I asked this question before: "How does the Washington subway work" and now I have another one inside.?

I found a website for University of MD that explains how to get to UMD from union station. So you could just follow these in reverse, since you are going from UMD to Union Station. Here's the site: http://www.cvs.umd.edu/visitors/maps.html 1.Take the Red Line train (toward Glenmont); transfer at the Fort Totten station to the Green Line train (toward Greenbelt); get off at the College Park/U of MD station. 2.Or take the Green Line train (toward Greenbelt); get off at the College Park/U of MD station. 3.The university's Shuttle-UM buses pick up university-bound passengers on the EAST side of the metrorail station. Shuttle-UM service between the College Park Station (Green line) and the center of campus is very frequent - every 8 minutes peak hours most weekdays - is offered year-round, and is open to everyone - no ID required. 4.Get off the Shuttle-UM at the "M" (or second) stop for the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Cross street and walk south toward Mitchell Building. Also - I'm guessing you've already come across the D.C. metro website. If not, it's http://www.wmata.com/index.cfm You could also try the "Trip Planner" tool on the left side of the page. Don't forget that you can enter "Union Station" as your destination. The D.C. subway "metro" does go outside the city. The city of D.C. itself is quite small (only 10 miles across and 10 miles tall). Therefore the areas of MD and VA along the edges of the city are very urban. Its easy to buy metro cards at the kiosks inside the stations. Don't hesitate to ask the station manager for help - they are very friendly and easy to find.

you have metro cards and the cost depends on what time it is what day it is and how far you're going also switching trains is very easy you just walk to the other train you need to ride as for why the metro goes out side dc it's so people can get to work in dc from the suburbs it's an easy and convenient way to get into dc not to mention environmentally friendly

Doesn't the NYC subway go outside the city too? And I've heard that the NYC subway system can be confusing as well. Anyway. It goes outside of the city because there are many commuters and destinations in the suburbs, so metro accomodates the entire DC metro area. Fares are kind of dumb, especially with the fare increases, and fares are more expensive during peak periods (rush hour). Using the trip planner will show you how much fare will cost, or the fares are listed above the machines to buy fare at the stations. You can use a farecard or a SmartTrip card. SmartTrip cards are the easiest to use. You can buy fares at the station, or online on metro's website. There are also places in the DC metro area which sell SmartTrip cards (ie: CVS). There are also day/week passes but they can only be used after 9:30 am, and IMO aren't worth it unless you constantly use metro multiple times per day. The metrorail system is actually very easy once you get used to it. Metro's website is: http://www.wmata.com Also, we're used to people who are new to the city and the system as well as tourists. Often people will help you out if you ask, and you can always ask a metro employee for help as well.

Otonito gave you good information and links but on another note - the DC Metro compared to NYC Subway is efficient and easier to use. You are moving far more people in a more dense area in NYC and the layers of subway can be horribly confusing. The DC Metro is clearly marked - easy to use and goes near about everything that you would want to see, do or where people work. It goes outside the DC area so there is an efficient way to get people who live in the suburbs or surrounding DC area to their jobs. When traveling with my 12 year old - I stood him in front of the ticket kiosk and had him figure out how to get a ticket and what train we needed to use - took him less than 10 min to figure it out - so I'm confident that you will too.

It appears that you are a 'younger-than-college-age' teenager attending a program for smart high school students. I'll also assume that this is a one-week program that you are retuning home from on a Friday or Saturday. There is an Amtrak station closer to College Park than Union Station, New Carollton Station. I think you'll find that most Amtrak trains (non Acela Express) stop at New Carollton. http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=am/am2Station/Station_Page&code=NCR http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Carrollton_(Washington_Metro) http://www.stationmasters.com/System_Map/NEWCARRO/newcarro.html New Carolton Station is 6 mi from the Uni. of Maryland. A short taxi ride. -or- A 10-11 min bus ride on the F6 bus. Play with the trip planner to see the bus F6 times that can get you from College Park to New Carollton. http://www.wmata.com/rider_tools/tripplanner/tripplanner.cfm