<p>I'm wondering if I might be eligible for merit-based aid at any schools.
I scored 34 on ACT, have an unweighted GPA of 4.0, am ranked first in my class, made the preliminary cut for the nat'l merit scholarship, am vp of student council, member of NHS, have been class officer, on prom com., varsity track and cross country, state cx debate, third in state UIL science, FCA officer, and so on</p>
<p>What kinds of schools may give me aid?</p>
<p>You have a good chance at getting merit aid at schools that offer merit aid... however the more competitive the school's applicant pool is, the more kids there will be with stats and ec recs similar to yours, so your chances will be a little slimmer. A lot of it is luck of the draw; and the other half is having something that really, really puts you over-the-top.</p>
<p>Thread on schools with good merit aid: <a href="http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?postid=1457644#post1457644%5B/url%5D">http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/showthread.php?postid=1457644#post1457644</a></p>
<p>Link to schools that guarantee merit aid, and what one needs to qualify for that aid: <a href="http://www.guaranteed-scholarships.com/%5B/url%5D">http://www.guaranteed-scholarships.com/</a>
Most of these schools are second tier or below, but if $ is what's important to you, they may be good deals .</p>