Upward Bound

Eligibility Requirements

• You are in grades 9-12 and attending Benton Harbor Area Schools district
• One of the following:
  • meet income criteria as established by the U.S. Department of Education
  • come from a family in which neither parent has a bachelor's degree OR
  • have an academic need as defined by the U.S. Department of Education
    AND
• You take the Lake Michigan College Placement Test.

Apply

If you are in grades 8-10, reach out to your counselor or Upward Bound at Lake Michigan College to apply. You can find an Upward Bound team member at your school or email us at upwardbound@lakemichigancollege.edu.

When should I apply? 

• Students in grade 8 can apply during the Spring semester. You will begin the program the Summer before the first year of high school.
• Students in grades 9-10 can apply during the Fall semester. You will begin the program upon acceptance. 

Welcome to senior year! This is both an exciting and a busy time! 

Applications

• You should have your college applications in by October 31 during your senior year. This makes you eligible for the maximum amount of scholarship money and priority decision deadlines.
• The Common App is a straightforward application for many schools. Create your account online.
• IMPORTANT: Be sure to indicate that you are a TRIO Upward Bound participant in your Common App. This will waive most of your application fee costs. 
• There is also a common application for Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the United States. There is a one-time fee of $20 to submit this application.

FAFSA

The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is an application that determines your grant eligibility and enables you to take out loans (if necessary). The application opens on Oct. 1 and is required for all Upward Bound seniors. 

• Step 1: Student makes Federal Student Aid (FSA) account
• Step 2: Parent/Guardian makes FSA account
• Step 3: Student fills out FAFSA
• Step 4: Parent uses FSA login to IRS data retrieval and to sign completed FAFSA
• Step 5: Student signs FAFSA and submits

Senior Workshops

We will have various workshops throughout the year. Previous workshops have included: 

• FAFSA night
• Application night
• Scholarship night
• Student life in college
• Next college steps
• Making the college transition

What should my child be doing to prepare and stay on track? 

Grade 9: During freshman year it is important for students to plan out what courses they plan to take throughout their four years of high school. While this plan can be flexible, charting out classes helps ensure your student will fulfill the credits required for graduation. 

This is also a great time to explore ways to get involved in extracurricular activities such as school clubs, sports, or community service projects. Developing interests and participating in activities will benefit their college and scholarship applications later. 

Grade 10:  Sophomore year is a great time to start thinking about adding honors-level classes to a student's course plan. Additionally, students should start thinking about their interests and how those can be reflected in a career. Students can begin making a list of colleges they are interested in and why. This is also an excellent time for informal college visits. Keeping up with grades is crucial to building a solid GPA foundation this year. Students can also get a jump start on SAT prep by taking the PSATs.

Grade 11: Students should continue to consider taking challenging courses such as honors, A.P., and even dual credit classes. Students will take the SAT and or ACT in the Spring. Students should be studying and preparing for the SATs during the Fall and Winter. Because students will start college applications right away in the fall, students should take advantage of college visits to decide where they want to apply. Students should stay involved in extracurricular activities. Junior year is an excellent time for students to seek leadership opportunities in their school and community. Students can start keeping a list of volunteer activities, clubs, and leadership experiences they've had throughout high school. This list will come in handy when writing college essays.

What does it mean to be on Upward Bound Academic Probation?

Upward Bound students should strive to maintain a "B" or above in all of their classes. If a student's grades begin dropping, the U.B. Academic Programs Coordinator (ACP) will intervene to help the student create a plan to bring grades back up. We require students to have a 2.5 GPA. Students whose GPAs fall below 2.5 will be placed on academic probation. Students on probation are required to meet with the ACP. Students on Academic Probation should attend AAS more than once a week to improve grades. 

Learn more about our program components and student expectations in the Upward Bound Student Handbook.

Useful Links

Know How 2 Go: 4 Steps to College
Khan Academy SAT Prep