College Start: Freshman Year

The transition from high school to college can be tough. Applying to college in 12th grade is stressful, and then there’s more pressure to do well in a new setting with new expectations. BEAM is here to help with all of that.

College Start begins in 12th grade and continues through your first year in college. Sign up to get help with college applications and financial aid, and to get support during your first year. Whether it's establishing new study habits, or figuring out how to meet new people and make friends, we understand there are many challenging aspects of college and have ideas to help you navigate them.

When you sign up, you commit to:

Enrolling in college and having freshman or first year standing
Staying up to date with BEAM. This includes:
- Attending at least one meeting in the fall and one meeting in the spring
- Submitting the annual survey
- Submitting your class schedule at the beginning of each semester
- Submitting your transcript at the end of each semester

And in return, BEAM commits to:

Sending you a $100 gift card
Providing advising meetings all year around
Sharing STEM related opportunities such as internships, research, advice

Funding:

Students enrolled in College Start receive $100 stipend at the end of their first year of college from BEAM.

BEAM is able to provide this money thanks to donors and we intend to share the impact of the money with them so we can keep this funding going for future cohorts of students.

To get the stipend, you must:

Share a recent photo
Share information about what the money allowed you to do
Share information about how BEAM has supported your adjustment to college