As the Director of First-Year Admissions, Allie McLaughlin Conklin '11 MBA is involved daily in the admissions process of thousands of prospective St. Ambrose University students.
She is often asked her best advice during the sometimes complicated and emotional college search process. Allie encourages prospective students to visit as many campuses as they can. "You'll never appreciate the ‘fit' of a college or university until you're there in person," she explained.
It helps to know most visitors to the SAU campus quickly feel as though they are home. And Allie does know that. First hand.
After graduating from St. Louis University in 2008, she returned to her hometown of Moline, Illinois, to begin working. She enrolled in the St. Ambrose H.L. McLaughlin Master of Business Administration degree program-the program is endowed in honor of Allie's great-grandfather-when a faculty member encouraged her to apply for an opening in the admissions office.
"I thought it was something to do for the time being. It sounded fun. But I really fell in love with it," she explained.
She started at St. Ambrose in 2012 as an admissions counselor managing the central and southern Illinois territory
Family Ties
In addition to metro areas similar to the Quad Cities such as Peoria and Bloomington, she often traveled to schools she'd only heard of while a student at Alleman Catholic High School in Rock Island.
Alleman is where her husband, Joe Conklin '12 MBA, currently serves as athletic director. They met while working toward their master's degrees at St. Ambrose.
Her family ties to St. Ambrose run deep, as evidenced by the McLaughlin family's support of the MBA program. Additionally, her grandmother, Jill, recently retired after a long tenure on the SAU Board of Trustees.
"Coming back, I realized how important it was to my family to have a Catholic university in the Quad Cities," she said.
By helping students find their ‘fit' at St. Ambrose, she can appreciate how special a place it is for an education, a career, and generations of impact.
Yes, She's Been To Varna
When the Admissions and Welcome Center opened in 2015, Allie transitioned to her current role. Day to day she supports the hectic travel schedules of seven first-year admissions counselors along with keeping up with enrollment goals and marketing efforts.
Still today, her years of travel as an admissions counselor often gives her a connection to visiting students and families. She joked, "It's nice to say-actually yes, I have been to Varna, Illinois!'"
Answer This
What's the most common question you hear from prospective students and their families?
"It's definitely, ‘what's there to do on campus and in the Quad Cities?'" Allie said. The answer: plenty.
Another frequent question?
"Can I visit on a Saturday?" The answer: Yes! All visit options, including select Saturdays, can be found at www.sau.edu/visit.
Allie's Favorites
A native of Moline, Illinois, Allie has more than a few local favorites:
Restaurant: BREW in the Village of East Davenport.
View: The Mississippi River from Lindsay Park, just around the corner from BREW.
Local legend: Whitey's Ice Cream (specifically Banana Graham when available or Graham Central Station as a faithful standard.)
Event: Watching (not running!) the Quad-City Times Bix 7 road race.
– Randall A. Goblirsch
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