What are some of the best schools for neuroscience while also having good music (jazz) programs?

College Questions

Hello! I'd like to introduce myself to you all so you can get a background about me and my wants in a college. I'm currently a junior living in Illinois. One of my most burning passions is music but, as per the title, I am really interested in pursuing neuroscience as a major in college. I'm really trying to find some colleges that will give me both the best education and have strong jazz programs (or musical ensembles in general for non-majors) while simultaneously being affordable and I need some help searching. I would prefer an urban/suburban college (specifically one close to a "jazz" city) and a smaller population (although doesn't necessarily matter). Not sure if I should mention, but I will anyway: I have a 4.0 unweighted GPA and a 28 on my pACT (hopefully aiming for above 30 on the real one with lots of practice). Many extracurriculars and leadership positions.

Some colleges I have found so far are: Northwestern University UIUC UIC Johns Hopkins Vanderbilt Case Western UMich University of Miami NYU University of Rochester UW-Madison USC

Some of these are a bit of a reach, so please let me know if I should reconsider some of these colleges or if they are strong for me. FYI: if you're curious, I play trumpet and I went to All-State last year and I am also going this year (highest score in my region!!)

Posted Dec 1, 2025, 3:13 AM UTC

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