rjk, “prestige” is subjective. Well, with few exceptions anyway. Obviously, schools like Harvard, MIT and Stanford are universally prestigious. But schools like Cal, Chicago, Michigan, Northwestern, UCLA, UVA etc…are prestigious to some, not so prestigious to others. In EMPire’s parents’ case. I am not surprised that Cal and UCLA are so prestigious. In China and most of East Asia, the UCs are very well regarded. Michigan is too by the way, but obviously, not to EMPire’s parents.
adkdad, those shirts are common everywhere and are harmless. MIT had a shirt with “Harvard, 'cause not everybody can get into MIT!” “UIUC has a shirt that says MIT, the Illinois of the East.”
At least in the case of Michigan, it was a Harvard alum, JFK, who famously said it.