During our six-week summer academy, students live on the campus of the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and experience a true college environment. The summer begins with our two-week “Senior Extravaganza”, where seniors focus on developing their college essays, participate in college and financial aid workshops, attend leadership training sessions, and visit college campuses. For the final four weeks, seniors are joined by our underclassmen to take academic classes, strengthen their leadership and problem-solving skills through a variety of summer-long ECLIPSe Challenges (Exercises in Collaborative Learning and Innovative Problem Solving), and have the opportunity to attend a college fair hosted by us at UNH and a Majors & Career Expo, where they connect with college students and business professionals to explore future college and career paths. We also have weekly college & career trips as well as time to explore college clubs and activities.
Academics
Students take grade-appropriate classes in Mathematics, Literature and Composition, Lab Sciences, Foreign Languages, and Success Studies (featuring study skills, academic research, SAT/ACT prep, and financial literacy)/ All UB classes help students get a "jump start" on their fall High School courses while developing the skills necessary for success in higher education. At UNH UB, our classes are small and students get plenty of one-on-one attention. Courses tend to be hands-on and experiential. Furthermore, UB classes are designed to inspire excitement about academics and to give students a head start on their upcoming academic year.
Here are two examples of our class syllabi from last summer: Senior Seminar & Pre-Calculus.
Residential Life
The summer program gives students a taste of what it's like to live in a residence hall, have a roommate, and attend classes in university buildings. UNH UB has its own residence hall where the 75 students and 12 residential staff members live during the summer academy. Students participate in leadership challenges, "options" that simulate college clubs and activities, and participate in career and college exploration trips. UB students eat at Holloway Commons (a UNH dining facility), where the food is excellent, varied, and nutritious. On occasion, we have special theme-based dinners, picnics, and barbecues.
Creative Problem Solving
Student groups work together on a variety of summer-long ECLIPSe challenges (Exercises in Collaborative Learning and Innovative Problem Solving). During Creative Problem Solving day at the end of the summer, students use what they learned to tackle a series of interdisciplinary creative problems designed by a team of their UB teachers.
A Day In The Life Of A UB Student
Upward Bound students start the morning with breakfast at 7:30am in the program's dining hall, then ease into their day with a half hour of UB Chillin' which is time for students to prepare themselves both physically and mentally for the day. Following their first academic class and lunch, students participate in a "ketchup" period where students devote time to study and research, or they can connect with teachers and residential staff for support and encouragement before they start their afternoon class. The schedule after the second academic class can vary depending on the day. With dinner at 5pm, students have a variety of activities including some personal time followed by options, special activities, or a grade level workshop. After dinner students have ECLIPSe challenges and group time. Personal time winds down the day and it's "Lights Out" at 10:30pm.
