FAQ

Ohio Business Week will be held June 18-24 at Bowling Green State University. 

The 2023 program will be a residential program at Bowling Green State University. Students will stay in the Offenhauer Residence Halls, experiencing life as it would be as a first year college student.  The majority of our programming will happen in the Mauer Center which is the home to the Schmidhorst College of Business.

Not only will you gain valuable skills in business, leadership, teamwork, and presentation, you will also have a real-life experience of developing a product and pitching it to a panel of judges.

High school students who have an interest in business, entrepreneurship or who just want to explore different careers attend the camp.

Students are divided into small groups of 8-12 which we call a company. Each company is led by an adult business professional who will mentor the students throughout the week as students develop a unique service or product idea to solve a real-world business problem. Consultants and speakers from various businesses and industries will visit with the students, discussing important topics that will help them craft their business, financial, and marketing plans, which will bring their idea to market. The program culminates in a presentation to business executives at the end of the week, when students pitch their ideas to prospective investors.

The day will start at 8:30 am after breakfast in the dining hall and wrap up mid evening. During each action packed day participants dive into the world of business by making "real life" decisions with their team, hear from current business leaders and participate in interactive projects with other teens from across the state. Students will gather with their small group at their company headquarters to much of the research and development of their product pitch. Several times each day, all companies will gather in one room to hear from speakers and presenters. All meals and snacks throughout the day are provided.

It's not all work, though! The week is packed with many opportunities to relax and have fun.

Students learn foundational business skills in management, finance, and marketing. By working in a company, they learn how to exercise their independent judgment and leadership skills while honing collaborative skills in a diverse group environment that emphasizes teamwork.

Students will live in residence halls, work in academic buildings, eat in the dining hall and walk the beautiful campus. Students will forge friendships with many other students from different backgrounds. And those students who are thinking about majoring in business will be able to explore what that would be like at OBW.

Students are immersed in foundational business learning during the week. They meet inspiring people that they wouldn’t normally have the chance to meet or get to know. They also get a preview of how it will be to work in a real-life, project-based team – from working with different personalities and work styles to learning leadership and entrepreneurship skills directly from business pros!

The very process of the program is unique in that the students see how their thoughts, ideas, and dreams can grow into something real and tangible—in one short week! For many, that is a very powerful and transformational experience. Many alumni say how OBW helped them gain an expanded sense of self and independence, a better sense of future goals, and a willingness and openness to explore new places, people, and ideas.

• Current high school students
• C or higher grade point average
• Endorsement of high school administrator

The fee is only $599 which covers the full week of housing, meals, facilities and program materials. Some students bring extra spending money for snacks, pizza and souvenirs.

The student fee of $599 is possible because every student who attends OBW has a financial supporter who pays nearly half ($500) toward the total program cost of $1100. This leave a small manageable fee of $599 for students and their families to pay. Learn more about our generous sponsors HERE!

Financial aid is available to those who qualify. Please contact the Ohio Business Week Foundation for more information.

Applications are reviewed as they are received and you can generally expect an answer within one week. If you are accepted, you will receive an email with your acceptance letter and further instructions.