<p>Part of the problem for my D was that many schools didn’t notify on merit aid until really late in the process. She would have withdrawn, for example, from Duke and Wash U much earlier if they had bothered to notify her that she hadn’t made scholarship finalist. Other schools sent their merit offer along with the acceptance - Rice and U Chicago. In both cases, it was very nice but not enough money to tip her from the school she chose.</p>
<p>Choosing your college is simple for some kids. Not so simple for others. In our kid’s case, she turned out to have many more options than expected - contrary to prevailing opinion her strengths (scores and grades) turned out to be quite powerful. This was honestly not her or our expectation and that is why she applied to many places and why we didn’t spend a great deal of time and money taking her to visit lots of schools prior to applications. We didn’t think she’d get into most of them and we didn’t want her to bond with a school that was probably going to reject her.</p>