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Even if this is true, I feel it is extremely over-exaggerated. The fact of the matter is that you will gravitate toward people that are like you. You get to choose your peers. There are just as many smart people at Berkeley for you to become friends with as any other great college out there. I don't personally make friends by having random conversations with random people, hoping to get lucky and find one that is smart.
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<p>Actually, that is exactly what students often times end up having to do. Let's face it. Most of us end up becoming friends with the people in our dorm floor/suite. Yet dorm selection is a fairly random process. You don't get to say that you want to be in the 'really smart' dorm. You usually end up with a mix of students, some strong, some weak. And some have the bad luck to end up with a mix of students that is predominantly weak. The idea of a 'really smart dorm' (i.e. an honors- college dorm) is actually something I strongly support precisely because it would create the strong social externalities that are crucial to a good education. </p>
<p>Now of course it is true that you can go out and find talented people to socialize with. But that's extra work. Consider that an 'activation cost'. It's far easier to simply be placed in a social environment where everybody is talented. Again, this is where I think my idea of an honors dorm would really help. </p>
<p>Besides, I think you are strongly discounting the impact of maturity. Let's face it. Most incoming Berkeley freshmen are not confident and wise. Most of them are 17 or 18 year old kids with only limited experience in living unchaperoned. You place a promising, but immature kid like that in an environment where lots of people are partying, drinking, getting high, and basically doing anything but studying, and that kid will be strongly tempted to do the same. Many kids do not have the mental strength to resist those kinds of temptations.</p>