<p>Duke would be a great choice-academics, campus, alumni network, grad school and job placement.</p>
<p>Take Penn CAS which is maybe slightly below HYPS [not below M], add Penn engineering (bioengineering especially)- not all Ivies offer engineering [it’s below M and S and maybe P, below Cornell], but add Wharton, add highly rated nursing school and you’re there.</p>
<p>
In terms of prestige and selectivity, I would certainly say that Deep Springs should be included (though not a university or even a LAC). After all, its students often end up at Harvard or peer schools, and I would not be surprised if it won cross-admit battles against virtually any school in the country due to the grueling nature of the application process and unique qualities of the school.</p>
<p>Deep Springers are generally successful in the transfer applications process. In the past 10 years, 16% of students transferred to Harvard, 13% to the University of Chicago, 7% to Yale and 7% to Brown. Other schools frequently attended after Deep Springs include Columbia, Oxford, Berkeley, Cornell and Stanford.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.deepsprings.edu/admissions/statistics[/url]”>http://www.deepsprings.edu/admissions/statistics</a></p>
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</p>
<p>Berkeley is probably the only university that matches HYPSM in breadth and depth of academic programs, faculty distinction and research achievements. However, Berkeley has a much larger undergrad population and is less selective due to its public mission and is not nearly as wealthy…Therefore, Berkeley is very different from HYPSM in terms of criteria the OP is referring.</p>
<p>Why do these types of threads more times than not seem to be started by current or former Duke students?</p>
<p>Just go to US News and look at the schools ranked similarly. You don’t need a message board to figure this out.</p>
<p>No, Berkeley is not even close to the same level.</p>
<p>UChicago deserves a mention-top academics, great faculty,and large endowment.</p>
<p>Re: Berkeley</p>
<p>I assume OP is asking about undergraduate programs, since OP’s moniker seems to indicate he/she is targeting MIT for 2013 undergraduate admission.</p>
<p>If the question is about Ph.D. programs, then Berkeley/Stanford/Harvard stand head and shoulders above all other U.S. Universities per the 1995 and now 2010 NRC rankings across 59 Ph.D. subareas.</p>
<p>If the question is about “whole university” undergrad + professional + Ph.D., then I suppose one must refer to the Peer Assessment scores of the USNWR, in which Berkeley is around #4 in the country if memory serves.</p>
<p>It would help if OP were more specific in what he/she is asking.</p>
<p>When it comes to PhD, you need to look at your specific focus. There are some areas where Berkeley may occassionally rank in the top 5, but it is not often. When it comes to undergrad, Berkeley is an outstanding state school, but it is not a top 5 university/college.</p>
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</p>
<p>Lol… MIT '13 means he’s a sophomore at MIT.</p>
<p>“When it comes to PhD, you need to look at your specific focus. There are some areas where Berkeley may occassionally rank in the top 5, but it is not often.”</p>
<p>Let me see:</p>
<p>Biology: #2
Chemistry: #1
Computer Science: #1
Earth Science: #3
Economics: #6
English: #1
History: #1
Mathematics: #2
Physics: #5
Political Science: #6
Psychology: #1
Sociology: #1</p>
<p>Business: #3 at the undergraduate level and #7 at the MBA level
Engineering: #3
Law: #7</p>
<p>I challenge you to name more than three universities that come close to Cal.</p>
<p>
Allow me to inform you, informative.</p>
<p>(From USNWR Graduate School rankings)
[Best</a> Graduate Schools - Education - US News](<a href=“http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools]Best”>http://grad-schools.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-graduate-schools)</p>
<p>Berkeley’s Rankings:
Biology = #2
Chemistry = #1
Computer Science = #1
Earth Science = #3
Math = #2
Physics = #5
Statistics = #2
Economics = #6
English = #1
History = #1
Political Science = #6
Psycology = #1
Sociology = #1
Public Policy = #2</p>
<p>Professional Schools:
Business = #7
Engineering = #3
Education = #10
Law = #7
Medical = NA (but UCSF, Berkeley’s defacto med school is #4)</p>
<p><em>cross posted with Alex</em> :)</p>
<p>Who cares as long as you did not go to graduate school at Berkeley, this is kind of moot.</p>
<p>Its based all on reputation and research publications. Yes berkeley churns out tons of those. Anyways Graduate school is like a job not studying</p>
<p>“Who cares as long as you did not go to graduate school at Berkeley, this is kind of moot.”</p>
<p>So what if I did not attend Cal. I respect many universities I did not attend. Besides, I would care if I were an undergrad at Cal. I expect to be taught by a world authority, not some run of the mill professor that can be found anywhere. </p>
<p>“Its based all on reputation and research publications. Yes berkeley churns out tons of those. Anyways Graduate school is like a job not studying.”</p>
<p>I don’t know sefago, PhD students I know study constantly. Sure their studies are mainly independent in nature, but they involve a lot of reading, research and writing.</p>
<p>Informative: clearly you are not, nor are you informed.</p>
<p>Reading this discussion for the umpteenth time is reaging me.</p>
<p>Now that I’m in college, I guess it’s my turn to add some of my “insight” to these types of threads:
P>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>HYSMW>Columbia, Dartmouth>whatever</p>
<p>the OP has it wrong.</p>
<p>Stanford is most like Harvard, Princeton, Columbia and Yale ;)</p>
<p>
It does when you are looking for a job.</p>
<p>
LOL … have you ever attended graduate school?</p>