Brandeis is on the list!
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I haven’t taken the SAT/ACT yet, but it’s coming up in April.
At minimum, you should apply to UIC and to UIUC (even though it’s not in Chicago). Doing a neuroscience major + premed classes is not meaningfully different from doing a biology major + neuro-related electives. But since you say it’s important to you, both those schools have neuroscience majors.
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Since you are sure about neuroscience major, you may want to look at the course requirements at the schools you are considering. My kid’s best friend discovered (after enrolling, during her first meeting with an advisor) that she could not finish both a neuroscience major and med school prerequisites in four years at her school. Since graduating in four years is important to her, she had to make an adjustment to a major with more overlap with the prerequisites or fewer course requirements for the major… I don’t remember now which she decided.
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UIUC would not be an ideal location and from what I’ve heard from people that graduated from my high school, they did not get good aid. I could suffer for a few years location wise if it meant coming out of college nearly debt free, but I don’t know if UIUC would be the place that would do that for me. Lot of appeal when it comes to friends I know who are almost sure that’s where they will end up. I come from a generally wealthy suburb, but my mom is a single parent and can only do so much on her own- will update with the budget when I have some insight from my parent 
Ah thank you for this info! I’ve looked briefly at course requirements for each school on my list and most hit home for medical school prerequisites, but I will definitely search for more info regarding this!!
First thing - you need to run the net price calculators for Harvard, Northwestern, and BU - or have your parents do it.
Aid is based on what schools say, not what students say. If you are full pay and don’t want to spend $350K over four years, then those schools aren’t reaches - they’re out of play.
If they say you’d be $10K a year - that’s different.
Do you have a test score? Applying TO doesn’t mean you don’t have a score. That score might get you significant merit at some schools.
For neuro, Brandeis is fine - as is UVM, UNH, and U of Arizona where you’d get $30K merit and would be $25K or so all in.
There’s other fine schools - but need to know what your budget is - and whether or not meets needs schools (your three) would get you to that budget.
As for UIUC, it’s a fine school - but yes many Illinois kids go out of state - a lot to Alabama believe it or not. And they have the Mccullough Medical Scholars - but you’ll need a test score to get top merit.
For neuro - I don’t think you need the specific major - a psych or bio with certain classes from what others have noted do the trick.
Once you give us your need figures from the NPC and your true budget, we can make better recommendations.
Good luck.
It would be worth mapping out a four-year course plan at a few of your target schools.
The student I am referring to found that there was no way to meet the school’s gen ed requirements plus the neuroscience major requirements plus the med pre-requisites in four years. This will obviously vary by school. It is the reason many pre-meds choose to major in bio or biochem… because there is more overlap with the major course requirements and pre-med courses.
Schools with more flexible gen ed requirements could help. If you can use AP or DE credits that will allow more room in your schedule as well.
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Taking 5 AP tests in the spring, I tend to be a not-so-great standardized test taker (hence the test-optional SAT/ACT)…but I think I should be able to submit a few good AP scores to colleges after I finish out junior year!
Although not in your preferred area of the country, Centre College has a behavioral neuroscience major and is great with merit aid. It would be a safety and does well with med school placement.
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You might find this interesting. If you truly want med school, it doesn’t appear taking AP credit is necessarily the way to go. In some cases ok but in some not and given the competitiveness of med school it sounds like it could be limiting.
Others with more knowledge may chime in differently but perhaps the non science ones are ok, but maybe you should pass on the science ones.
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Have you told us the budget yet? That’s really important info.
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That - and checking the NPCs at her three listed schools (BU, Northwestern, Harvard) - because she might qualify for need based aid…or…she might not!!!
Probably 20-30k range somewhere
Also will be applying for smaller scholarships & scholarships my school offers as well
This is why you need to do the net price calculator for the three schools.
They may say you are $80K.
$30K - if that’s the limit - is your budget. It may or may not be what Harvard will cost you.
Or BU or Nwestern.
If they are $80K or $55K and you have $30K, then they become non-appliable.
But there’s no point in giving you names until you can determine if you qualify for need based aid.
But most publics will be outside your cost - but U of Arizona will work, Miami of Ohio may work, U of SC may work. Western Carolina will work, WVU will likely work (has neuro) as will MS State… they might not be names you’d like - but guess what, they all send kids to med school.
But if you find out that the three you mentioned will get you to $30K, then it opens up a host of schools. If they won’t, then you need a merit strategy - and it can be done - but you’ll have to be open and flexible.
I will put two kids through fine colleges, no need based aid (pure merit) for less than $20K per kid on average…that takes a merit strategy of applying to schools that:
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Will definitely hit your cost - you need two of these. These are your worst case fallbacks.
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May hit your cost - but may not
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Have full rides - your W&L, Seattle, SMU, etc.
Your grades and MCAT, not Harvard vs. Hofstra, are going to get you into med school…there are other things too such as shadowing…but forget the dream school now - not because they are reaches but because there are no dream schools.
We read every year about many kids transferring from their dream school - bad profs, bad food, bad roomie, etc. There is no dream school.
There are affordable schools that can meet your needs and hopefully provide a wonderful experience - but until you do the NPCs, no one can truly help you (on the need based private schools).
But schools like the UCs, UVM and UNH that I mentioned b4 - are out.
Good luck
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Washington and Lee has a full ride scholarship? That will be insanely competitive, if so.
@ss102605 have you run the NPC with accurate information? What do they say your final estimated cost of attendance is? You need to sit down with your parents and complete the NPC for each school of interest.
Yes. The Johnson scholarship… full ride plus $7k stipend and some extra resources. And while it is competitive, it’s awarded to 10% of each freshman class so the odds are better than at many other schools with competitive full rides.
(Sorry for answering for you, @tsbna44 )
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Wow, that’s an amazing scholarship!
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It’s unreal…and while it’s hard to get because 40+ get each year, at least it’s not unrealistic.
My daughter wasn’t chosen but then she interviewed for the Weinstein, which wasn’t as good - just full tuition and was an alternate - but didn’t get.
She’s at College of Charleston - at $5K more than tuition in scholarship.
So good things can happen to really smart kids if they go to …less than the top pedigree schools.
Hopefully OP will qualify for need aid - that will open a lot - but if not, then some of the 2nd tier (but not any worse) flagships or regional schools like Truman State or Murray State come in play…and as we all know, there are Ivy caliber students at pretty much every flagship in the country…many get “bought” in. That’s the advantage of being so smart like OP - these schools need you to ratchet up their stats.
And then - having a test score in many cases - can also help secure even more $$$ - Alabama, required at the Florida schools, Purdue (for all intents), Georgia, etc.
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