What are the best merit scholarships available to apply for?

As a high school junior planning for college, I'm eager to apply for merit scholarships to help with tuition costs. Could anyone recommend some of the top merit scholarships that I should consider?

There are numerous merit scholarships out there that offer generous awards to high-achieving students. Here are a few that you might consider:

1. National Merit Scholarship: If you're a high school junior and do well on the PSAT/NMSQT, you can qualify for the National Merit Scholarship Program. Semifinalists and finalists qualify for several thousand dollars in scholarships.

2. Coca-Cola Scholars Program: This is a highly competitive program for high school seniors that awards 150 students with a $20,000 scholarship each year. They seek students with demonstrated leadership, commitment to community, and academic achievement.

3. Siemens Competition: A competition for high school students with extraordinary talents in the fields of math, science, and technology. Scholarship amounts vary, but top individual winners have received up to $100,000 in the past.

4. Ronald McDonald House Charities Scholarships: RMHC offers a variety of scholarships to high school seniors who have demonstrated academic achievement, leadership, and community involvement.

5. Dell Scholars Program: This program provides 300 scholarships annually, each of them worth $20,000. Besides being academically successful, they look for students who demonstrate grit, potential, and ambition.

6. Appily Scholarships: previously known as Cappex, they provide a monthly "Easy Money" scholarship of $1,000 with no essay requirement.

Remember, these are just a select few of the scholarships out there, and there are many more that you might qualify for based on your unique profile. While searching for scholarships, don't overlook smaller local ones - they may have less competition than national scholarships, which increases your chance of receiving them.