<p>Aside from budget constraints, I don’t see why anyone should turn down an Ivy for Berkeley. When you’re at Berkeley, then you buy into the hogwash that “We’re often tiered with the Ivies!” However, when you’re not at the school, you should be realistic and see that classes over there are overcrowded, the student population isn’t great, and rank 21 on USNWR is rank 21 for a reason. </p>
<p>Berkeley graduate school is world renowned (and would be worth picking over an Ivy) but most Berkeley undergraduates would never make it in there and I actually think that going to the school would hurt the goal of making it back into Berkeley more than help. The rift between Berkeley Grad and Undergrad is indescribably large.</p>