<p>I don’t think using UC Irvine is a good comparison for amazing school vs mediocre school. UCI has a pretty intense bio program, has a fairly medium-high SAT range, and the bio program is FULL of Asian kids who may, um, skew the curve a bit 
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<p>A better comparison is Cal State wherever- commuter schools, low average SAT/GPA at admissions etc. The kid there applying for med school better be the brilliant one with no GC who ends up 4.0 and 37MCAT.</p>
<p>I think it is alot like the old UG question, should I take the honors class and get a B or the regular class for an A: you should take the honors class and get an A There is no good answer for people who are on that borderline who are competing against the kids getting As in honors or getting 4.0 at Stanford.</p>
<p>I have a Berkeley kid and, yeah, there is no grade inflation. She is not fixating on her GPA, she is pursuing her classes one at a time, doing her best and doing her ECs, learning more about “doctoring” to determine if that is truly what she wants to do. Maybe she will end up w/3.5? 3.8? who knows, but she will do her best to be focused in each class knowing it makes a difference, yet not fixate on stupid meaningless details and what ifs.</p>