<p>Xiggi – Alexandre is simply saying that Stanford/MIT are more holistic than Berk. You can apply to SM with a 4.0 2350 and not get in because you’ve done nothing else, but get into Berk because it’s more numbers based.</p>
<p>On the other hand, if you apply to Berk Engineering – (Lower score for dramatic effect) – with a 2000, and SM with a 2000, there’s more of a chance for the latter, especially with Stanford.</p>
<p>As for your speculation remark, do you want to give the OP some peace of mind? Of course we’re speculating, but it’s a pretty reasonable/logical answer. There’s conjecture, and there’s logical “guesswork”.</p>