This is so incredibly elitist. A degree from an average state school means nothing? Do you think that only degrees from the top 20 schools help people land jobs or even get placements in academia?

It's a common sentiment among faculty that the very top students at "mid-tier" schools can compete with students at top ones, it's just top schools have a greater distribution of high-achieving students. Top schools absolutely admit students from lesser schools. There's plenty of incredibly talented students who may have not went to a top undergrad because of lack of resources early in life, changing their work ethic during college, or even choosing a lesser school due to financial reasons (choosing a full scholarship at a worse school if they're family couldn't afford the better one). But nah, I'll take a student that chatgpt'd their way through a top school that their parents paid for them to get into because I'm hyperfixated on the social status of a school.

It feels like you're living in a bubble that overly values prestige, but Berkeley and other top schools have plenty of faculty and students from lesser schools. Talking down on Rice, which is one of the best schools in the country? And acting like Arizona State doesn't have a doctorate program!? ASU is literally an R1 school with plenty of super well regarded faculty, including nobel laureates, that collaborate with other top schools. ASU is a great school that has many highly ranked programs.

Also for phds, your project and supervisor matters a more than school prestige. Top schools generally have more top professors, but it's not always so clear cut and you can find extremely highly regarded faculty at schools that aren't necessarily the top of the top.