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<p>Actually this is also misleading. A National Merit Finalist applying to Northwestern and listing them as first choice has a 100% chance of merit aid, not a minimal chance. So your “anyone” assertion could also use a caveat in order to not mislead.</p>
<p>I don’t really consider getting one’s facts straight to be dwelling on the trivial. Many Merit Finalists read these forums and could find this information useful. Of course, such merit aid falls squarely into the previously established category of “not generally large amounts”, but the awards are on the generous side in the scheme of NMF scholarships.</p>