<p>Even if I were to agree with everything you said, anyone who picks his major based on what his school is strong in is an idiot. If I had gotten into Harvard and UIUC as a freshman, and only those two schools, I most certainly would have picked UIUC. If I then changed my major to math, I would transfer to a better school like an Ivy, grades-permitting. I wouldn't just say "Hey, UIUC isn't the best in math, so maybe I should just pick something else that they're strong in." You just try to make the best decision based on the information available at the time.</p>