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<p>Realistically, the caliber of Berkeley grad school is academically among the most elite of all, and it’s no cakewalk to make it there from an Ivy either. I would laugh at comparing the average Ivy population with the Berkeley grad population for one thing – some of these folks were top students from Ivies or similar schools whom I know personally.</p>
<p>sentiment, you don’t seem to be interested in mindless argument; I suggest you realize that those of us who know what we’re talking about don’t group Berkeley with the Ivies. Rather, we make a huge distinction between them, saying their strengths are both considerable and in some cases just very different.</p>
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<p>Quite untrue for the very elite departments here, where undergrads come specifically for the caliber. My engineering acquaintances didn’t even consider Ivies, and indeed one unabashedly turned down Columbia for here, and is an extremely good engineer. </p>
<p>Berkeley is in no way an Ivy – one would be foolish to attend just for the prestige; it’s a place where if you have real goals and know the department(s) you’re interested in are strong, you can truly do anything within the confines of your abilities. And yes, there are things here simply not found in the Ivies. Just that most don’t choose to make use of them, but more power to the few who do. </p>
<p>I don’t suggest you argue any points I make here, because really unlike the flamers I know what I’m talking about, and also am not interested in anything but properly representing the correct information. All the points made on this thread which you refer to were not valid. For instance, the one earlier which claimed that graduate strength does not relate to undergraduate educational strength. </p>
<p>I am aware of the overcrowding and all that, and count it as a huge negative for those who experience it. I never did, and neither did many of my acquaintances. It depends on your major and what you do specifically. So while I’m not disputing this obvious point, to sweepingly claim all of a certain set of claims was valid when there were notoriously absurd ones is to lack subtlety, i.e. major failure, so don’t do it.</p>