Be a Camper

OWL Camp 2025 Dates: 

Residential Camp for students in grades 6, 7, & 8:

Week 1 - June 8 to 12, 2025 - grades 6 and 7
Week 2 - June 15 to 19, 2025 - grades 7 and 8
Week 3 - June 22 to 26, 2025 - grades 6 and 7

Day Camp for students in grades 5, & 6:

Week 4 - June 30 to July 3, 2025 - grades 5 and 6
Week 5 - July 7 to July 10, 2025 - grades 5 and 6

If you have any questions, please email us at owl@owu.edu.

Greetings from OWL, where plans are underway for our 44th summer camp in 2025! If you have not had previous experience with OWL, we hope you will read the information on this website and consider our program in planning your summer schedule. If you have been an OWL camper or parent in the past, we welcome you back! OWL is designed to meet the intellectual, social, and emotional needs of gifted and talented middle school students in Ohio. It offers a place for students to learn new ideas, be challenged, and interact with others who have similar abilities.

The academic program of OWL features:

• Curriculum with classes in humanities, creative arts, mathematics, science, logic, and computers
• Cultural, recreational, and social activities
• 24-hour supervision by adult counselors
• Residential Camp for qualified current (at time of application) 6th, 7th, and 8th grades
• Day Camp for qualified current (at time of application) 5th, and 6th grade students
• Selection is based on academic guidelines and/or creativity, talent, leadership

Tuition for our 2025 camp is $740 for residential camp and $395 for day camp. These fees cover the entire cost of the program. Financial assistance is available on the Fees & Scholarships page.

The link to begin the application process is below. A complete application includes: Parent/Guardian Form, Student Information Form, Student Application and Essay, two Teacher Recommendations, and a Student Academic Record (completed by a school gifted coordinator, guidance counselor, or principal). The application deadline is January 31, 2025. We urge you to be prompt in completing the applications as the number of students who apply to OWL Camp exceeds available space. 

Start a New OWL Application

• Beginning December 1st, parents/guardians can initiate the application process at this link. 

Important Things to Know

• The applicant's parent begins the application process.
• It is the responsibility of the applicant and his or her parent to ensure that all forms are received by the deadline.
• Incomplete applications will not be processed.
• No faxed, emailed, or mailed applications can be accepted.
• Do not send money with the application.
• Be considerate of school personnel and request recommendations well in advance of deadlines.
• Complete your application on time or early. The number of students who apply exceeds the available spaces and late applications will be added to the wait list.

Essay Prompt Information for 2025

The goal of the student essay is to help the OWL staff get to know your writing abilities and to allow your creativity to be shown. 

Choose 1 of the prompts below. Write an essay of 400-600 words that has an introduction, body paragraph(s) and conclusion. Enter your essay in the space provided below. Originality, uniqueness of thought, organization, and correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar will help us in scoring all applications. The rubric used by the OWL Application Committee is here.

Essay Prompt Question Options:
1. Describe a time when you worked as part of a team to accomplish a goal. What role did you play, and what did you learn from the experience?
2. If you could change one thing in your community or the world, what would it be and why? How would you make that change?

Deadlines

• Application - Camper applications must be submitted online by January 31st.
• Financial Aid - If you are applying for financial aid, you must submit a completed financial aid application with a copy of the required supporting documentation before March 1st. You will be applying for financial aid BEFORE you know if your child has been accepted.