<p>
[quote]
Missed scholarships matter less to kids applying for FA--the colleges just deduct the scholarships from what they would have supplied and you end up where you started anyway
[/quote]
As the parent of a kid who applies for financial aid i can assure you that is not true at all. Because of a few schools - very few in the large picture - that meet full need with no loans there is a misconception that everyone with need gets that need met in full everywhere. That is not the case in the majority of schools as many students will tell you. Missing scholarships matter a lot to kids applying for financial aid. We apply and qualify for financial aid. Many (probably most) schools do not have the funds to meet full need. Our EFC is very low but there are not enough dollars in federal grants to meet full need. Without the merit scholarships my daughter earned her aid would have consisted of grants, WS, mostly loans - lots of loans - and probably a gap.</p>