Ms. Ellen Evans joined Dana Hall’s College Counseling department this fall. Ms. Evans says she is “at full service”: helping seniors to write their essays, prepare for interviews, fill out their college applications, figure out college recommendations, and come up with a timeline for standardized testing while creating some opportunities to do some practice in that realm. 

Since September, the College Counseling office has been very busy because of college application nights and financial-aid nights. Ms. Evans covers lunch drop-ins and has a very full calendar of meetings. She praises the seniors by saying, “the students are doing great” with their applications. 

As a college counselor, Ms. Evans spends a lot of time focusing on messaging and communication, even to the younger grades. Someone from the office even talks to the Middle School parents over Family Weekend to let them know what the future might look like and what’s to come. She acknowledges that applications are a stressful topic, but tells students to not worry and that “we’ve got their backs.” Counselors teach college workshops in junior and senior Forum classes as well as meeting with students regularly to help them understand the different facets of the process. They meet with students individually to get to know them and understand their stories, which helps students know what they want to do beyond Dana Hall. 

Ms. Evans went to Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. Throughout her life, she has stayed within the New England area. Ms. Evans grew up in a small rural town in Connecticut and now lives in Needham. She has three children who have all been through the college application process. She firmly believes in personal exploration, finding what works best individually. 

She has a long experience in counseling, having worked in the college counseling office at Boston University Academy (BUA) since 2001. Prior to working at BUA, Ms. Evans worked in admissions for seven years at Boston University and jokes that she has been on the Boston University campus since 1994. Ms. Evans is currently wrapping up her job at Boston University Academy and is working at Dana Hall part time. However, next year she will work full time at Dana Hall. In her free time, Ms. Evans enjoys running outdoors with her dog and has taken an interest in reading. 

Ms. Evans says that although her job title is a ‘college’ counselor, and that is a big piece of what she does, she wants to help students who might take a different path. Some students might take a gap year, or work for a year, or do a post-graduate year. She reminds people that she is going to be there for students to talk about many different pathways beyond high school. 

Dana Hall is currently constructing a new classroom building that will include the College Counseling offices, which have previously been located on the top floor of the Admissions building. She is excited about the new space, but also says that her current office is “lovely.” 

She is finding it exciting to be in a new environment. She likes Dana Hall’s ‘all-girl’ element which brings powerful messages about feminist that are very important to help new leaders develop.