Thank you!
Thanks for the warning – although this was just inspecting network requests (not so much “hacking“), I’ll remove my post just to be safe. (edit: it seems like I don’t have permission to remove)
I think that depends where you are commuting from.
Purple Line will help people traveling between suburbs. It won’t help, or will be slightly helpful for people traveling into the city. To travel into the city from UMD you’re still going to want to take the existing Green or Yellow line, or the MARC train from the College Park Station.
I don’t understand this
The light rail trains run on their separate lanes, just like the above rail metro trains. They won’t be impacted by car traffic.
I was at UMD on Maryland Day last April and the Purple Line track was at ground level intersecting traffic roads in the area.
In the same lane or different lanes?
Yes, they will intersect at intersections, but when traffic causes bus delays it’s because they are sharing lanes.
Thanks for this discussion on the Purple Line. My daughter’s been accepted into the Government and Politics major which we’re super excited about. One of the things we love about UMD is that it gives you all the benefits of a Big 10 campus with the benefits of accessing internship opportunities in DC so although you can’t walk to the Hill it’s still easily accessible. My sense was that the Purple Line would make that much easier but sounds like maybe it’s a mixed bag?
Don’t forget, most schools have a DC semester - so gaining that experience is reasonable from most schools. My daughter interned at a high end think tank and had 7 offers including two in Maryland (Silver Spring - about 10 miles away).
Bottom line - I don’t know how many would intern from UMD during the year- but that’s not the reason I would choose UMD. It’s very difficult to intern with a full course load - but those schools that have a DC semester (my daughter lived on Capital Hill and all the houses were colleges - hers was South Carolina, the neighbor was the Indiana program and so on and so forth) - those students took two classes and they were at night so set up for internships, etc.
Not saying not to choose UMD - but choosing it for intern purposes during the semester vs. another school - I’m guessing it’s unlikely a reality come true for most.
The Purple Line does have its own dedicated lane, but it probably will still have to stop at traffic intersections sometimes. Right now, it is not known exactly how often it will run. It will have 21 stations (stops) and is expected to start operating in the December 2027 - January 2028 time frame. This estimate is subject to change. @Sportsball
I agree with you. IMO, UMD is not an Internship intensive College, as opposed to places like Drexel (which has a formal semester based Co-Op program). At UMD it is possible for students to get involved in research with various Professors. Also at UMD a student could get a Summer internship but I do not know how readily those things are advertised.
My D’s husband had an internship the summer of his Junior year, but it was in St. Louis. My D did not have any internships until she went to Grad school, but she did do some research work at UMD. This subject would be something to ask about at an Admitted Student Day.
I think internships are from the kid pursuing and not the the school in most caes. The Cornell data which they’ve now taken down - showed that….probably why they took it down because it’s not showing value in the name. Kids find jobs and internships like mine - on indeed, linked and company websites - for the most part.
I’m sure tons of UMD kids intern but likely as most do - during the Summer.
In the case of my daughter and DC, I was:
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Surprised how easy it was for her to find a paid internship
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The school DC semesters are set to intern - as opposed to taking 15 class credits. She got 9 intern credits and 6 class credits. Three was a politics class and a theatre type / arts class where they went to a show every week.
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In some ways, the best learning was being in the heart of DC - there was a lot of anti Israel/pro Palestinian protests, nothing one wants to see - especially as a Jew. But that’s the real world and my daughter got to witness it - and that’s part of learning, etc. She also learned that she doesn’t like DC
which is ok.
I would totally have my student attend UMD if it was right for them. Both of mine applied and were admitted. But i don’t see it as an advantage vs. any other school using the reason they brought up.
This will definitely be a topic to discuss on admitted students day. We signed up for March 7th.
She’s been admitted to both Northeastern and Drexel which tout their experiential learning approach. I really wasn’t thinking of that angle so much. GWU pushed the fact that the students there took advantage of internship opportunities so I was more thinking something like that. We still have GWU decision outstanding but UMD seems much better for a variety of reasons.
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In the end, they all have great features.
NU is likely, unless you have need, the most expensive and then Drexel. But the co op thing is great. One parent on CS yesterday wrote their kid had two co ops at Northeastern but others plan on it but don’t find one and have to return to class. So they’re certainly not assured.
