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I've been struggling to decide if I want to participate in the UCDC program that UC law schools have to offer. Basically, it's having a semester "abroad" in Washington, D.C. and interning at a federal government agency or non profit. Although I'm in California and want to ultimately practice in CA (private firm), I'm assuming interning in Washington D.C. can help my resume stand out.

I wanted to see if anyone here as any experience in the program (or a similar program, I'm pretty sure other law schools do this as well) and specifically, if it has been beneficial/resuming boosting. I'm concerned I will go to D.C., but the resume-building benefits won't be substantial and I would have given up a semester of taking classes/clinics/externships at my home school.

Any advice would be appreciated!

You seem lukewarm about it. Don't do it if you don't feel like it. It's not going to make or break your career. Likewise, staying in school and taking this or that clinic/course likely isn't going to be a deciding factor for employers. So take the pressure off. I would only "force" myself to do it if I knew exactly in what field I wanted to work and if I could land a position via UCDC that I knew was going to give me a significant boost. For example, if you know you want to do securities litigation at a firm in CA, maybe it's worth doing an internship with the SEC if you can get it. But even then, I'm not sure how much of a difference it will make several years down the line when you try to lateral into some other firm. HTH.