Hm? You seem to be saying "If you go to a top PhD school, you'll have the best faculty opportunities." I agree with you there. What I'm saying is that "If you

Hm? You seem to be saying "If you go to a top PhD school, you'll have the best faculty opportunities." I agree with you there. What I'm saying is that "If you perform extremely well in your undergraduate degree, you have a high probability of being accepted to a top PhD program." If you get into a top PhD program and choose to attend a non-top PhD program, for whatever reason, I agree with you, you're electing to play on super-hard mode compared to someone who opted for the best school to which they were accepted. However, just like the arcade games, you shouldn't be surprised to win more often on easy mode than on hard mode.