UBMS Reporter September 2025

This summer, we were pleased to host 40 students here on campus at Frostburg State University. Sixteen of our students were new, incoming freshmen!

Students spent the summer learning about STEM in Space, and our 5-week students put together research papers and presentations focused on this topic. Check out our summer program below to learn more about their research.

Students participated in a variety of STEM in Space field trips and workshops. They were visited on the FSU campus by UBMS alumna Julia Taylor. Julia is currently working on a PhD in Aerospace Engineering at Kent State University. She shared her rocketing experience and introduced students to the Open Rocket program, where they could design their own rockets. The following week, students visited the Stephen F. Udvar-Hazy Center- National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, VA., for an up-close look at historic air and spacecraft and an IMAX production on NASA's Webb Telescope. In addition to these experiences, students participated in a wide variety of laboratories, exploring concepts in space science and physics, as well as building and launching their own rockets.

Students joined in a variety of cultural activities this summer. They traveled to the Nymeo Field at Harry Grove Stadium for a Frederick Keys baseball game, visited Toby's Dinner Theatre of Columbia for a performance of The Little Mermaid, and joined in fun evening activities such as bowling, swimming, arts and crafts, and some highly competitive games of chess!

This summer, UBMS students spent most of Week 4 in Boston, Massachusetts! Here, students toured the Boston Museum of Science and Hayden Planetarium, Boston College, New England Aquarium, the U.S.S. Constitution (Old Ironsides), MIT Koch Institute, and MIT Museum. They also enjoyed a performance of Back to the Future at the Citizens Bank Opera House, took a historic ghost walk through Colonial Boston, and had some time for dining and shopping at Quincy Market.

Our final week was reserved for our rising Seniors. Seniors spent the week in workshops covering college writing, college and major searching, financial aid, and college life skills. The week finished with a college tour of the University of Maryland, College Park campus.

We hope students not only enjoyed their time with us this summer, but also walked away gaining some valuable knowledge and experiences to help them continue to succeed this school year. Check out our Summer Video for some highlights of our 2025 program!

UBMS participants should participate in the following three monthly activities. Additional opportunities exist, but these are core services for our students to stay engaged with our program.

Please note that ALL students are expected to attend these monthly meetings. Participation will significantly influence our decisions on who to invite to campus for Summer 2026. If you missed our September Saturday Meeting, please make plans to be there for our future meetings. If you are unable to attend a Saturday Meeting, please submit an excuse. We will be tracking excused and non-excused absences.

UBMS Saturday Meetings are typically held at the downtown Frederick C. Burr Artz Library and begin at noon. Keep an eye out on BAND for future announcements, reminders, and updates regarding our Saturday meetings.

This year, there will be a monthly virtual and/or in-person meeting for students to attend. UBMS staff hope to make it out to each school on a regular basis, but some months, these meetings may only be offered virtually. Virtual meetings will occur on the third Tuesday of each month at 4:30 PM. Watch BAND for details on these meetings and times.

Students are expected to submit a monthly online form to update UBMS on their progress. This update form will be available on the 15th of each month, and students may submit it up until the last day of each month. Keep an eye out on BAND for reminders regarding this requirement.

We had a great turnout with 32 students attending our first Saturday meeting in September. We hope to see even more of you next month! During our meeting, students reviewed the UBMS Academic Year Guidelines. Academic Year Contracts are due by our October Meeting date. Students also worked on their four-year course plans to map out future classes they will need to take to satisfy not only their county's graduation requirements, but also the University System of Maryland requirements and recommendations for STEM students. Seniors had a special session this month to discuss the college application and essay writing process. Students also had the opportunity to borrow calculators, SAT/PSAT prep manuals, and other helpful tip sheets to help them work toward success in classes and testing this fall.

At our Saturday meeting, we held a prize drawing for our students. Thank you to our supporters for their donations! This month, students had the opportunity to win a $25 gift card from MARTIN'S or a gift card from Chick-fil-A for a free chicken sandwich or nuggets. Below are our winners from our September Saturday. From left to right, Iyannah J., Khuran C., Sari S., Levi W., and Jayden K.

