<p>There are lots of threads on CC about likely letters that should offer some context. Good luck to your daughter!</p>
<p>I think it is cool, as long as you are not putting all of you eggs into that one basket (which it sounds like you are not.) </p>
<p>She may or may not get a lot of money, but even if she doesn’t, it’s nice to be acknowledged for your achievements and to be wanted. (For those Downton Abbey fans, I think of Daisy with the American guy last night. 
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<p>Best of luck to your DD, and I hope she gets in with a lot of $$$. </p>
<p>Only a handful of midwestern LACs admit less than a third of their applicants, and most admit well over half. All of them struggle to get admitted students to enroll – their yield rates are typically from about 20% to 35% (and would be half that if they weren’t using ED to boost their yield rates). So anything they can do to forge a relationship with students they are likely to accept, that’s worth doing for them.</p>
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<p>The average merit award at St. Olaf in 2012-13 was about $13K. At Macalester, the average was about $10K for the 20 entering freshmen who received any merit aid at all (according to the 2012 CDS). 20 students represents the top ~4% of the entering class. The top 4% of Macalester students would have very strong qualifications. So I don’t think you can assume NMF status necessarily will result in very large merit offers (full ride or even full tuition) at the more selective midwestern LACs.</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies, folks. This thread is old now. 
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