As I have had to tell my DD20, Sometimes you have to get a new dream. We can not always have what we want. Even with merit, your school should be affordable in the event that you have a bad semester and fall short of the merit requirements (not that I expect her to). I am also of the mindset that we would not apply to various scholarships for the purpose of meeting tuition as we will have to hunt and get scholarships every year in order to remain enrolled, which is not a guarantee. Many schools that offer merit have a deadline for the application. One of DD20’s schools had a deadline of Dec. 15th. Hopefully, you applied and was accepted to other schools that are more affordable. Good Luck to you.