<p>I re-read my earlier post and I was quite harsh. I apologize. It just helped to get one of those reality checks when I was going through the same dilemma when choosing schools years ago. </p>
<p>I think MIT or Harvard may be slightly more advantageous on the East Coast if your bachelor's is going to be a terminal degree. You intend on going to grad school so it really doesn't matter at all. I also observed when I worked on the West Coast over the summer that Berkeley and Stanford grads were getting the plum jobs out in the Bay Area over many Ivy League grads. I sure wouldn't mind settling in the SF area for a few years after undergrad. ;-) I think Berkeley grads are definitely viewed on par with grads from private schools like the non-HYP Ivies, Northwestern, Duke and the like in the post-undergrad job market too.</p>
<p>You're going to get a fabulous education and loads of respect everywhere with a Berkeley degree. My grandparents were more impressed with Berkeley overseas than they were just about every Ivy except for Harvard or Princeton. Grad schools also know how hard Berkeley is so they definitely take it into account. They're also well aware of Ivy grade inflation. I also You sound like a really bright, driven guy so you shouldn't worry at all and be happy about attending such a fabulous school.</p>