Meet Mary!

Mary Finn, College Counselor

Mary brings nearly 20 years of college counseling experience to Collegewise, having worked within high schools, various districts, and her own college counseling practice. She’s served as an administrator at an independent school in San Francisco, where she supported the college counseling department. She also led district-wide programs for the San Francisco Unified School District, supporting high-potential students who were the first in their family to attend college. Before joining Collegewise, Mary ran an independent college counseling firm, which she founded in 2012. In that capacity, she worked with students who were admitted to a variety of schools, from highly-selective public and private institutions, to competitive flagship state universities, to transfer programs within California community colleges. 

Mary is well-versed in admissions practices for schools nationwide, but due to her work in California, she has particularly deep experience around the UC (University of California) and CSU (California State University) systems, as well as with colleges in Washington, Oregon, and Colorado. Highlighting a counselor’s expertise around particular colleges, as we have in Mary’s case here, can sometimes be misconstrued as lacking the necessary knowledge to help students interested in schools not specifically mentioned. But it would be difficult to present Mary with a college question or application she hasn’t previously advised a student around (much like a family medicine physician may have a special interest in prenatal care, but has also successfully treated hundreds of ailments outside that particular interest.)   

A star student herself, Mary earned a B.A. from American University and graduate degrees from Brown, St. John's College – Santa Fe, and San Jose State University. She was also recognized as a fellowship recipient for both the National Endowment for the Humanities and the James Madison Foundation. While Mary has worked with high-achieving of students interested in attending the most selective colleges, she also enjoys supporting kids who aren’t necessarily at the top of their class. In fact, it’s those B and C students, who often don’t realize just how many colleges would welcome them with open admissions arms, who often just need a knowledgeable and encouraging counselor to say, “You can do this, too—and I can help you.” Those students particularly benefit from Mary’s experience with the Colleges that Change Lives network, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of a student-centered college search process. 

Mary names bookstores and hiking trails as two places she likes to spend her leisure time, though she admits her habit of getting lost within both is far more enjoyable with the former than the latter. 

Education & Experience

American University, B.A.
San Jose State University, MLIS
St. John's College, M.A.
Brown University, M.A.
Independent College Admissions Counselor (12 years)
Supervisor, San Francisco Unified School District Office of College and Career Readiness (6 years)
Supervisor, Lick-Wilmerding High School College Counseling Dept. (4 years)

Professional Organization Memberships

National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) 
Association of California School Administrators (ACSA)