<p>Nah, nothing to do with Cal’s liberal culture. It’s simply reputation, perception, opportunities. No diff than describing Penn State and Penn. Both great institutions, no comparison in reputation. And beyond the left coast, few have a clue about Cal Berkeley undergrad programs. If you’re looking for a Ph.D. in chemistry with an assistantship to pay your way, Cal’s on the radar screen.</p>
<p>This one’s a no brainer. And it has little or nothing to do with genuine quality of education which is virtually impossible to guage. Perception’s reality and Stanford floats alot of boats. Cal is one more great public U to which Californians by law are eligible for admission. Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, PSU, UNC, UVA, and a whole bunch more would argue for premier status with Cal. Not with Stanford. No, I’m not even attempting to suggest this is a quantitative issue. It’s qualitative. If you say Cal has a terrific civil eng program, I believe you. And I’ll stick with my origninal generalization, all things considered, I’d take a degree in tiddly winks from Stanford over virtually any @ Cal or virtually anywhere else. No contest unless one’s a civil engineer wannabe, maybe.</p>