My D is applying to 7 schools. The other schools have very good Neuroscience programs and are more selective in getting in. I wanted her to choose some schools in PA (closer to mama). But I would hate for her to go to a school that doesn’t have as good as a program as they say on their website.They make everything look wonderful 
They are all very good schools, you really can’t go wrong with any of the three if they are affordable for you. I’m not sure where in or around PA you are, I am guessing eastern half from the selection of schools asked about, but Pitt has a very popular neuroscience program as well, if she is considering that. I met a number of students at Pitt in that major when DD was attending a summer internship program at Pitt and they all seemed to love it. Good luck!!
I would second @Skates76 - Pitt has a separate Department of Neuroscience and this is highly ranked (#23 worldwide)
http://www.neuroscience.pitt.edu/
http://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/neuroscience-behavior?page=3
Thanks for the info. Yes Pitt is on her list but it’s 5 hours away from… me! Selfish, I know but. I’m in NEPA. I’d like her no more than 3-3 1/2 hrs away. I love Lehigh because it’s only 1 1/2 hrs away!
I keep telling her that there is nothing wrong with getting your college degree online - I’d even enlarge her bedroom. Hmm… Maybe these are the reasons she wants to get away
Ha… ha @MeddlingMotherOY , I used to live in the Lehigh Valley (moved to NYC last year) and my D1 attends Pitt Med. Great campus life as well if I may add as my D1 did her undergrad there and had no intention of moving for Med school
@i012575 that’s really nice to know that they have a a great campus life. I am online now looking at Pitt. Unfortunately for me it looks great. 5 hours though???
5 hours isn’t far, it’s an easy drive. She won’t go home more than 2-3 times a semester anyway (you have a year to get used to this).
Pitt has a very good program indeed and since you’re in PA, she should absolutely apply - and not the “expedited” app, but full one that makes her eligible for scholarships. Their Honors Program is very numbers-based (high ACT/SAT score required) so if she fits the profile she should absolutely apply.
Penn State has the Huck Institute and if she’s a contender for schools that are more highly ranked than Lehigh, she should definitely apply to Schreyer, one of the best Honors Colleges in the US; its selection process is opposite Pitt’s, in that they don’t consider test scores at all, but heavily factor in intellectual curiosity as demonstrated in essays, recs, and ECs. With Schreyer, she becomes eligible for graduate-level classes at the Huck Institute as early as her junior year and she can work on research very soon. Out of all applicants to Penn State (over 66,000 last year) only 300 are both admitted to PSU AND to Schreyer so it’s no piece of cake.
Lehigh is very good but the atmosphere is very different from the previous two. Pitt and Penn State have their lot of partiers but with so many students you can find your niche. Lehigh’s fraternity/sorority scenes heavily influences the social scene and its smaller size and greater “insularity” makes it harder depending on your child’s personality - if she’s outgoing and loves to party she’ll love it, but if not it’s harder to find your niche there. Academically it’s top-notch so it really is a question of “fit”.
Villanova is below all three for science research. I wouldn’t consider it in the same league as them.
I grew up in NEPA and if you visit Pitt you will find a school and city that remind you of the best things about NEPA, but much more modern. Many ethnic neighborhoods that have distinctive cultures and flavors that are really similar to many of the classic NEPA heritage cultures. Very friendly city, great healthcare system and plenty of schools and college students. Five hours is a same day drive and she will find other NEPA students there if she goes to Pitt that will allow some shared rides to and from. Your D has plenty of good and reasonably close schools that seem to fit her. Good luck!!
They would all be fine choices. Visit and see which environment she feels most comfortable in.
@MYOS1634 Thanks for the very informative post!! A friend of hers was admitted to Schreyer and she is excited at the prospect of it!
@Skates76 you are so right!
@happy1 I’m trying to get her to visits now.
If your D ever has any questions about what freshman/sophomore years in Schreyer are like (from the application to perks like honors housing, early registration, honors classes, SHOTIME…) I am a current sophomore with several other HS friends in the program and would be glad to answer based on my experiences or theirs. Good luck to her in constructing her list!
