Why I Do This Work: The 50 Points That Changed Everything
I was a good student in high school, top of my class. I took the SAT once, scored well, and moved on with my life. Applications went in, acceptances came back, and I chose a college. And I was the first in my family to do so. Remarkable, right?
It wasn't until after the deadlines had passed that I learned the truth: I had been exactly 50 points away from qualifying for a full academic scholarship at one of my target schools.
Fifty points.
If I had known I could retake the test, I likely could have earned those points. If I had known what the scholarship thresholds were, I would have understood what was at stake. But I didn't know. And by the time I found out, the window had closed.
Why This Matters Now
That experience shaped my entire career as an Independent Educational Consultant. I never want another student or family to miss a life-changing opportunity simply because they didn't know something was possible or didn't know to ask the right questions.
The college application process is full of invisible deadlines, unwritten rules, and information that seems obvious only after you've been through it. Families are drowning in conflicting advice from the internet, and underneath it all is this persistent fear: What if we miss something?
This is especially true when it comes to standardized testing. Should your student take the SAT or ACT? How many times should they test? What about test-optional policies? Are they really optional, or does skipping testing hurt their chances? And how do you navigate merit scholarships when every school seems to have different requirements?
The Information Gap is Real
Here's what I've learned after years of doing this work: families don't need more pressure to get things done. They need clarity. They need to understand what's actually at stake, what their options are, and what steps to take without drowning in anxiety or second-guessing every decision.
When parents work with me, they get the information they need to feel confident. When students work with me, they get accountability and guidance without feeling controlled. One of my students recently told her mom, "Mom, that's Melissa's job" whenever her mom started to worry about applications. The mom later wrote: "It did save me much heartache."
That's the experience I want for every family—one where peace of mind and positive outcomes go hand in hand.
Let's Clear Up the Testing Confusion Together
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the SAT, ACT, and test-optional landscape, you're not alone. The rules have changed dramatically in recent years, and it's hard to know what advice to trust.
That's why I'm hosting a free workshop this Wednesday night called Testing Made Simple: How to Navigate the SAT, ACT, and the Test-Optional Landscape.
In this workshop, you'll learn:
Whether your student should take the SAT or ACT
How to create a realistic testing timeline (and when retesting makes sense)
What "test-optional" really means—and when submitting scores helps or hurts
How testing impacts merit scholarships and financial aid
I'll share the insider knowledge that helps families avoid the kind of costly mistakes I made so you can make informed decisions with confidence instead of stress.
You don't have to navigate this alone. Let me help you bring clarity and calm to the testing process.
Testing Made Simple- Workshop Registration LINK
Because no family should miss out on opportunities simply because they didn't know to ask the right questions.
