Saw your posts on your other thread, thought I’d post here. Reading your other posts it is very focused on politics affecting your college choice but above you down play your personal preference. I would recommend you visit both schools to make your own choice. Schools change over the years, and political viewpoints are best analyzed with a more personal outlook - a campaigner/activist would have a different view than someone who doesn’t even make it to the polls to vote every year even IF they had the same overall belief ( right, left or middle). If politics aren’t your biggest sticking point, then make a list of your pros & cons for each school and self rank the importance of each.
You asked about the 3.5 GPA, a caveat to that is this is a cumulative number and not by individual semester. If you start out strong, this is not as hard as you would think. Also if you fall below 3.5 you are given a semester on probation to raise it. The point of these merit scholarships is you are suppose to be of a higher academic ability, so the school expects you to perform above average otherwise why should you get the merit scholarship? Logical if you think about it. There are some who lose scholarships, but not many. You should expect to continue your academic excellence in college not just for the scholarship, but also to land a job at the end of your journey. The bigger question for you would be - how confident are you in your academic abilities? How hard are you willing to work in college? If you are looking for a break, you should go elsewhere that does not require you to continue to excel academically. Be honest with yourself when you answer this question.
Regarding your choice between the two schools - seems like opinions thus far on U of Arizona are just that it’s not TAMU. I do know a recent grad from U of A engineering - he did just fine. @Beaudreau might have more input on both schools that is more helpful. Good luck with your choice - just remember to consider the choices and feedback as they pertain to you - there are some pretty adamant contributors on here. If you can afford a trip to both schools - do it. My own kids made different choices based on school visits, I highly recommend it since you will be committing yourself to 4 years in that atmosphere. A happy student is usually more successful, and a student who goes into the situation knowing the alternatives also is more likely to not regret their choice. Best of luck!