Those of you who have met MARV in person (our fun loving Mobile Automated Research Vehicle), know that he loves to help students find the best fit for college. Well, in addition, he also gets really excited, like blasting confetti excited, to help students pay down their student loans.
We are thrilled to announce that MARV will be joining forces with SmarterBank, who today launched the #CrushStudentDebt Sweepstakes, the winner of which will receive up to $25,000 to pay down (or completely crush) their student loan debt. Beginning today, students, parents, or anyone with student debt can enter the sweepstakes at www.crushstudentdebt.com/MARV
MARV will be making stops at 8 universities during the month of May to promote the #CrushStudentDebt Sweepstakes, which starts today and ends on May 31st. The first stop will be Brown Street at the University of Dayton this Friday. Check out the full schedule of college visits on MARV’s website: http://marv.welcometocollege.com/
A big thanks to Bowling Green State University for having MARV and the team on campus for their Spring Preview Day last weekend. We had a great time engaging with the prospective students and sharing the importance of the college visit experience. The highlight was the dance party that broke out when Freddie and Frieda Falcon came over to hang out, one of the rare male-female mascot pairs in existence! Good times were had by all and we were honored to be a part of this great day. Check out all of the photos on the Welcome to College Facebook page: http://on.fb.me/ICB3kA
Spring is a very busy time of year in the college search process. For juniors and some sophomores in high school the college search is just beginning, while for seniors the decision deadline of May 1 is fast approaching. Last week I had the opportunity to visit one of our partner institutions, Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio as it opened up its campus to admitted students and prospective students. At CWRU’s request Justin and I drove MARV to campus for the day.
I have been on trips before with MARV, but this was my first time attending an Open House, and the experience was unforgettable. As usual, MARV grabbed the attention of many visitors, and he provided numerous laughs and smiles while giving out prizes and shooting confetti. While it was great to see MARV in action, there was one observation that has really stayed with me: the impromptu interactions that took place between current students and prospective students. As MARV sat in front of the Kelvin Smith Library, the sun shining, he became a perfect jumping off point for prospective students to interact with Case students. Conversations about classes, professors, and even a human vs. zombie game were discussed. While I have always known the smiles that MARV provides, it was so cool to see how having MARV on campus helped to facilitate this invaluable interaction between two groups of students. It was another side to the MARV experience I had yet to witness, and I am so happy that we could be there to support Case Western as they hosted a fantastic day.
Check out photos from the Case Western Reserve University experience on the Welcome to College Facebook page: www.facebook.com/WelcomeToCollege
