I believe there are lots of schools that have very smart kids. Vibe in my mind is more about the personality of the place not intellect.
I think there is a difference in the
vibe projected from kids who attend UC because they want to attend a school with the most rigid core curriculum and those that attend extremely open curriculums like Amherst, Grinnell and Hamilton. Perhaps I am an idealist about fit but I see these polar opposite approaches as drawing students of different temperament.
I certainly think both groups are talented and extremely smart. So I guess we just disagree with what constitutes “vibe”.