Carrie Hill Coleman '96 Heads Up CARE

Carrie Hill Coleman '96

As Chair of CARE (Converse Alumnae Recruitment Effort) Carrie Hill Coleman ’96 is leading the charge of alumnae recruiting students to Converse.

Even though you have your own Converse experience, many college alumnae and alumni in general are intimidated about recruiting a young person to their alma mater. In this Q & A session, Carrie calms the nerves about recruiting for Converse.

If you'd like to talk with Carrie about joining CARE, send her an E-mail.

Q: What would you say to an alumna who is terrified of taking that first step to recruit a student to Converse?

A: It is always intimidating talking to high school students about their future - especially when you're trying to convince them that they should consider a single gender institution! What I always do is begin the conversation by finding out as much as I can about the student. What is she interested in? What does she think she may want to study in college? What are her strong suits? Then I try to tailor the conversation to suit that student's interests. If she is interested in going to medical school, I talk to her about the state-of-the-art Phifer Science Hall and Converse's high acceptance rate into medical school. Or, if she has been actively involved in her student government, I talk to her about the many leadership opportunities that students have at Converse and the fact that every leadership position on our campus is held by a woman. By making the conversation personal and all about her interests, it becomes a very comfortable conversation that can eventually lead to talking about how Converse might be a good fit for her.

Q: Have you recruited a student to Converse? Were you anxious at first? If so, take us through the process.

A: Even after working in our Admissions Office for over 5 1/2 years I can tell you that I still get a little anxious about the thought of recruiting a student to Converse. What if she thinks I'm being too pushy or that I'm trying to "sell" her something that she just isn't interested in? Once again, I always try to revert back to speaking to the student about what she is looking for in a school and then make sure she knows that Converse has just as much to offer (and so much more) than any other college she may be considering!

If I can give her just a few "tidbits" about Converse's strengths, that could be enough to encourage her to visit campus, which almost always results in a positive response from that student.

According to enrollment figures in 2006, over 30% of Converse's student body was comprised of young women who were influenced in some way by an alumna to consider Converse. Talking to a prospective student about our personal experiences and how Converse made us the women we are today can speak volumes about the kind of institution that Converse is!!

There is no one who can tell the Converse story better than those of us who have experienced it first hand - and that is what influences a prospective student more than anything!

***If you know of a young woman whom you would like to refer to our Office of Admissions, you can submit the pertinent information here.