Start students’ coursework fulfills the first-semester requirements of all Brooks students.

There are four required courses that all students will take:

• PUBPOL 2220 DC Up Close: Policy, Politics, and Power
• ECON 1110 Introductory Microeconomics *some students may exempt based on AP/IB credit
• PUBPOL xxxx Ethics in Public Policy
• PUBPOL 1111 Building Success at Brooks

Each student will choose from one of three First-Year Writing Seminars:

• Seminar topics include: America at War in the Modern World, American Soft Power

Each student will choose one elective:

• PUBPOL xxxx Constitutional Law
• PUBPOL xxxx TBD

The signature course, DC Up Close: Policy, Politics, and Power will integrate guest speakers and visits to government and cultural sites, led by course faculty and staff. The course is co-taught by longtime Cornell in Washington faculty member, David Silbey, and Brooks School Professor of the Practice and 8-term former US Congressman Steve Israel.

There is a full-time Resident Fellow who lives and works alongside students, faculty, and staff at Cornell in Washington and who will provide academic support in the DC Start required courses including answering questions, holding office hours, and supporting students with study skills and other resources. ECON 1110 Introductory Microeconomics will have an additional teaching assistant given many students will be studying microeconomics for the first time. All faculty teaching in the program will be expected to hold office hours and be available to students outside of class for questions and consultation.

Further, all DC Start students will be connected with an academic advisor from the Brooks School; the Brooks School advising team is easily accessed through an online appointment scheduling system to meet via Zoom. We also anticipate that members of the Brooks School undergraduate team will be in DC regularly throughout the fall semester to conduct programming and meet with students in-person.

Yes and in fact, much of the time students are in Ithaca they access library resources fully online. Additionally, Cornell in Washington staff is experienced in coordinating with the Cornell Library and they can facilitate ordering and returning physical books as well.

At Cornell in Washington there are frequent opportunities to explore DC and regular events and outings will be offered to students including trolley tours, concerts or sporting events, and museum visits. Within the residence there will also be regular group meals and gatherings coordinated by the Director of Residence and Student Life, a staff member who lives in the building alongside students and is focused on building community and providing support.

Though at a smaller scale, orientation for DC Start will be much like it is on campus. Orientation will be a bit shorter – likely about a day-and-a-half to two days. Orientation sessions will review academic and community standards and introduce students to the facility and resources available, as well as help them to get to know the neighborhood and find important locations such as nearby grocery stores, health care, and fitness and recreation options.

Some ‘on-campus’ clubs may enable students to join from afar but it may make best sense to pursue greater club involvement once students are in Ithaca starting in January.

Yes! Brooks first year students will meet each other virtually starting in the summer and will continue to interact in small peer groups and through the first year advising course, Building Success at Brooks. Further, DC Start students will travel to Ithaca for a one-day event in September, concluding with attending the Brooks School’s 4th anniversary party. More details to come over the summer and into the fall.

The Wolpe Building is fully owned and operated by Cornell University. There are 6 full-time DC-based staff including Director of Teaching and Learning, David Silbey, and Director of Administration, Carol Hagen. Two of the four administrative staff live in the building and two maintain standard business hours to support our programs. The building operations are supported by a local property management company, in coordination with Cornell facilities staff.

The building is accessible only to affiliated individuals with Cornell ID cards that are coded to permit entry to the building. There are security cameras throughout the building and a security and fire alarm that the staff responds to and students will be instructed on during orientation. This summer we will be adding additional fire safety measures in the building stairwell and card readers on doors between floors to enhance the safety of the apartment floors. Apartments are secured by physical keys provided to students and managed by the Cornell in Washington team.

• Basic furniture (dressers, beds, desks, chairs, desk lamp)
• Wireless internet
• Heating/air conditioning units
• A full bathroom with a shower curtain provided
• A renovated kitchen with a refrigerator, stove/oven and microwave
• Trash can

• Bed linens (twin XL)
• Towels
• Toilet paper and other bathroom supplies
• Clothing – including business casual and 1 business professional clothing outfit for visits to offices

Students can request a single but students with disability accommodations that are supported by a single room will be prioritized. Note that a single will cost more than a double.

