In recent years, the Prairie community has enjoyed participating in our annual Spring College Fair on the track in the JAC. Visiting colleges have loved it too! Since a traditional college fair is not in the cards this year, we are trying something new — a COVID-friendly replacement: the March Madness Virtual College Festival!

Throughout the first three weeks of March, seasoned representatives from colleges and universities throughout the country will virtually visit Prairie to connect with our students, and share details about great opportunities on each of their individual campuses. All US students and parents are strongly encouraged to take advantage of this unique opportunity that is being presented exclusively for Prairie families.

Thinking about a liberal arts college? Maybe a Big 10 University? How about an art school? Check out the list of participants below, as well as links to their respective Zoom sessions.

• Selective, comprehensive public research university
• Strong financial aid
• Extensive co-ops and internships available/required in all majors, enabling students to graduate with both a transcript and a resume

• Small, friendly liberal arts college in the Quad Cities area (Rock Island, Illinois)
• Strong career services
• Good fit for students with an adventuring spirit!

• Largest, most diverse Arts & Media college in the country
• Located in downtown Chicago = infinite applied learning opportunities
• Everything from Game Design to Sports Management, Animation to Museum Curating, Film to Fashion Design and more!

• Nationally known, mid-sized, public university that feels like a private college
• Cool college town with a preppy, proud, picture-perfect atmosphere
• Rated a “Best Value” for return on investment

• Excellent small liberal arts college in Delaware, Ohio (30 minutes from Columbus)
• Strong liberal arts curriculum, including pre-professional courses, notably in business and the sciences
• Medical and Law school placement rates are extremely high

• Offers undergrad and grad programs across Schools of Engineering, Management, Nursing, and Arts & Sciences
• Combined-degree and pre-professional programs include conditional acceptance to Law, Medical, Dental, and Social Work schools
• Active campus life, Greek system, and intramural sports (Ultimate Frisbee is a THING)

• Large, moderately selective public university — in the Big 10
• Honors College provides “small college” attention for top students
• 275+ study abroad programs on all 7 continents

• One of few colleges on the “Block system” in which students take one course at a time (8 courses/year)
• Engaged, activist, open student body; individualism is celebrated! (no “Cornell type”)
• Strong liberal arts and pre-professional programs across the disciplines

• Excellent liberal arts college PLUS Engineering
• Close student-faculty relationships
• Wide-ranging study abroad opportunities

• Selective liberal arts college about 45 minutes south of the Twin Cities
• Fully accredited in all 4 Fine Arts areas; don’t have to major in them to participate
• Integrative Studies allows for individualized majors

• Roman Catholic (Jesuit) university in downtown Milwaukee
• Honors Program for top students
• Emphasis on whole person, civic responsibility, and community service

• Very selective liberal arts college an easy road trip away from D.C., Baltimore, Philly, and NYC
• Dual-degree Engineering and Forestry programs
• Diverse, spirited, socio-politically active campus community grounded in Honor Code that treats students like adults

• Strong in many areas, especially: Creative Writing, Health Science, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Space Physics
• Big Ten sports
• A “Best Buy” alternative to WI, MN, and IL state schools

• Selective liberal arts college in southwestern Michigan
• Huge study abroad, career internships all over the country and world, and research with faculty
• Outstanding placement in medical, law, and veterinary schools

• Selective liberal arts college in charming central Ohio town (Granville) an easy drive from Columbus
• Diverse, active, involved student community
• Small classes and close student-faculty relationships

• Excellent study abroad and immersion programs
• Roman Catholic affiliation and emphasis on community service
• Super-friendly campus community!

• Medium-sized UW only one and a half hours from Racine
• Small classes and close relationships with professors
• Excellent support for students with learning disabilities

• Large, selective research university in a small city (West Lafayette, Indiana)
• Honors College opportunities
• Over 200 majors, including strengths in: Engineering, Sciences, Nursing, Athletic Training, Pre-Med, Agriculture, and Business

• Extra-large public university straddling the Mississippi River
• Urban context = LOTS of internship opportunities (largest # of Fortune 500 companies per capita)
• Largest study abroad program in the country

• Excellent liberal arts college about halfway between Chicago and Madison
• More than 50 majors and 30 minors, plus freedom to self-design majors
• Prizes diversity, tolerance, and academic and personal individuality: “Invent Yourself” is their motto!

