Eligibility
The LMU Upward Bound programs serve a total of 118 (58 UB and 60 UBMS) Westchester Enriched Magnets students. Once admitted, students are expected to remain active participants through high school graduation. As participants graduate each spring, new students are admitted in the fall to maintain the required number of students to be served.
To be eligible, a student must be:
- Low-income, as defined by the U.S. Department of Education.
- A potential first-generation college student (neither parent has earned a Bachelor's degree).
- A U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
In addition:
- The program requires that two-thirds of the participants in a project must be both low-income and potential first-generation college students.
- The remaining one-third must be either low-income or first-generation college students.
- Occasionally, students who have a high risk for academic failure may be considered.
- Have a need for academic support in order to pursue a program of postsecondary education.
- Admissions priority is typically given to students who are both low-income and first-generation.
Academic Year
The UB and UBMS academic year program offers instruction, advising and enrichment opportunities for participants at both WESM and LMU.
Instruction & Supplemental Tutoring
Instruction in math, literature, composition, laboratory science and foreign languages, aligned with the high school curriculum is supplemental to that which is offered in the high school classroom. Supplemental instruction allows participants to review, process practice, and apply concepts taught in the classroom. Students are provided tutoring in all subjects. Specific instructional activities are designed to complement the courses in which participants are enrolled.
Advising
Services provided include academic advising, career exploration, college counseling and assistance with college and financial aid applications, life skills development, and leadership training. Guest speakers, including successful college students, give motivational presentations. Workshops on student success are offered to families. Students are recognized for their academic and personal achievements.
Enrichment Activities
These activities are designed to support students personally and academically and increase social capital. Participants attend concerts, museums, plays, sporting events, and tour local and state colleges and universities. UB and UBMS students perform community service and serve as members of the UB/UBMS Student Advisory Council (SAC). The SAC President is also a member of the Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math & Science Advisory Board.
Bridging instruction and enrichment is the UB/UBMS Book of the Semester program. The goal of the UB/UBMS Book of the Semester program is to build community through a common intellectual experience. Each semester all participants, instructors and UB/UBMS staff read a book chosen by the UB staff. The UB/UBMS Book of the Semester program serves as a bridge between instruction and enrichment. After personal reflection and group discussion, the students meet the author or go to a play or film based on the book or a related theme.
Typical Saturday Schedule
- 8:30 am: Arrival, Sign-in, Continental Breakfast, Announcements
- 9 am: General Session/Motivational Keynote, Parent Workshops
- 10 am: Instruction and Tutoring
- 12:30 pm: Lunch
- 1:30 pm: Career Exploration, College Planning, PSAT/SAT Prep
- 3 pm: Departure
Note: Some Saturdays include college visits, activities with other TRIO programs, community service, and enrichment activities such as attendance at plays & sporting events, and museum visits.
Summer Program
The summer component is designed to provide an intense and dynamic learning experience for participants, with the goal of encouraging a passion for learning. LMU UB and UBMS summer program is based on a Los Angeles (LA) themed curriculum and uses the city as a classroom. The curriculum, centered in and on the city in which the students live, requires that they explore new areas and ideas about the city, integrate concepts, and form a worldview about their responsibilities as citizens. Read more.