TIP SHEET: 5 ways to land merit scholarships: "No matter what financial aid package the college offers, you can lessen your bill (not to mention your parents') with merit-based scholarships. So says Ben Kaplan, author of the new book 'How to Go to College Almost for Free.' Kaplan should know -- he received nearly $90,000 in merit scholarships while studying for his undergraduate degree at Harvard. 'Start looking into merit-based scholarships now,' he advises."