<p>Has anyone at Berkeley participated in this program? It is worth it? How was your experience? Would you take it over Cal in the Capital or Cal in Sacramento? </p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>I’d also love to hear more about the UC in DC program, as it’s something I definitely want to do. So, bump. :)</p>
<p>Personally I would take Cal in Sacramento and Cal in the Capital over UCDC. Why?</p>
<p>Cal in Sac, and Cal in the Capital are only internship programs. For UCDC, you have to take classes on top of your internships! Imagine how burnt out you would be by working 8 hours a day and then coming back to the UCDC washington Center only to take a class that you really don’t care much about. (I would say that UC Berkeley courses are better than most of the classes taught at the UCDC center).</p>
<p>Plus Cal in Sacramento is a fellowship, so it will provide you with free housing.</p>
<p>There are a lot of people from other UC’s that do UCDC, whereas Cal in the Capital and Sacramento are Berkeley exclusive. It may be cool to meet people from other campuses, but I would personally like to meet new people that go to Berkeley so that I could hang out with them once I came back (This is the advantage of Berkeley since it’s so big). Also I really don’t mean to generalize, but most of the kids at UC Riverside, Santa Cruz, and probably Merced, really aren’t the brightest kids in the block.</p>
<p>But if you’re summers are filled, I would look into UCDC. It’s definitely better than nothing. Just keep in mind that the research seminars and electives get a bit tedious and annoying on top of your internship.</p>
<p>If you get into Cal-in-Sac, I would suggest that because the free housing seems too tempting to pass up. However, if you really want to pursue an opportunity in D.C, then it’s up to you and how long you want to be in D.C. If you just want to get an internship, then go with Cal-in-the-Capital. If you want to spend a while longer in D.C and don’t mind doing additional research/classes on top of an internship (which I actually don’t think would be that hard…I assume you’d spend fewer hours per week on the internship than Cal-in-the Capital just because you have classes as well, or at least try to work something out with your employer or whoever), I think UCDC is great way to go. I’ve spoken to people in all three programs, and all said they got something out of it, so either way you won’t be making a bad choice.</p>
<p>I just completed Cal in Sac this summer and will be serving as student director for the program next summer. First of all, if you can do both DC and Sacramento during the course of your time here, I would recommend you do so. They are all great programs. But if you have to choose between Washington and Sacramento, here are a few points to consider:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>As mentioned above, housing is free during your stay in Sacramento. So is public transit. The only things you have to pay for are food and other incidentals (and stipends are available for that as well if needed). You can probably go the whole summer spending no more than a few hundred dollars if you are smart with your money and don’t eat out for every meal like I did. </p></li>
<li><p>Sacramento is a lot smaller and less formal than Washington. That means you have a greater opportunity to network and your work will likely be more interesting and important. Nearly every person I have talked to (including myself) has found that they are treated like an equal staff member instead of an intern whose sole purpose is to do what the staff doesn’t want to do (don’t get me wrong there is definitely some of that but you get to do a lot of cool stuff too)</p></li>
<li><p>The spring seminar that you take before going to Sacramento is taught by two former state legislators. They bring in amazing guest speakers such as Dan Walters, John Burton, and Abel Maldonado (those names may not mean a lot now but in Sacramento they are famous and you will learn a ton being in a small seminar setting with them). In addition, the former legislators will sit down with you individually to help you find an internship and to give you advice on working in politics post-graduation if that is what you want to do. I know a lot of Sacramento political people who would pay hundreds if not thousands of dollars just for the experience of that class - you get it for free.</p></li>
<li><p>The issues in state politics are relevant to the everyday college student. Of course the federal government has a huge impact on our daily lives but a lot of the policy choices that directly impact us are decided at the state level. As a summer intern, you will be in Sacramento when the state budget is being debated, with implications for the UC system, K-12 education, transit, social services, tax rates, and anything else you can think of that the state government touches. If you want to be in the middle of decisions that will directly impact you and your fellow Californians, you want to be in Sacramento. </p></li>
</ol>
<p>Of course I’m not exactly unbiased since I work for the Cal in Sacramento program, so I would encourage you to talk to someone who has done Cal in the Capitol and/or UCDC as well. They may have a different perspective than me, and the above comments are certainly not intended to disparage Washington. I haven’t had the opportunity to go to DC, but I know all three programs are great. </p>
<p>If anyone has any questions about Cal in Sacramento, feel free to message me or find me on facebook. I would love to tell you more about it, it is the best summer I have ever had!</p>
<p>-Andy Nevis
Cal in Sacramento Student Director, 2011-12</p>
<p>I’m an incoming freshman and have heard a very limited amount about either program, but I was interested in knowing more, too.
AVNevis really convinced me toward Cal in Sac :)</p>
How competitive is Cal in the Capital? Or the Sacramento one. I’m super interested in both, but I’ve heard they’re incredibley competitive.