I never got it – how can people seriously think that UC Berkeley is an elite school? Sure, maybe its graduate programs are – but we’re talking about undergraduate. Has anyone looked at the average SAT scores? Sure, the GPAs might be good – but that’s because the admits are from trash California high schools rampant with grade inflation – and we see that VERY clearly when they are unable to get even half-way decent SAT scores.
Moreover, UC Berekeley has the advantage of costing like half as much as other “elite” schools – yet it still can’t manage to attract a halfway decent student body.
Yes, student body might not be everything – but the main reason that my high school honors classes are so challenging is because of the students who take them. If your classes are literally littered with trash students, then how can the professors make the material challenging?
UC Berkeley shouldn’t be in the top 30 and neither should any other public university either.