You’re welcome.
Macalester, like a lot of schools, has a lot of government/econ majors, and there’s a pretty big international focus here. Also, I believe it has a relatively large % of international students, and it attracts a lot of United World College (UWC) students who are mostly international.
On that list of schools who claim to meet financial aid, I think Holy Cross, Union, Franklin and Marshall, and maybe Lafayette would be my first thoughts if I were looking for science in general. I don’t know specifically especially about neuroscience. If one looks good, you might go to the school’s departmental webpages for chemistry and biology and see what the professors in the department focus on. Do any of them do neuroscience research?
LACs are typically great for small classes and interaction with professors. I’m a fan, although it mostly depends on the students interests, etc. It is good, though, to check to see what the professors work on. The departments will be relatively small.
Amherst is very competitive, especially regular decision. If you’d like to apply, and are willing to pay the app fee, there’s no harm. It will be a long shot, as it is for the vast majority of students. If you are female, here’s an idea. Amherst is part of a five-school consortium with other Western Massachusetts schools–University of Massachusetts–Amherst, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College. Students can take classes at the other schools. U Mass in the public state flagship and so I don’t think you’d get much aid there. Hampshire is probably not what you are looking for as a science student. Mount Holyoke and Smith are women’s LACs. I don’t know about there science programs, but the schools generally have very good reputations. Both have very liberal, politically active student bodies, Smith more so. Smith is right adjacent to Northampton, a nice college town and has a unique house system where students live. If female, you could apply to Mount Holyoke and/or Smith–they are competitive but have much higher acceptances than Amherst–and would have access to science classes at Amherst and U Mass. I’m sure you could find the classes you are seeking that way. If male, never mind. (Volleyball is mostly a female sport in US high schools, which is why I’m presuming a bit.) They’d probably offer financial aid, but I’m not sure it’d be enough. Here’s info on the five-college consortium:
https://www.fivecolleges.edu
On the essay questions, schools sometimes want to know why you want to study at that school. It might be helpful in that case to have some idea why you want to study at an LAC and that one in particular. I wouldn’t worry about it for questions more about you. The most important thing is not to try to “game” the essays but to give them the most honest answer possible. They really want to know who you are. If you are honest and authentic, it really comes across well. Often, if it answers the question well, a moment–small or large–in your life that was important to you can be powerful. What happened and what was the impact on you? I know someone who wrote a great, effective answer about going to the doctor, not what happened at the doctor’s office but the actual trip. It told the impact of that trip on their thinking and growth. I’m sure when the admissions rep read it, they felt like they knew the student. I’m not saying do your essay/essays this way, just offering it as a suggestion. Last thought, always stay positive and confident. That’s always important. Good luck!