<p>Bottom line: it’s not going to make any difference for most of the schools you listed. </p>
<p>Are you looking for merit aid? That’s financial aid that depends entirely on stats, and not on your family’s finances. If you’re looking for merit aid, then one strategy is to use one of your two school notifications for a school that offers significant National Merit or merit-based aid. </p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/national-merit-scholarships/649276-nmf-scholarships-updated-compilation.html</a> lists schools that offer big NM funds; go to the last page to see the most recent list. I believe Vanderbilt currently offers $5k a year to NMFs, so if the school looks at all interesting to you, use this as an opportunity to show them some early love.</p>