Housing assignments will be made over the summer, likely by the end of June.

DC Start students will interact with campus housing and dining systems much as Ithaca-start students though on a slightly later timeline in Summer 2025 given this is our first year of the DC Start program. Cornell’s housing application and dining plan sign up information will be open to DC Start students in June.

Students will move out of DC at the end of the fall semester – the last day of scheduled exams is December 20th however, we expect DC Start students will be done earlier that week; students and families should plan to move out on/by Friday, December 19th.

Information provided in your housing forms for DC Start will be used by Cornell Housing colleagues to make room assignments for spring. Students will receive their spring housing assignments in early-to-mid January. The Spring 2026 semester in Ithaca will begin on Tuesday, January 20th.

Yes, the Brooks School will plan and facilitate an orientation to Ithaca and connections to the Brooks School, including with fellow first-year students, in January.

Students will have flexible options for food and dining, including:

• A full-sized kitchen in each apartment and several nearby grocery stores and markets.
• An on-site small food market stocked with drinks, snacks, and small meals such as prepared sandwiches, salads, yogurts, etc.
• Students will be enrolled in a dining plan for the market that will provide a standard weekly allotment to spend in the market and once a week’s funds are exhausted students may add funds to their plan.
• An optional program in coordination with Cornell Dining that will enable students to purchase food and meals from local restaurants through Cornell Dining.
• Weekly community dinners featuring food from local restaurants and enabling the DC Start cohort to connect and socialize over a meal
• More details about the on-site market and Cornell Dining plans (amounts, bursar billing, access) will be shared this summer.

Note: students will be required to enroll in the full on-campus meal plan when moving to Ithaca in January.

Housing fees will be the same in DC as on campus – for the ’25-’26 academic year rates are:

• Single: $7,501
• Double: $6,623

Dining rates are still being established and will depend on whether students opt into the Cornell Dining plan for local restaurants and stores, however, we would recommend planning to spend $400–$500 per month on food and eating out. We expect that to include $50 per week to spend at the on-site food market and the balance on groceries or eating out, depending on student preferences. Note that the unlimited meal plan for a semester while living on campus costs just over $3,500.

Students remain connected to Cornell Health while in DC – students can call Cornell Health 24/7 for consultation about medical or mental health concerns: 607.255.5155. Learn more on Cornell Health’s Especially for Students Outside of Ithaca page.

In DC, most students can meet basic care needs, including filling prescriptions and seeing a primary care provider at nearby pharmacies and clinics; the closest options is the CVS at 6 Dupont Circle, NW, open 24 hours a day or the CVS at 2240 M Street, NW, open 7 am–11 pm. There is also a MinuteClinic, a neighborhood medical clinic that accepts most insurance, at this location.

Cornell Student Disability Services work in DC as they would in Ithaca – students should connect with Cornell SDS about their needs and share those with DC-based staff and faculty so that any necessary accommodations can be arranged.

There are a number of options in the neighborhood for students to join a fitness center or gym for a short duration – some common options utilized by students include:

• Classpass – can start with a 14-day free trial
• Balance Gym Foggy Bottom – Student membership: $75–$80 per month
• Gold’s Gym (Dupont Circle) – $60–$100 per month

Cornell in Washington is also located adjacent to Rock Creek Park. Rock Creek Park is a large urban national park in Washington, D.C., established in 1890. It spans 1,754 acres and is a popular destination for outdoor activities, featuring 32 miles of trails, a planetarium, zoo, tennis courts, a golf course, and more.

Located at the corner of 22nd and O Streets in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, Cornell in Washington sits in a tree-lined historic section of Washington D.C. within walking distance of nearly all of the main attractions of the city’s cultural and civic life. Students can stroll through Georgetown’s shopping district, experience the lively cultural landscape of Adams Morgan, visit the Phillips Collection art museum around the corner, run and bike on the Rock Creek Park trail system, or hop on the Metro to the White House or the museums on the National Mall.

No, nor can you have one on campus when you move to Ithaca in January.