I simply don’t think it’s “opting out.” What we really need to see is the demographic data on those who are declined admission, which we never will. My suspicion is that UC admissions readers makes little effort to elevate the applications of affluent applicants, but bend over backwards with those from poor school districts, those who are first gen, etc. It turns admission to the most selective UCs into a lottery for these kids through no fault of their own. Sure, they have advantages, but when they take those advantages and perform at an extraordinary level, their achievements are considered a foregone conclusion, not the culmination of a lot of hard work. There’s just something wrong with forcing this high achieving student to go out of state. If you’re in the 80th percentile for grades and test scores, were your essays so deficient that you should get denied across the board to the upper half of UC schools?