<p>My daughter applied to 4 schools that offered merit scholarships. We were convinced she would receive one. We were terribly naive. She was a wonderful candidate with great grades, leadership roles, community service, athletics and school ecs. But her ssat scores, while good, were not in the 90’s. One school told us that while you don’t have to have a score in the 90th percentile to receive the merit scholarship, they couldn’t think of any recipient that didn’t have those scores. She did not receive any merit scholarships, but has gone on to thrive at her first choice school.</p>
<p>My suggestion is to apply for both the merit scholarships and FA, even if you don’t think you necessarily qualify. The current economic landscape has broadened that category.</p>
<p>zp</p>