UBMS will be hosting a college visit to Towson University for an open house on October 24th. Towson University is a public university that was founded in 1866 and is part of the University System of Maryland. At this open house, students will get to attend an information session, take a tour, listen to academic overviews with college representatives, and speak with campus partners to learn more about TU.

Keep an eye out on BAND for reminders and updates regarding this college visit, and any potential future college visits or trips.

As you are entering the new school year, please keep these important test dates in mind.

PSAT: The PSAT test window for Fall 2025 is October 1–October 31, 2025, with potential Saturday dates on October 11, 2025, and October 18, 2025. The exact test date is chosen by your high school, so you must contact your school counselor for specific details and to register.

• UBMS recommends all Juniors take the PSAT!
• The Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) is a test administered by the College Board with the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).
• The PSAT is open to freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, and it tests students on reading, writing, and math.
• Juniors who score high on the PSAT could qualify to win the National Merit Scholarship.

SAT/ACT: Tests are offered year-round, but current Seniors should complete this by early fall.

• UBMS recommends that students take this test by the spring of their Junior year and again in the early fall of their Senior year. Seniors, if you have not taken one of these exams, register for one now!
• Seniors, be sure to meet the deadlines established by your colleges of interest for test scores. The type of application you are submitting plays a critical role in the deadline for taking these tests:

• For Early Action and Early Decision applicants, you should take your ACT/SAT by October, as applications will be due by November 1st or 15th.
• For Regular Decision applications on or after January 1st, the last SAT or ACT test dates available will be in December.
• Final 2025 SAT test dates are October 4, November 8, and December 6.
• Final 2025 ACT test dates are September 6, October 18, and December 13.
• Students should register for these exams at least a month in advance. Late registration is not always available, and additional fees may be involved.

Finally, you qualify for test fee waivers for these exams! Your school can help provide an SAT waiver code. Just tell them you qualify for one because you are a TRIO student! You can call us for an ACT waiver code.

We want to congratulate Emma H. for scoring in the 90+ percentile on her 2025 SAT exam. A score in the 90+ percentile on the SAT indicates you performed better than approximately 90% of test-takers. A score in the 90+ percentile demonstrates a high level of academic achievement and is considered an impressive score for most colleges.

Congratulations, Emma, and keep up the good work!

Seniors should be working on college applications! Please be watching and tracking your deadlines this fall. Mark your calendars with deadlines for all your colleges of interest.

College Application Deadlines can vary between colleges. One college may have multiple deadlines, so learn about the available deadline options and select the one you want to set as your submission goal. You MUST meet certain deadlines to be considered for scholarships and other financial aid obligations, so make sure you are meeting those deadlines! We are here to help, so please be in touch and meet with us regularly this school year to discuss your plan.

• Early Action/Early Decision: deadlines are often November 1 or 15.
• Regular Decision: deadlines are often January 1
• Rolling Admissions: no deadlines are given, but there may be priority deadlines and a deadline to be admitted the following semester.

FAFSA: The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) usually opens on October 1st every year, and Maryland financial aid programs typically have a deadline in April/May. It is important to finish it as soon as possible to ensure you can secure federal and state funds. UBMS recommends completing it by January 1st!

Your FAFSA should be completed every year of college, too, even if you didn’t receive any offers the previous year. Endowment packages and income requirements are subject to change from year to year.

UBMS is looking for parents and students who may be interested in helping with UBMS Scholarship & Activity Fundraising. We will be holding a meeting on Saturday, November 15th at 2:30 PM at the C. Burr Artz Library following our November meeting. All interested students and parents should plan to attend!

Again, thank you to these businesses for providing donations to our program. MARTIN'S and Chick-fil-a in LaVale donated gift cards, and Sheetz in LaVale donated cases of water to provide as refreshments to our students.