<p>We did the TX school thing and D found that the FA was better in the elite schools that meet 100% of demonstrated need. Trinity does not, and the only merit aid they had was scholarships that ranged from 4k to 11k. They offered lots of loans and some work/study. D received the highest scholarship, and it still left over 17k per year to pay. That was about what U of Chicago, etc. wanted us to pay, Check out Amherst whose nueroscience dept. is wonderful, and so is bio. Their FA was the best we found. We are from Houston area, as well. That is what worked for D. For you, check out the elite schools and you may find that there is a lot out there for someone with your background. Lots of schools into diversity, and Vietnamese is uRM.</p>