Obviously, both the schools are urban and Drexel near neighboring Penn is nice.
GW is in the heart. Did you apply to American too? It’s not as much in the heart but then again, it’s surrounded by offices/agencies. It’s just not train adjacent like GW.
Everyone will market themselves, give you the polished picture - especially at admitted student day. Those are sales jobs - but the best is if you can talk to professors, or take students off to the side and get the honest take. Or even just walk around the building and stop a few kids.
Obviously, UMD - with big time sports - is different than the rest anyway.
And if you’re in state and it’s - say - $60K less than Northeastern (not sure your situation) x 4 that has to matter too.
It’s good you continue to research but I will tell you - kids, not the schools, find jobs. Sometimes alums can help or professors with contacts - but when Cornell was showing the data, the alum, on campus, job fairs, etc. were all single digits. Company/organizational websites and handshake (the schools linkedin) were the big winners. It’s how both my kids found their interns and jobs.
In the end, just know there are no assurances - and go with what you can:
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afford without impacting your life and retirement
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what your student loves / feels comfort.
Good luck.
She was accepted to AU and they offered enough merit aid to bring it down to about the same OOS cost as UMD. We visited AU and she liked it.
We haven’t visited UMD yet so admitted students day will be the first time we’ll be seeing it. But everything we’ve seen online makes us think we’ll love it. It’s funny because she started this process convinced she wanted an urban campus but has evolved to thinking a cool campus feel with school spirit would be nice. She was admitted into the scholars program and one of them has her excited.
I’m feeling pretty confident about GW acceptance but we won’t be getting any need based financial aid and they’re notoriously cheap with merit so UMD should be cheaper by like 30k/year. US News rankings should obviously be taken with a grain of salt but UMD has a much better ranking for a much better price.
Finally, as a family we love DC. The museums, the restaurants…..
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The purple line will roughly be a circle that runs around the outside of the city, through various suburbs. It won’t go into the city. Since there are now lots of employers in the suburbs, it will definitely help UMD students who intern close to the purple line. This will include some federal employers.
But, for those who specifically want to intern on the Hill, it will be of limited help, because the purple line doesn’t go into the city. Right now students who use public transportation and intern on the Hill would walk/bike/scooter/take a bus/take a shuttle/drive from wherever they are on campus to the College Park metro station, and then ride about 40 minutes to the Hill. For some of them, depending where they are on campus when they start, or if they are in off campus housing that’s not near the metro, the travel time to the metro adds a lot, and for some of them, taking a purple line train to the metro might be faster. For others, especially those who would bike or drive to the metro, the purple line probably won’t speed things up at all.
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The Purple Line is a 16-mile light rail line will seamlessly connect Prince George’s and Montgomery counties, with 21 stops. There are no actual plans nor funding to extend it in the foreseeable future. It does not encircle Washington D.C.
I would not, in any sense call UMD an Internship focused University. I graduated from Drexel, so I know what a Co-OP (internship focused) University is like. The whole concept is baked-into the curriculum. Students at UMD could and probably do have internships during summer break. Students at UMD actually move out of their Dorms during the summer (with some exceptions and extra cost). Students living off campus usually have year long leases.
When I was at Drexel, I Co-OP’d winter and spring and attended classes fall and summer. Drexel basically operated full time all year long with sufficient staff. UMD does not operate like that. During Co-OP periods, I lived at home and commuted to work, just like any other employee. It was not always easy. That being said, I think the Purple line will help students who want to go to DC for fun or sightseeing. But it is not a solution to the demands of a 5 work day internship in DC.
I think that UMD is a GREAT school. My D and her husband got terrific educations, have very good careers, and are living well.
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Regarding internships, there is a robust program with the Maryland state legislature in Annapolis during spring semester.
Other internships can be pursued in Washington DC.
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You’re right, it’s a portion of a circle, an arc. The point is that it goes around the city, not into the city, so it won’t get you to the Hill.
Yes, and we both agree that it will not really help students with internships if they are not already in DC, or very close to it
She would love this program that is done as part of a regular academic year: https://fellowsprogram.umd.edu/fellows/
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