Berkeley Prestige=Perception of Selectivity?

[sakky]

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I grew up in Europe, none of my friends has ever heard of Berkeley. No employers (outside of academia) have heard of Berkeley. They would take someone from a “popular” local university (that’s not even ranked on a worldwide scale) over “some US-University” in the blink of an eye. US-Universities in general have a pretty bad reputation for being “easy” in many European countries. That reputation is actually justified in my opinion. Even though I studied EECS which is supposed to be one of the tougher subjects I know that German universities would be much more difficult academically. I wouldn’t have done remotely as well there as I did at Berkeley.

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<p>Actually, that’s precisely why the Berkeley brand could be so marketable to the international market, and is also the same reason that Harvard or Stanford is likewise so marketable to the international market. With the possible exception of that small handful of Harvard students interested in Math55, students don’t go to Harvard or Stanford because they’re difficult, indeed, they go precisely because they are easy. Granted, while soaringly lofty grades (e.g. summa level) is extremely difficult to attain, at the same time, it’s practically impossible to actually flunk out. The ingenuity of the Harvard/Stanford package is that it bundles a world-class brand and alumni network access along with a ‘GPA-enhanced’ transcript and ample free time with which to devote to extracurricular activities that places you in prime position to compete for the top employers or professional schools(e.g. law/business/med schools). It is also for that reason that Harvard students generally abhor taking cross-reg courses at MIT (but MIT students love taking cross-reg at Harvard) because they fear MIT’s lower grading standards. </p>

<p>Now, granted, Berkeley probably can’t quite match the package that Harvard and Stanford provide. But Berkeley won’t be that far off. Berkeley can surely offer a GPA-protected pathway via its creampuff majors. {For example, a student from China who came to Berkeley and majored in Chinese would surely find the major to be trivially easy, and rack up a string of A’s for minimal work. With ample free time to obtain decent grades in premed coursework and MCAT testing and - boom - admission to a US med-school.} </p>

<p>The other major advantage that every US university can provide that is attractive to at least the Asian market (although admittedly less attractive to the European market) is possible entree to US immigration. Through a US undergrad program, you may have a chance of finding a US employer who will sponsor your work visa. Or, as alluded to above, perhaps you can win admission to a US graduate program - perhaps at the same university as your undergrad - who will then extend your student visa. Heck, maybe you can even find an American to marry you and hence allow you to stay. {Why not? That’s what Wendi Deng did.}</p>