Why Marrs?
Marrs College Admissions Advisors partners with you to develop and implement your customized admission success plan. Whether you are applying to college as a freshman, a transfer student―or considering graduate study, we provide an unparalleled, personalized process.
Our services position you to maximize your opportunities―and include one-on-one counseling sessions, help navigating the complex financial aid landscape, as well as access to high-value research resources and assessment tools. We offer much more than good advice. We deliver results.
Serving as your advisor, guide, advocate, partner and mentor every step of the way, we help you build a strategic plan for college―and your future.
Get in touch
We at Marrs know that finding the right college for your child is a choice not to be taken lightly. Schedule an appointment today and let us help you create your personal Strategic Plan™.
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Founder, Principal, Certified College Counselor
Catherine Marrs, CEP
Recognized as one of the leading independent admissions counselors in the North Texas region, Catherine Marrs founded Marrs College Admission Advisors in 2004. Throughout her career, she has helped place hundreds of students in colleges and universities.
A member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association and the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners. Catherine is one of a handful of distinguished Dallas-area college admissions advisors who is credentialed by the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (CEP). As a requirement of this rigorous certification process, Catherine personally visits at least 15 – 25 campuses annually to assure her ability to identify the very best “fit” for her students and families.
Catherine successfully coaches a wide range of students—from National Merit semifinalists to those who struggle through their regular classes. She understands the unique needs of families along the full spectrum of financial circumstances and requirements. Her proven, innovative strategies and techniques empower students to shine―with confidence, good humor, efficiency, and effectiveness―through each step of the college admissions journey. Catherine’s greatest satisfaction comes from helping her students realize just how special they are. Each student is a gift and finding the right schools that will appreciate their specific talents is critical. Her students always have at least two schools that want them and are willing to pay them to come! Her ability to help position her students to receive the maximum merit aid available is impressive. As a seasoned speaker, Catherine has also written extensively on subjects related to the college planning and transition process.
Catherine holds a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Arizona. She earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from Texas Woman’s University and a Certificate in College Counseling from UCLA. She also completed the Harvard Summer Institute on College Admissions and the IECA Principles and Practice Training―receiving her Certificate in Educational Planning in 2007. In 2017, Catherine earned her Certificate as a Parenting Coach from the Love & Logic Institute in Golden, Colorado.
Catherine served a six-year term as a trustee of the St. Alcuin Montessori School. She is a member of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church. Her daughter graduated from The Greenhill School, Cum Laude from Southwestern University and was the Tom Luce Scholar at the Dedman School of Law at Southern Methodist University. She graduated Cum Laude and is now a practicing attorney in Dallas.