@1964manicmom I have a niece who is a junior at Furman; she seems to have had a good experience there. However, my daughter (who went through the application grind just last fall) did not apply there, largely because the merit scholarships turned out to have a very early deadline which involved being nominated by a school official, etc. By the time she was in the swing of things application-wise, the Furman scholarship deadline had already passed.
Make sure to check the dates and act accordingly if you’re considering the place and hope to be considered for merit aid!