Dickinson has neuroscience but I don’t know the details about the program. It’s a good quality LAC ot too far away from you.
In another thread, you mention having “fee waivers”. If that means that financial aid is important to you, can you tell us how much you can contribute each year?
have you run the net price calculators?
Is there a non-custodial parent?
Does your D have a financial safety? A school that you know for sure that you’ll have all costs covered?
@mom2collegekids Yes, financial aid is important to me. I have run the net price calculators and some are stretching it where others come close enough. Luckily, she is an excellent student and I am hoping that she will be getting scholarships and grants as well. She is a hard worker and knows that having a job will be a necessity for her.
In doing more research I have found that there are other schools that would be a better fit financially so her college list has changed a bit.
I am all consumed in this. It even enters my dreams!! I’m starting to lose it. I don’t know how all of you parents got through this process without being committed! 
Pa universities do not meet need and are especially bad for lower income families (nationwide bottom…) Look into universities thatmeet 100%need, such as Bryn Mawr in pa, and other colleges in oh, nys and new England.
^PA state-related universities (Pitt, Penn State, Temple) are expensive, with insufficient institutional need-based aid for low income students. The PASSHE schools (the true PA State schools) are much less expensive to begin with, and do give some institutional aid for low income students. My son, with very average stats, was offered a $3000 scholarship, Pell, SEOG, and state grant, totalling about $14,000 in all, which in addition to work study and student loans covered the cost of attendance at IUP. I assume that other PASSHE schools are similar. Yes, these schools do not guarantee to meet 100% of need, and often don’t, but they do try to make it possible for low income students to attend. For low income students with high stats, the better private universities and LACs in PA will most likely offer better financial aid packages. Two of my adult kids got excellent packages at Haverford.
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Yes, financial aid is important to me. I have run the net price calculators and some are stretching it where others come close enough. Luckily, she is an excellent student and I am hoping that she will be getting scholarships and grants as well.
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Scholarships will get applied to need first, if from the school. If they’re from the outside, then depending on the school and the amounts, they’ll replace grants, loans, and work study or go towards gaps.
Be aware that most outside scholarships are only for FRESHMAN year ONLY and are usually small and hard to get.
Is there a non-custodial parent?
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Luckily, she is an excellent student and I am hoping that she will be getting scholarships and grants as well.
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I’m not sure what you mean by this. Do you mean in addition to what the NPCs are showing?
PSU, Pitt, and Nova tend to give lousy aid. Are the NPCs showing good aid?
What are her test scores and GPA?
If you’re lower income, your best bet is colleges such as Bryn Mawr, Dickinson, perhaps Muhlenberg, plus if you don’t want her too far colleges such as Hamilton, or Barnard in nys. Depending on her stats and achievements the closest Ivies toNePa are Penn and Princeton I think. Run npc’s on all these in addition to Penn state, Pitt, etc. The Passhe schools can be financial safeties but if she has high stats she’s better off with the privates cited above as they’re unlikely to be more expensive and will offer incomparably better opportunities and peer environments. Check out not only the major/minor but also the professor’sspecialty and inquire about research opportunities. Passhe schools for example have the professors on a 4-4 schedule with very few research demands, vs. Penn state which has them in a 2-2 schedule and research requirements.
@mom2collegekids - 1) no, there is not a non-custodial parent 2) yes. from outside the typical state/universities. 3) you are absolutely correct about the aid from PSU, Pitt, and Nova! Not much aid which is why her list has changed drastically since I originally posted. We have both learned A LOT since then - and are still learning! 4) her gpa is 3.9 and her 1st SAT was 720 reading 770 writing 530 math. That math score wont do! She is taking them again as well as the ACT’s in October.
@MYOS1634 Thank you for all that info! It looks like she has eliminated all PA schools. Lehigh was the only one that had decent financials but that school is on the backburner for now. She expanded her search to include liberal arts schools (mainly in New England). The schools she is looking at are in Mass., N.Y., Ct. which translates to mommy terms as: 3 - 5 1/2 hours away.