Our Services

Marrs College Admission Advisors (MCAA) believes that students need to start the college planning process as early as possible in high school. Our role is not to add more stress or anxiety about college and the college admissions process, but to alleviate it and insure that the student pursues the strongest academic curriculum specific to his/her needs. Parents must keep in mind that college admission counselors consider which courses a student takes to be almost as important as the student’s GPA. MCAA is there to guide the student through the course selection process as well as to reinforce the importance of extracurricular activities and community involvement. MCAA creates a partnership with the student by offering custom-tailored strategic college planning while taking into consideration that every student is unique.

Below is an overview of the many services MCAA offers. For a sample schedule of the meetings and services provided for each year of high school, please contact us.

Freshman Year
Preparing for college starts earlier than ever; students need to know that 9th grade counts. MCAA will make sure your student has the most distinctive freshman year possible. We will create a strategic plan that includes not only appropriate curriculum recommendations, but also a variety of activities that
reflect the student’s interests, goals and passions. Colleges look for students with depth. MCAA is here to guide your student toward that ideal. MCAA usually works with 9th grade students on an hourly basis.

Sophomore Year
Sophomores must focus on the importance of building depth by keeping their course work and extracurricular activities balanced. MCAA works with students and families to keep that balance by reviewing the 4-year academic plan, setting reachable goals and broadening the student’s opportunities for enrichment with both school and community activities. Tenth grade is also the time to start planning for the standardized tests students will take in their junior year. MCAA will help set timelines, determine if test prep is needed and recommend which standardized test is most beneficial for the student’s test-taking style. Because tests are just one of many factors sophomores will need to prepare for in the upcoming junior year, MCAA's guidance at this point can prove invaluable.

Junior Year
Junior year – a crucial year for college planning – is the last chance to build depth. In addition to keeping up with their course work and extracurricular activities, juniors find most of their time filled with college admission preparation and decision making. This is when they take their standardized tests and is the most stressful year for the college-bound student. MCAA strategic planning helps keep the anxiety to a minimum. Most families also begin visiting college fairs and traveling to tour campuses. The MCAA advisor will provide strategy to get the most out of visiting a campus and insight into the schools themselves, helping the student narrow the list of schools to which they should apply, always aiming for the best fit. Everything begins to come together in the junior year. The duty of the MCAA advisor is to keep students focused and on track and guide them through all the steps during this critical time in the college planning process. The MCAA advisor is an experienced and knowledgeable guide who offers strategic planning that is indispensable to the success of the junior year.

Senior Year
This can be an anxiety-ridden time for seniors and their families because so much happens at once. Final senior course selection, weighted GPA versus unweighted GPA, requesting transcripts, deciding which colleges are the best fit, completing applications, writing essays, editing and rewriting essays, compiling resumes, gathering recommendation letters, applying for financial aid, understanding and filling out the FAFSA, filling out scholarship applications, writing more essays. This is but a partial list of what the college-bound high school senior is facing. The strategic college admissions planning process offered by MCAA is essential for the timely completion of all these components. While deadlines are important, the quality and creativity of the writing portions are crucial. The MCAA advisor knows what admissions officers are looking for and is qualified to help students position themselves to be the best candidate possible.

This can be an anxiety-ridden time for seniors and their families because so much happens at once. Everything the student has worked toward is suddenly in front of them. Help from MCAA is only a phone call away.

Just as every student has a four-year academic plan, it is critical that they also have a strategic college plan. Successful college planning is a serious endeavor since no one can take admission to a top
university for granted.

While we customize each student’s work plan, the amount of counseling time varies according to the student’s needs and the plan level chosen. Built in to each level are counseling sessions, correspondence time with the student and universities and homework assignments. Some students are focused and motivated and need limited guidance whereas others require a more comprehensive program. In either case, the most successful students begin early, as they enter the ninth grade, to build competitive academic accomplishments, a community and personal interests resume and, in many cases, some work history.

Platinum Level – This comprehensive program assures the student and family of the maximum counseling time – at least 12, 90-minute sessions through the end of their senior year in addition to the College Planning Notebook. Both the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory and the Strong Interest Inventory are administered to help guide the student’s choices.

Silver Level – This comprehensive program is for the student who is relatively focused and organized about college planning. It requires more independent work on the part of the student. The program includes up to 10, one-hour counseling sessions through the end of their senior year. Students also receive the College Planning Notebook but neither the Myers-Briggs Personality nor the Strong Interest Inventories are included.

Bronze Level - For the very motivated student who has waited until the last minute to pursue college admissions, the Bronze Level offers up to 8, one-hour counseling sessions, with additional sessions
available on an hourly basis, if needed, through the end of their senior year. This program usually involves reviewing schools of interest to the student but who need assistance with timelines, resumes, essays and completing the application.

Students and parents normally meet with the advisor to review the level of services needed. The hourly consultation fee for this first session is then applied to one of the three packages.

MCAA accepts Cash, Checks, MasterCard, Visa, Discover and American Express.