Thirty students spent a warm May 1 in Milwaukee as part of the IDEAS Academy’s college readiness program.

The primarily sophomore group toured the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) and the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design (MIAD). At each school, students were divided into groups and college guides showed them different parts of the campuses and explained what the schools offer.

MSOE specializes in engineering, business and nursing.

“A big take away for me was the nursing program [at MSOE],” Nicole “Lynn” Goldstein, sophomore, said. “It’s interesting how hands-on the classes are; they have it set up so you aren’t shocked when you get into it.”

The college tours not only provide a glimpse of college life, but also help students think about their career plans.

“I have two career choices right now, and one is ICU doctor. The nursing program at MSOE would be perfect for that,” Goldstein said.

MIAD focuses on visual arts, such as drawing, graphic arts, 3D design and animation.

Noah Fenner, junior, said he really wants to attend MIAD someday.

“Experiencing walking through MIAD, getting to see the space being used and how the school functions, was important,” he said. “ The community there is something I can compare to our school now.”

Students also viewed MIAD’s Senior Exhibition, where final projects in a variety of innovative fields including product design, advertising and illustration, are displayed along with preliminary sketches, artist statements and student business cards.

During the lunch break between the two tours, students explored the Third Ward’s restaurants and shops in order to get a taste of being on their own.   

“I liked it because you could explore and kind of see what it would be like if you went to those schools’” Kelsey Fick, sophomore, said.

Four times a year, IDEAS takes students to college campuses to provide better understanding of post-secondary options. This year’s excursions included UW-Milwaukee for freshmen, MSOE and MIAD for sophomores, UW-Madison and Madison Media Institute for juniors and Lakeshore Technical College for seniors.