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<p>Yes it could. Some schools like U of Southern California (USC) need to have them as the first choice by March 1st, so you would automatically loose consideration if you delayed it beyond that date.</p>
<p>U of Idaho which gives very good NMSC scholarships gives only 25 of them. Those scholarships could be gone by the time the choice is made.</p>
<p>Hence, your strategy depends on the college that you choose. There is no one size fits all strategy.</p>