<p>
</p>
<p>Well, my response is that you need to be aware of the ‘quixotic perspective’ of Berkeley. </p>
<p>While I agree that most low-income Californians will never step foot on the campuses of the top private schools, let’s face it, most low-income Californians won’t step foot on the Berkeley campus either. Hundreds of thousands of poor Californians aren’t even eligible to apply to UC at all under the strictures of the UC Master Plan, and even of those who are eligible and do apply, the vast majority are not admitted. Berkeley’s student body, on average, is clearly wealthier than is the average Californian - the admittedly large Pell-Grant population notwithstanding. The only division of the California higher educational system that truly provides access to all of the poor is the open-admission community college system. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>A 90%+ undergrad population from California is not exactly a microcosm of the world, as populous of a state that California may be. Heck, even the intrastate diversity is rather sparse.The truth is that most Berkeley undergrads that you meet will be people from either the Bay Area, Southern California, or (less commonly), the Sacramento area. Be honest - how many Berkeley students have you met that come from, say, Fresno? Never mind the fact that Fresno is the 5th largest city in the state.</p>