By Kurt Masline

After the pandemic disrupted their summer plans in 2020, University of Maryland students are hoping this year will be different.

The uncertainty of last summer has been replaced with optimism, partially because of the COVID-19 vaccine. Many students expect to complete internships and classes without worrying as much about the coronavirus. Others are preparing for potential changes to their plans but still hoping for the best.

Alex Hong, a freshman communications major, said his assumptions about last year were wrong. Hong is waiting to see if this summer turns out as he expected.

“I’m a little on the edge of my seat wondering how accurate my plans are going to be,” Hong said.

Hong plans on working at a restaurant like last summer. In addition to working, Hong said that he plans on taking a class over the break.

Summer classes at UMD are offered over 12 weeks, with the first classes starting June 1 and the last classes ending Aug. 20, according to the Office of Extended Studies. Most classes take place over the course of either three or six weeks. 

Classes and jobs are not the only way students spend time during summer break. The pandemic has affected students’ internship plans too. Arsalan Siddiqui, a sophomore bioengineering major, said the internship he had scheduled for last summer was postponed until this summer. 

Samantha Taskale, a freshman computer science major, said her two-week long externship moved online last summer. This year, she has an internship that comes with some major differences.

“This summer, I have a full-time internship for 10 weeks. It’s a 40-hour work week and luckily we get to be hybrid,” Taskale said. “So once I get fully vaccinated, I can go into the office maybe two or three times a week.”

As of May 8, 57.7% of Americans ages 18 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 43.2% of Americans 18 and older are fully vaccinated, according to data from the CDC. 

An email sent by the university on Thursday encouraged students to be vaccinated against COVID-19 by August 2 in order to meet the University System of Maryland’s vaccine mandate for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Students said vaccine distribution made them feel safer. Taskale received her first dose and said she already feels more comfortable with going out to restaurants and being with small groups. 

Isabella MacDonald, a freshman math major, said she is comfortable going out to the mall with only her first dose. But before booking airline tickets, she would need to get her second dose, MacDonald said.

Siddiqui said he thought vaccinations would make summer plans more regular and that he is cautiously optimistic.

“The vaccine rollout makes me much more confident that things will be going a little bit more smoothly this summer,” Siddiqui said.

Featured image: Students can find times for summer classes through the Schedule of Classes feature on Testudo. Photo by Kurt Masline.