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<p>Many come to realize that one undergrad is not inherently better than another. Harvard may not be better than UCLA for undergrad, or Swarthmore over Stanford, or Cal State Northridge over Berkeley. Some people thrive in large environments; others, not so much. And of course, each will have different qualities that some value more – e.g. course selection, or availability of student organizations, or access to a vibrant city. So really, I wouldn’t say undergrad at Berkeley is subpar to, say, Vanderbilt or Brown – just different. Likewise, I wouldn’t say that Tufts or USC is subpar to Berkeley or UVA undergrad. They simply offer different environments and options (e.g. with money).</p>