<p>Vanderbilt is supposed to give out good merit aid, as does Tulane. If you want a LAC experience, Rhodes College has some good merit aid.
If you are National Merit, National Achievement (Afro-American), or National Hispanic based on PSAT results, you will get a lot of free ride offers. Most of the schools are second tier or lower, but U of Delaware, Oklahoma, and some others have some good honors colleges. Here is the best info I have on National Merit cut off scores: C:\Documents and Settings pd\Local Settings\Temp\87772.html</p>
<p>Good luck! Don't forget that Early Action is non-binding so its a good deal if you get accepted at your EA school--you know in December you are going somewhere. Early Decision is of course a terrible deal for a student trying to maximize aid.</p>