<p>There are quite a few schools out there that give some hefty scholarships. If you are in fact a national merit semi-finalist/finalist, can you pretty much count on these schools as safeties, or at least match/safeties? </p>
<p>For instance, BU and USC both give 1/2 tuition scholarships for NM (~$15,000). It's my understanding that these aren't exactly competitive or anything... if you are accepted and do the first choice you get them.</p>
<p>But like I asked, does it pretty much give you a solid shot if a school offers big scholarships like this?</p>