At the far end of Upper Bentham, past the colorful flags that decorate the college counseling hallway and the couch under a window that oversees the bustling quad, a name plate displays “Mr. Mills” in a Harry Potter font. The name plate sits on a desk that holds a bowl of Reese’s peanut butter cups — pumpkin shaped — and the room is spotless. After a 13-year career in college admissions, Mr. David Mills joins Bishop’s to guide upper schoolers in their transition into higher education. Mr. Mills greatly enjoys working with students and helping them learn and grow, from his ninth grade advisees to the upperclassmen, and is looking forward to developing connections with all of his students this year.
Q: Why did you decide to come to Bishop’s?
A: I’ve lived in San Diego for 13 years, and I’ve been working in college admissions for a couple different colleges and universities. But always in the back of my mind, I realized what I really loved the most about my job was working with the students and helping them through the college process whether it was at my college or another college — just kind of helping them learn and grow through that process. And so in my mind I’ve been looking at possibly moving from the college admissions side to the high school college counseling side at some point. And Bishop’s is one of the really highly regarded schools here in San Diego, I know some of the staff here already. Their team is amazing and all the students I worked with when I visited from my college have been amazing… I just heard really great things about the community, and that was a huge draw for me. Location — also really nice, I love seeing the ocean every day. But first and foremost it was the community that drew me to Bishop’s.
Q: What’s your favorite part of bishop’s so far?
A: I’m a ninth grade advisor, and so that’s been a really fun aspect that I didn’t expect when I took the job as a college counselor, and it’s really cool to see the beginning of high school while still working with students that are getting ready to transition out of high school. That and food. The community, the food, and the ninth grade advising has been really cool.
Q: What’s your favorite part of being a college counselor, and how does it differ from being an admissions counselor?
A: As an admissions counselor working for colleges, I was the one who evaluated the applications students submit, and was a part of that decision making process, so who joins our college community. The downside of that was I only got to work with students who wanted to come to my college. Now, I get to work with students, and there’s thousands of colleges that they could potentially choose from so its helping them navigate that search and then obviously trying to help them find the best fit institutions — academically, financially, socially — so that no matter where they’re admitted, it’s a great choice for them. And so I love having the open-ended option, but also, and this is the really important part, I get to develop the relationship with the students and continue to work with them for a couple years prior to them actually applying to college. Before, I would only engage with students for a few months when they were going through the process, and maybe help them decide where to go, but I would not get to really develop those deeper relationships. Now I get to really have that time with students and their families throughout a couple of years and that’s what I love most about being a college counselor here at school.
Q: What are some of your hobbies outside of work?
A: I used to have more hobbies, but my wife and I actually had our first child in November. She’s ten months old now, but she has been pretty all-consuming of our time, as most little kids are, so my main hobby is spending time with her and my family when I’m not at work. But outside of that, I really enjoy spending time outdoors. I love reading, especially science fiction and fantasy. And I enjoy movies, especially action movies, superhero movies, that sort of thing.
Q: If you had to choose another job besides being an admissions counselor, what would it be?
A: I’m from the midwest but I’ve lived in San Diego for 13 years, and if there was a position that was like “ambassador of San Diego” or someone who would help people plan conventions or something, basically how you have the best time for your group in San Diego, at a big scale. Or maybe if it was bringing new businesses to San Diego and where’s the best place for your business, like where will your coffee shop work best, etc. I think business development or city ambassador for San Diego could be really cool. I love this city.
