How Do You Evaluate Chances for Competitive Merit?

Honestly, I found it most helpful to stalk scholarship threads on their various school CC forums. Most of the kids post their stats/ECs. With S19 we have a mix of schools on the list - automatic merit schools and then schools with competitive merit where his stats are just as strong as those kids that received it this year. Some schools are tough because there isn’t always a strong pattern - must come down to essays, LORs (for example UMD- College Park’s full rides. The honors kids that DON’T get them are just as strong as those that do.)