School recommendations for 31 ACT?

College Search & Selection
1

I am looking for a medium sized (5,000-20,000) research university (want to major in neuroscience and minor in mathematics). My ACT score is a 31 and I live in NC. My grades are at the top of my class and I have taken a rigorous curriculum throughout high school, along with many extracurriculars.

2

URochester.

3

Lehigh University is in Bethlehem, PA. It has:

  • a neuroscience major
  • about 7,000 students (5,000 undergrads)
  • an ACT of 31 puts you in the middle 50%
  • many opportunities for extracurriculars
4

Tulane in New Orleans!

5

Wake Forest, if it has those majors. Case Western Reserve, maybe. Emory and Wash U might be reaches with that ACT, but otherwise meet the criteria.

6

Bucknell

7

Syracuse? Pitt? Case Western? SMU? My son got into UCSD (a little larger) from out-of-state with a 31 ACT, but he was not applying for as competitive a program. He got into Tulane, but without a nickel of aid (if that’s a concern for you). Washington U. or Vanderbilt would definitely be reaches with a 31.

8

University of Pittsburgh.

9

Harvard.

10

What are your cost constraints or budget?

11

UW GPA? Why aren’t you looking at UNC or NC State, or have you already put them on your list?

12

To the schools already listed (except for Harvard…), I would add Brandeis.

13

You don’t even need a test score for a lot of schools, so don’t let that limit you.

14

I assume you’re already applying to UNC CH, NCSU, and Wake.
If you’re interested actually doing research yourself (vs. just having professors who do), look into science-minded LACs; these will be smaller than 5,000 but you’ll find quite a few with 3,000 and such a large campus it wont feel “small”.
You can also look at consortia (Claremonts, 5-Colleges, bi-Co).
Are you a boy or a girl?

That being said, URochester, Lehigh, Case Western, Pitt, Tulane are all great suggestions! RUN THE NPC on them then bring the results for each to your parents, see which ones are affordable from their income+savings, which aren’t.
(Pitt will be 50K for example, no financial aid.)

Do you have two affordable safeties you’d be okay going to? All of the universities are very competitive.

Plan to retake the ACT in September as a 32 would make you more competitive (or try the August SAT?)