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Our Approach

At Brighter Days Advising, we believe every student’s journey is as individual as their fingerprint. Our approach begins with a deep understanding of each student’s unique strengths, passions, and aspirations.

From that foundation, we design a personalized roadmap that builds confidence, clarity, and momentum. We guide students through every stage of the college process, helping them strengthen academic skills, identify best-fit colleges, craft authentic essays, manage applications and timelines, and uncover scholarships and financial aid opportunities.

Our goal is to illuminate each student’s path forward, helping them not only gain admission but also thrive once they arrive.

Our Expertise

Brighter Days Advising helps students gain admission to leading colleges across the country through a thoughtful and highly personalized approach. The founder and lead advisor, Anita Morais, earned her BS in Communications from Northwestern University and her MBA from UCLA. She brings more than twenty years of experience in marketing, sales, and big data consulting, along with exceptional skills in organization, project management, and creative communication.

As the mother of two sets of twins, with one child attending Northwestern and another at Columbia, Anita understands the college journey from both a parent and professional perspective. She has successfully guided students entering college for the first time, transferring to new institutions, pursuing fine arts pathways, being recruited as athletes, and earning places in competitive BS/MD and BS/Master’s programs.

Anita’s unique perspective, rooted in her marketing and sales background, sets her apart from many counselors who come from traditional educational fields. She applies the principles of branding, storytelling, and strategic positioning to help students articulate their strengths and goals with creativity and confidence. Through this lens, she helps each student craft a compelling narrative that showcases who they are and what makes them stand out in a competitive application pool.

Anita believes that every student has a distinct pathway waiting to be discovered. Her mission is to guide them in finding that path, expressing it authentically, and stepping forward into their brightest days ahead.

Brighter Days Has Multiple Options

Every student’s journey is unique, and our advising packages are designed with that in mind. You can choose targeted support in the areas that matter most, such as course selection, enrichment opportunities, college research, testing strategies, or essay development. Each option allows families to focus on their priorities and receive expert guidance exactly when it is needed.

For families seeking a true partner throughout the entire process, our comprehensive package provides a complete start-to-finish experience. Anita guides students through her signature 10-Step Ace Your College Applications plan, a structured framework that ensures students move through every stage of the process with confidence and purpose. Students in this package also gain access to cutting-edge research databases, advanced project management tools, and exclusive college readiness trainings that prepare them to thrive both during the application journey and in college life ahead.

Developing Skills

At Brighter Days Advising, we will arm students with skills to succeed in and out of class rooms.

Anita taught me how to interview and conducted mock interviews. She helped me get into my two dream schools. She is the best!

- Sam

Introspective Approach

We take a student-centered approach to college counseling. You can't figure out where you want to go or what you want to achieve, if you don't know yourself. We have a process to get deep into what makes you tick to illuminate the path for you.

With Anita, she got to the core of who I was. My strengths and weaknesses. How I operate in the world. This was useful for college selection, essay writing, and major selection. She helps you have fun going deep into who you are. I learned so much about me!
- Brooklyn

Sage Advice & Service

Brighter Days combines the realities of paying parents with the desires of students to identify sound solutions. A perfect fit school can vary student to student and household to household.

Brighter Days guided my child to apply to schools with vast resources for merit scholarships on top of financial aid. She really helped make my son's desires possible. We could not have navigated these complex applications without this help!

- Sophia, mom

Impactful Essays

When I started my essays, I honestly thought I had said everything I could. Working with Anita completely changed that. She helped me find ideas I didn’t even realize were there and turn them into something powerful. The more we worked, the more confident I felt in my voice. My essays went from basic to unforgettable, and I’m so proud of what we created together. Plus I got into all the colleges I wanted.

- Zack

24/7 Portal Access

As a mom, Anita’s portal was a complete game changer for us. I could unobtrusively keep tabs on my child’s progress without hovering or asking a million questions. My neurotic, sleep-deprived son could log in at 2 a.m. to research colleges, upload essays, and check off assignments whenever he wanted. Anita also shares great resources and tips right inside the portal, which kept us informed and on track. Everything was in one place, perfectly organized, and easy to use. It made the entire college process flow smoothly with no last-minute crises or panic moments.

- Becky, Mom

College Readiness Help

Working with Anita made such a huge difference in how I felt heading to college. She gave me College FAQs that actually answered the real questions I had, plus training on financial literacy, networking tips, notetaking strategies, learning style advice, and even how to find jobs and internships. Every session opened my eyes to something new. It was a total reality check on what I know and an even bigger reminder of how much there is still to learn. I feel so much more prepared and confident about what comes next.

- Arthur

Early College Planning

$800 - Best freshman or sophomore year, strategize to make a student college ready (classes, enrichment, extracurriculars, test strategies, passion projects, volunteering, etc.). Two meetings to get this done right and thoughtfully.

Vital Skills Training

$1600 - 4 one hour sessions on executive, financial, study, and networking skills to enable student success socially, fiscally, and organizationally. Prep now to be impactful at college and at your career.

Perfecting the College List

$3000 - From January of junior year through August of senior year, students meet with Anita for a series of one-on-one sessions designed to identify best-fit colleges that align with their academic strengths, personal interests, and long-term goals. Build a balanced and strategic college list that reflects both reach and realistic opportunities.

Comprehensive Package

$7500 - Full support from start to finish, covering every stage of the college journey. Students receive expert guidance on college planning, list building, financial aid literacy, and skill development. Anita helps each student define their personal brand and craft essays that authentically reflect their strengths and goals.

Comprehensive project management, clear timelines, and ongoing editing ensure a smooth and organized process. Students also gain access to advanced research tools, college readiness trainings, and Anita’s signature 10-Step Ace Your College Applications plan, which brings strategy, structure, and confidence to every step.

Specialized Comprehensive Package

$9500 - Best for Fine Arts, Athletes, Honors Programs applications. Includes everything in the Comprehensive Package, plus tailored guidance for students pursuing unique or competitive admission pathways. Anita works closely with athletes, fine arts students, and applicants to specialized programs to develop clear strategies and organized timelines. Understand which schools require multiple applications, additional materials, or intensive materailsand receive expert insight on creating and submitting supplemental materials such as portfolios, auditions, creative work samples, or athletic profiles.

Intense Essay Weekend

$3500 - Falling behind on essays or short responses and need focused support? This package delivers two intensive days dedicated entirely to writing. Anita helps students organize ideas, refine their voice, and complete the essays and applications that need to get finished. It is a fast-paced, results-driven experience designed to bring clarity, structure, and completion to the college writing process

Bespoke 6 Hour Service Blocks

$3200 - 6 one hour blocks of time to be used for any college or educational service that you need. The choice is yours - so you decide!

ACE YOUR COLLEGE APPLICATIONS

About Us

Our Philosophy