<p>I vote “maybe”. I can see a shift in prestige among the top 3 UCs in the next 50 years (that may or may not be to our advantage) and I do not believe Berkeley will be as prestigious as it is forever. Nothing is set in stone.</p>
<p>UCLA’s graduate programs are actually quite prestigious already and they would only need to advance slightly to match Berkeley’s. Furthermore, UCLA has a med school while Berkeley doesn’t. The medical school is the most prestigious part of a university and, because of this, international rankings occasionally rank UCLA above Berkeley and it ISN’T a fluke in methodology. </p>
<p>UCLA is also gaining undergraduate momentum vs Berkeley. The gap in USNWR rankings has decreased in the past 20 years as well as the gap between the student body. If current trends persist, which is actually more reliant on Cal’s decline rather than our rise, we could “surpass” Berkeley in the next 50 years.</p>
<p>Remember USC. I don’t understand why people are so insistent that rankings are rigid because they are not.</p>
<p>Regarding how important “prestige” is, I think you will regret choosing Berkeley if you aren’t at least “tolerant” of the environment. “Prestige” has negligible impact on your career. All you really gain from going to Berkeley (or MIT/Harvard/etc. etc.) is the ability to tell people you went to Berkeley. If this means a lot to you, which it does to some people, then Berkeley is the right choice.</p>