The University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) Upward Bound Program, funded by the US Department of Education, was initiated in 1989. The Program is currently funded to serve 151 students. Participants are ninth through twelfth grade students, from five target schools in Baltimore County and Baltimore City. Generally participants are admitted to the Program as ninth or tenth graders, and actively participate through the summer after their high school graduation.
The UMBC Upward Bound Program is divided into two components: an academic year component, and a six-week summer component, which includes a bridge program. The bridge program provides a smooth transition from high school to college and college credits for seniors, just graduating from high school. Academic instruction and tutoring for a core of courses, including math (Algebra through Pre-Calculus), lab sciences, English composition and literature, and foreign language, are the center of the academic year. Academic enrichment in these core courses is the focus of the summer component.
Guidance and counseling, key elements of the Program, are provided in the areas of academic, personal, career, and college selection and admissions for all participants, year round. Study skills, computer technology, preparation for college entrance exams, and a variety of educational and cultural activities also are included in the Program, to further enhance participants’ development. Regular contact and interaction with parents and participants’ schools provide a team approach to helping student prepare for their academic, professional and personal futures.
The UMBC Upward Bound Program takes pride and pleasure in the new chapters being added to its history, the continued achievements of Program participants, and the successful graduation from college of its alumni. Students’ investment in the development of their academic and personal skills, during their high school years, will gain them entrance to and success in their academic, career, and personal endeavors. This is the philosophy of the UMBC Upward Bound Program, and it is to this philosophy that the Program’s summer staff pledges its time, talent and effort.
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