For more than two decades, Western Springs resident Mary O’Malley has been immersed in the world of education—working in high school admissions, college admissions, and now as the founder of Union Hall Advising, a full-service educational consultancy designed to bring transparency and sanity to a process that often feels like anything but. 

Her mission is simple: help students tell their stories authentically, understand themselves deeply, and ultimately find a college environment that fits who they are—not who they’re “supposed” to be.

O’Malley brings what she calls “both sides of the desk” experience. Unlike consultants who hang out a shingle after shepherding one child through the journey, O’Malley has spent 21 years inside the system, watching thousands of applications move through hundreds of institutions. It’s why she’s committed to demystifying a process that’s become increasingly shrouded in pressure, fear-mongering, and the illusion of “secret strategies.” As she bluntly puts it, “There’s no secret sauce. No trick. No hack. Your application could get read at 8 a.m. or 11 p.m. You won’t know. All you can do is be honest about who you are.”

That honesty—paired with deep listening—is central to Union Hall’s culture. O’Malley’s approach begins with understanding the student in front of her: how they learn, what makes them light up, where they thrive, and what they value. She calls these “anchors,” the personal truths that guide a search more effectively than any ranking system ever could. “Start with the kid you have,” she says, “not the one your neighbors are talking about.”

Her advice for students is refreshingly practical. Sophomores and juniors should begin, simply, by reflecting on their learning style: Is their favorite class discussion-based? Lab-based? Project-based? Those preferences matter more than most teens realize. And for the many who don’t know what they want to study, O’Malley is quick to reassure them: “It’s perfectly acceptable to say you don’t know. Colleges need thinkers, writers, question-askers. Not everybody needs to be an engineer.”

For parents, she offers one piece of guidance that could save entire households from unnecessary combustion: set a weekly college meeting. That’s it. One dedicated time on the calendar when questions, deadlines, essays, and anxieties all have a place to land—so college talk doesn’t suddenly appear while someone is trying to make a sandwich.

Beyond her client work, O’Malley pours her energy into Green Halo Scholars, a Hinsdale-based nonprofit supporting first-generation, low-income students through the college process and their journey beyond. Union Hall is her business, but Green Halo is close to her heart. As a board member, she champions the organization’s mentorship model, pairing each student with a volunteer who can help them navigate everything from financial aid forms to course registration—lifelines many first-generation students don’t have built in. “You’ve got to have your somebody,” she says. “Those relationships are what help students persist.”

In a college admissions landscape that changes constantly, O’Malley insists that one truth remains: students succeed when they are known, supported, and empowered to be themselves. “If you can say, ‘This is who I am, this is what I care about,’” she says, “you are already ahead of the game.”

For those navigating the college process, or about to begin, check out Mary’s insightful essays on keeping sanity and selfhood intact at Admitted-ish on Substack.