<p>As long as you meet the deadlines, you should be fine. Some universities, like the University of Alabama require students seeking non-NMF scholarships (like the Presidential) to apply by December 1. I have heard of some high-stat students missing that deadline and still getting the scholarship, but others have not been allowed to apply late. And some uni’s may be stricter than Bama, too. The applications generally come out in August or September (as I recall, DS applied around August 8th to Bama), so just make those the first apps you fill out and you’ll be fine. 
FYI, Bama’s app takes about 5 minutes to fill out. No essays, recs, etc. Just the short app and your transcript (through 11th grade). Then, to apply to Honors College, UFE, CBHP, I seem to recall they required one recommendation and a short essay for each. SO easy. As someone else said earlier, if you haven’t heard from your safety/rolling admissions school within a week or two, call them. But if you are an auto scholarship recipient, your acceptance should be a given. :)</p>