Just to give you an idea of how hard it is
; my son was #1 in his HS w/ a 99.7 UW average, 35 ACT, SAT: 800 V, 760M, 730W, 800 on Bio SAT II and wasn’t able to score significant Merit aid at UMD or UVA. He was also unsuccessful at Richmond and Villanova. If you want Merit aid you have to look at much less selective schools.