<p>In general, don’t register for anything related to Berkeley Summer Sessions. First and foremost, it is a ripoff: you’re paying about 5-8X the rates you would at a [local</a> community college](<a href=“http://www.foothill.edu/reg/fees.html]local”>http://www.foothill.edu/reg/fees.html). Second, it is run by a contractor company, not the university/UC Regents itself. This is why the Summer Sessions’ offices are located [outside</a> of campus](<a href=“http://summer.berkeley.edu/mainsite/contact_us.html#]outside”>http://summer.berkeley.edu/mainsite/contact_us.html#).</p>
<p>If you must take summer classes at Cal, check schedule.berkeley.edu to make sure that the instructors are actual Berkeley professors, if possible. This is common in the UGBA department (many Haas faculty members stay during the summer to teach additional classes), but very uncommon in other departments, such as math, computer science, and physics. Most of those instructors are recruited from local community colleges or are simply (under)graduate students–and not surprisingly, their quality varies widely.</p>
<p>Why anyone would pay money to do an internship is beyond me. Most internships in the real world are paid, even if the wages aren’t that high. Even if you can’t manage to find one due to the economic climate, you can travel, or volunteer, or simply enjoy yourself. The Summer Sessions and associated programs are very hit-or-miss.</p>