Illuminate Why | Envision Where | Navigate How

Post-secondary education (college, graduate school, medical school) is likely one of the biggest investments you will make in life, in line with purchasing a home or choosing to start a family.

We begin our work together getting to know you.

Grounding in your values and priorities can help to inform good decision-making.

Rather than rely on rankings (someone else’s algorithm of what’s important), I look to find personally applicable measures of return on investment and signs of how well schools support students like you.

ABOUT searchlight

Anne Kean

“Understanding what makes my clients tick is at the heart of finding a good place where they have the potential to thrive.”

Anne founded Searchlight College Consulting to help students navigate their path to college and beyond with mindfulness and direction.

Drawing on her background in school counseling, research (effective affective communication) and project management, Anne blends the art of active listening with data-driven information and best practices in college admission counseling.

Getting you where you want To be

Illuminate why

What are the reasons and motivations behind your plans to attend college? What interests, aptitudes and skills do you intend to cultivate there? And, why?

We explore these questions and more through surveys, assessments, and self-reflection.

Envision Where

Where is a good academic, social, and financial fit for you?

Where might you thrive?

We discover the many colleges and universities whose offerings match your unique needs, and vice versa.

Navigate How

How will you go about the process? How will you pace your work and manage stress? How will you make your application stand out in a sea of others?

We strategize a plan and break the process down into specific and doable tasks.

Why work with an educational consultant?

College admissions is changing rapidly. In 2020-2021’s test-optional, pandemic-affected admissions cycle, colleges and universities behaved in new and unprecedented ways:

Applications to well-known schools rose 20-60%, necessitating that students explore schools they never before would’ve considered.

Test-optional has translated into even greater emphasis on extracurricular activities, summer programs and essays.

Holistic admissions is looking more and more like: “Who are you and what will you likely contribute to our community if we accept you? (above and beyond your high school stats).”

One key to navigating this shift is empowering students to discover their options and to tell their unique story.

The Searchlight process guides students to:

craft a balanced college list
dig deep, explore and truly express who they are through their essays & college applications.