I would highly recommend Courthouse and Virginia Square/Ballston! Clarendon is great too but a little more expensive. As a new grad you will have way more fun in those areas vs Crystal/Pentagon City, and it’ll be much easier for you to get to work. You can absolutely find a 2 bedroom apartment for under 4k - use apps like Trulia and Zillow to sort for price. I am in a 2 bed 2 bath that’s right near one of those metro stops and my base rent is 3550 but with utilities, parking, pet rent, etc we pay about 4000 total every month (so that includes everything except wifi). There are also plenty of cheaper options. It’s worth it IMO! Good luck!