<p>@lindyk8 </p>
<p>“Top tier universities are heavily represented at the top grad schools over lower tier counterparts.”
Except certain top-tier universities like Stanford and Harvard are know for grade inflation.
Inversely other universities like the UCs especially are know for grade deflation. In other words they have really hard tests that are curved based on the class average and department scale.
On top of that UCLA, Cal, UCSD are the top 3 UCs and so they are filled with a huge body of overachieving students who couldn’t attend top-tier privates (for cost or electability). It’s like walking into a pack of hungry wolves. </p>
<p>UCIs bio dept is really harsh too. </p>