COLLEGE PREPARATION

College Preparation: Programs

ACADEMIC YEAR PROGRAM

From September to June, students meet on a weekly basis at their school with an Upward Bound In-School Coordinator. This individual helps to monitor each participant’s academic progress throughout high school. The In-School Coordinator also provides personal academic advising and supports each student’s desire to attend college immediately following high school graduation. In addition, students are also presented with numerous opportunities to participate in other educational, cultural, and social activities. These activities include college tours, leadership conferences, career exploration, community service projects, and recreational opportunities.

SUMMER PROGRAM

Each summer all Upward Bound students gather together to participate in a six-week summer program located on the Vermont State University-Johnson campus. The first week of this summer program features a Leadership Trip, where all students have the opportunity to take part in an educational adventure; usually traveling to a different part of the country. Past trips have included visits to: Niagara Falls, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Washington DC, Portland, Maine, and Boston, Massachusetts, among others. The remaining five weeks are spent on campus, where students partake in a variety of academic enrichment classes. In addition to attending Upward Bound summer classes and workshops, students may also have the opportunity to enroll in a college level course using a state issued dual-enrollment voucher.

COLLEGE ADVISING

Our primary role as Upward Bound counselors is to provide academic, career, and educational advising along with any personal counseling support as warranted. Services are available year round to all participants in our partner schools. During the academic year, we meet with each individual student at least once a month, either during a free period or after school. Upward Bound also provides participants with numerous opportunities to tour and visit college campuses, both in and outside of Vermont.

COLLEGE TOURS

Upward Bound programming and events provides students numerous opportunities to visit and tour colleges and universities each year. Below is a listing of just a few of the campus tours we have visited over the past few years.