Yeah I can understand the importance of resources at least! I think most public state schools will suffice though (at least in NC I've seen this). That's why I think after one ranks schools based on cost + happiness, they should look closely at resources available!
I agree with this. And it feels like people in this topic don't understand that California is unique in their "state schools". It's not like other states because in addition to "state schools" we also have UCs which are also "state schools" but of significantly different caliber. So by just saying "state schools" could be confusing for California high school students.
I emphatically would recommend going to any UC over a state school like, for example, Cal State Long Beach.
I also agree that the name of the school does get understated. It's a minimal benefit, but it's still a benefit. GPA and MCAT still matter the most, and a 3.5 at Cal vs a 4.0 at Santa Barbara is a difference where the name won't matter. But a 3.6 at Cal and a 3.7 at SB, with all else equal? I'm picking the Cal student.
My advice will always be shoot for the best. Fit is definitely important, but I would rank them by tiers.
Shoot for the highest tier and then pick amongst that tier for the best fit. Don't choose a "lower-tier" school because you think you'll have an easier time getting a 4.0. That's no guarantee and it won't necessarily even be easier. Amongst the UCs, I would rank them as:
Tier 1
Berkeley
LA
Tier 2
San Diego
Davis
Irvine
Tier 3
Riverside
Santa Barbara
Santa Cruz
Tier 4
Merced
So if you get into say Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Davis. Take SB off the list and choose among SD and Davis of which is the better fit.
And just from personal anecdotes, I went to Stanford and my undergraduate name was actually a pretty big mentioning-point during my medical school interview. My interviewers saw it in my file and it's as if it gave me an immediate "good first impression" before walking in the door. And in my medical school class, I saw students from Berkeley, LA, Davis, SD, etc. I never saw anyone from my unofficial Tier 3/4 in any of the graduating classes, and just a minimal amount of them in the surrounding med schools. Same goes for Cal State schools.
I also don't necessarily agree with this mentality, but like medical school, your undergraduate school name also follows you for life. It's why medical school websites publish where their students came from. And why even residency programs and physician profiles still show your undergraduate name. Again, shoot for the best and choose amongst the best. Californians have the benefit of having the UCs. They are a great system with some associated prestige, and the price isn't that different from the other "state schools".