<p>I am aiming for either Biochemistry or Psychology B.S. I would really appreciate your input!
Thank you.</p>
<p>What kind of a question is this? How can we help you to find schools if your question is this broad? This is like asking, what is life? lol.</p>
<p>It might help if you explain why PA. Is it in-state for you? Do you just like the state? What are your stats (test scores, unweighted GPA)? Financial situation? What size college are you interested in?</p>
<p>I’d get your hands on a good college guide book (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review to name but two) and see which schools make sense in terms of your stats, what size school you like, what you can afford etc.</p>
<p>@International95- You’re absolutely right. I should have explained the specifics after careful consideration. 
@Intparent Yes, my goal is to do in-state and I do love PA. Currently, I am trying to apply for scholarships. Well, my SAT is 1300 and GPA is 3.5. If you mean campus size, then it would be 6000-9000 acres preferably urban. I also wish that there is an option of Co-op programs available in that particular university.
@happy1 You know what, I actually checked it out & they were very informative guide books.
Thank you all for understanding.</p>
<p>For academic quality in the most popular arts and science majors, some of the strongest universities in Pennsylvania, according to major college rankings, include Carnegie Mellon University, Lehigh, Penn State, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, and Villanova. Of these, the University of Pennsylvania is the most selective. Pennsylvania also has many excellent small colleges including Bryn Mawr (women only), Bucknell, Gettysburg, Haverford, Juniata, Lafayette, Muhlenberg, and Swarthmore. Of these, Haverford and Swarthmore are the most selective.</p>
<p>There are no universally accepted criteria to determine exactly which universities are “best” in general. So yes, you might get better answers if you describe your qualifications and what is most important to you. The most selective, most prestigious, or highest-ranking schools won’t necessarily have the programs you want, or in other respects be among the best fits for you. For example, most small liberal arts colleges do not have engineering programs (or else only have general engineering programs, not specialized programs in biomedical/chemical/electrical/mechanical engineering). </p>
<p>When you say 1300, is that CR + M, or CR + M + Wr? What is the exact breakdown? </p>
<p>Do you have a preference for the number of students? </p>
<p>“I am trying to apply for scholarships” does not tell us how much your family can pay, or whether you might be eligible for need based aid. Most scholarship money (need based or merit based) comes from the colleges themselves. It is helpful to know what you can pay in order to make recommendations.</p>
<p>What is your EFC? Have you run Net Price calculators already and can you pay what the colleges say you’ll have to pay?
Please understand that Pennsylvania has a very bad record when it comes to university costs (Penn State in-state tuition costs have doubled in 10 years, for example!!!) It’s both one of the most expensive public universities for state residents AND one of the lousiest when it comes to giving financial aid (both need-based and merit, BTW.)
On the other hand, there are about 100 colleges in PA, including some of the highly selective colleges that meet 100% need (some without any loan at all!); if you have a high EFC, some privates have excellent merit aid, too.
Therefore, you must absolutely look into costs to determine what your strategy should be, then apply accordingly.
First, run the Net Price Calculators on a few options that seem accessible. Second, bring the results to your parents: do these numbers seem affordable or not? Will they be able to help you in any way? Third, come back here and we’ll help you craft a strategy.</p>
<p>Please note that typically in-state universities are cheaper for the state’s residents when they’re public, but this doesn’t affect private universities’ costs, and for PA residents SUNYs may be cheaper. Conversely, if you apply 400+ miles from home, you bring geographical diversity to the college, which may help with admissions and, for many colleges, results in preferential packaging (ie., better financial aid). For you it’d mean colleges in the Midwest, South, Southwest, Pacific Northwest, and perhaps NH, Maine, Vermont. (California; most of New England, and adjacent States don’t count).</p>
<p>What makes a university “the best” varies.
I’d rank Bryn Mawr (for girls) and Haverford very high, with Penn and Swarthmore slightly above them, for instance.
Someone may rank Penn State the highest because of football, or because of Shreyer. Others may rank Bucknell, Lehigh, and Gettysburg very high due to the predominence and power of the Greeks. People in theater would rank Muhlenberg well ahead of Lehigh, while those in engineering would do the opposite (in fact Muhlenberg doesn’t even have engineering, and Lehigh’s theater program… not sure about it). People looking for a rigorously evangelical, conservative college would rank Grove City quite high, and someone interested in med school would choose Juniata, while students with eclectic academic interests would choose Allegheny. Students interested in strong business programs would look at Villanova and Susquehanna, not to forget Dickinson’s international management program. Writers could pick Ursinus. Students with ACT 34 needing merit would look at Pitt’s Honors College, while those looking for full rides for lesser scores would look at Temple. Etc, etc, etc…</p>