[quote=flu]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.[/quote]I totally agree about the big fish in small pond vs small fish in big pond. There have been a study done exactly on this topic and data showed that you’re more likely to be successful, make more money, publish papers, going to higher education when you’re the big fish in a small pond vs small fish in a big pond. You’re also more happy as well.

I personally wouldn’t fret too much about going to the absolute best college. Life is long and I feel like luck plays a huge part in financial success. If you’re meant to be successful, you will be regardless of which college you go to. If you’re not, you can be going to Stanford, got burnt out and become a bum after dropping out or even worse, commit suicide because you feel like a total failure. This comes back to big fish in small pond and small fish in big pond theory. When you’re the big fish in a small pond, you also have a lot more chances to build up your confidence and self esteem, which help greatly in the real world.