• Mid-sized private university of 5,000 undergrads (11,000 total)
• Skiing, ice hockey, lacrosse, golf, and more
• Strong financial aid and scholarships

• Selective, private, liberal arts, small city (Danville, Kentucky)
• Strong commitment to environmental sustainability
• Outstanding facilities for glassblowing

• Selective university on Lake Champlain in a great college town
• Experiential learning and research across the disciplines
• Socially active student body and spirited athletics

• Strong liberal arts college near downtown Indianapolis
• 110 study abroad programs in 70 countries
• Big Division I athletic program (basketball is a passion!)

• Excellent art & design college in urban setting (Detroit, MI)
• Strong networking and recruiting resources
• Excellent record of developing creative and artistic people for the workforce — You CAN make a living doing the art you love!

• Selective liberal arts college in the “Enchanted Forest” 30 miles north of Chicago and 10 minutes from the lake
• 5-year dual degrees: Nursing (B.S./B.S.N.), Engineering with Washington U. in St. Louis (B.S./M.S.), Finance with College of William & Mary (B.S./M.S.)
• On-campus center to connect students to Chicago internships and other applied learning opportunities

• Good fit for creative, inquisitive students with disparate interests
• Strong Greek life and big social scene with IL State down the road
• D3 athletics are big (plus new addition of lacrosse)

• Wisconsin’s only 4-year private college of art and design
• Exchange programs in 9 foreign countries and 33 other A&D schools across the country, plus New York studio program
• Students can cross-register in Marquette University courses in the Humanities and Sciences, and use various Marquette facilities

• Good, midsize university in Cincinnati
• Comprises three Colleges: Arts and Sciences; Business; Social Sciences, Health, and Education
• Jesuit affiliation; community service is a norm

• Private, small liberal arts school in Northern Wisconsin — located adjacent to the Apostle Islands and nearly one million acres of national forest land
• Generous scholarships and financial aid
• Curriculum places a strong emphasis on environment and sustainability…”green skills”

• Selective Roman Catholic college in the city of Providence, Rhode Island
• Test-optional and need-blind
• Division I athletics and huge school spirit

• Selective Jesuit university in heart of Omaha
• Preferential admission to Creighton’s grad schools
• Emphasis on community service and educating the whole person

• Selective public university on the Keweenaw Waterway waaaaay up in the Upper Peninsula
• Accelerated Master’s programs in 17 fields
• Endless outdoor recreation options, including Mt. Ripley, MI Tech’s very own ski hill

• Private, selective, comprehensive university, urban location
• 13,000 undergraduates
• Outstanding study abroad opportunities

• Liberal arts, highly selective, small town, 20 miles from Cleveland
• Outstanding Conservatory of Music
• Strong residential community

• Moderately selective women’s college in South Bend, Indiana
• Cross-registration in Notre Dame course and shared extracurricular and social activities
• All discussion-based classes

• Highly selective “Midwestern Ivy” university
• Institute of Molecular Engineering (interdisciplinary approach to solving practical problems)
• Strong financial aid (loan-free!)

• 70 academic programs plus self-designed majors
• Lots of applied learning opportunities (benefits of being in Iowa’s capital!)
• Abundant internship opportunities with major corporations

• Selective liberal arts college two hours north of us in Appleton, WI
• Particular strengths in Music (renowned Music Conservatory), Physics, Biology, Psychology, History, English
• “D-Term” affords opps for intensive, cool 2-week courses to augment your studies

• Great college town, two hours from Portland with access to mountains and the ocean
• Strong programs in business, sciences, communication/journalism, and architecture
• Very green campus — lots of bicycles and Birkenstocks!

• Highly selective liberal arts college in appealing St. Paul neighborhood
• Diverse population with strong international bent and global perspective
• Socially and politically progressive

• Highly selective liberal arts college near Chicago
• Diverse population with strong international bent and global perspective
• Specifically excellent in Engineering and Applied Science, Journalism, Music, Social Policy, and Pre-med