What Happens at Babson in the Summer?
An entrepreneur never stops. Neither does Babson.
From teaching high school entrepreneurs and MBA students, to hosting summer camps and Pan-Mass Challenge racers, the summer months at Babson are anything but slow.
Babson Summer Study
For four weeks, nearly 200 high school students from 28 countries are immersing themselves in the entrepreneurial mindset as part of Babson Summer Study. In this signature Babson program, students earn college credits and become innovators and changemakers, gaining practical skills and an unparalleled perspective on real-world business challenges.
As part of the program, students dream up ventures to make the world a better place and then work on making those ideas a reality. The program concludes with students presenting their projects as part of a pitch competition.
Babson Build
An experiential learning program for undergraduate and graduate students alike, Babson Build is designed to help entrepreneurs think and act through the Entrepreneurial Thought & Action® methodology. During one- or two-week sessions this summer, more than 220 program participants from 24 institutions and 16 countries are building their networks and testing their insights in business simulations and pitch competitions.
MBA Programs
Activity continues at the F.W. Olin Graduate School of Business. The One-Year MBA Program kicked off in May, with 44 students taking core classes this summer. Students in the Part-Time MBA also are enrolled in courses, and the Office of Experiential Learning is running a series of Management Consulting Field Experience (MCFE) projects, which involve teams of students acting as consultants to businesses and nonprofits.
On the social side of things, about 100 graduate students attended a Babson night at the Boston Red Sox in May, and another 60 enjoyed a June evening at the Trillium Brewery in Canton, Massachusetts.
Summer Session
The Undergraduate School also remains busy. More than 600 students, 85 of whom are living on campus, are taking summer courses. Babson’s summer session runs 10 weeks, allowing students to earn up to 12 credits and get ahead of the courses they need to take. In all, Babson offers 52 undergraduate classes (a mix of in-person and online) in the summer.
Summer Venture Program
This year’s Summer Venture Program features 21 full-time and nine part-time Babson graduate and undergraduate students. They represent 13 businesses that are working out of Babson Boston, and 14 of the entrepreneurs are living on Babson’s Wellesley campus.
The 10-week intensive experience builds participants’ entrepreneurial skills and accelerates the growth of their ventures. In addition to workspace and free housing, teams receive dedicated advisors, expert mentorship, and access to the resources of Babson’s Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship. At the end of the program, teams present in the Summer Venture Showcase to more than 150 members of the Babson and local startup community.
Summer Suppers
On Thursday evenings, the Office of Multicultural and Identity Programs hosts Summer Suppers on the quad near Park Manor Central. Open to students in both the undergraduate and graduate programs, the dinners are an opportunity to meet new people and make connections across campus. Participants engage in robust conversations on a variety of topics that highlight the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus and beyond. During June, for instance, Pride, Juneteenth, and Caribbean heritage were all topics that were discussed and celebrated.
Summer Camps and Youth Academic Programs
Babson offers eight youth athletic camps during the summer. In all, more than 900 children registered for the camps, which cater to all ability levels of boys and girls ages 6 through 17. The camps teach the fundamentals of good sportsmanship while helping to improve skills in sports ranging from baseball and basketball to volleyball and lacrosse.
Additionally, Babson hosts several youth organizations and their residential academic programs this summer. Capitol Debate (a debate camp), RinkSport (an ice hockey camp), and Envision (a young scholars camp) are all bringing their programs to campus, with about 200 to 300 students participating each week.
Pan-Mass Challenge
Over the course of three days in August, more than 4,000 riders participating in the annual Pan-Mass Challenge will make their way to Babson. A number of routes of the charity bike race, which raises money for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, begin and/or end on campus.
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