The problem with a lot of large employers is that they have a minimum GPA requirement for new grads, no matter how good you might be. So in a lot of cases getting a c- at say Berkeley is a lot more damaging than say getting a bunch of a and b at UCSD. Also, think about grad school. Doing crappy at Berkeley may preclude your kid at getting into a top tier graduate or MBA program, especially if he/she doesn’t spend much time out in industry before going to grad/b school.

All else being equal, it’s better to be the big fish in the small pond versus the small fish in a big pond, IMHO.

Kinda like how it works in industry. You don’t want to keep getting promoted to the point you are in a role where you are incompetent.