Automotive Summer Camp: 2025 Full Tank

Cultivating the interest and talent for the automotive industry takes special care and attention.  At the collegiate level, many schools offer engineering courses that help prepare students for a wide variety of technical careers.  Fewer schools specialize in the focus on automotive marketing and management.  One such school is Northwood University, located in Midland, Michigan. 

Through their Automotive Marketing & Management Program and the Automotive Aftermarket Management Programs, Northwood University covers the non-technical specialties of the automotive industry with passion and expertise.  In fact, they are so enthusiastic about these opportunities for students that they developed an automotive summer camp to expose high school students to both the automotive industry and hobby.

Related articles: Automotive Summer Camp: 2021;  Automotive Summer Camp: 2022;  Automotive Summer Camp: 2023

2025 Camp Details

The Full Tank camp was established in 2021.  I was involved in the first few years of the camp planning, so am really pleased that Northwood automotive students are taking over to further refine the curriculum. With ongoing support from General Motors, the 2025 summer camp should be outstanding.

Logistics

Important dates and registration information is summarized below.  Full details can be found at the FULL TANK AUTO CAMP registration site.

Dates:  June 15-20, 2025 (one single session)

Registration deadline:  May 15, 2025

Location:  Northwood University campus (Midland, MI)

Cost*:  

• Residential (includes overnite accomodations): $799 first-time student, $699 returning student
• Commuter: $699 first-time student, $599 returning student

*The camp is valued at over $1,500, but is subsidized through a $100,000 donation from General Motors.

Agenda

Camp activities are designed for students to stay on campus in one of the dorms.  All activities are planned for fun and learning.

• Field trips and events during the day include the following:
  • Automotive Hall of Fame visit (hear from industry experts)
  • Lingenfelter Collection (private car collection tour)
  • Manheim Auction overview
  • On-campus classic car show
  • Great Lakes Loons Game
  • #1 Automotive Fixed Ops Podcast hosting a Pop-Up Event on campus
• Free time can be spent with kickball, paint the rock, scavenger hunt, capture the flag, smores night, etc.

Registration will be limited to 30 students, so this will be a great hands-on event.  The deadline for registration is May 15, 2025, so do not delay!  More details and registration can be found at the FULL TANK AUTO CAMP registration site.

Final Thoughts

I get many questions from parents throughout the year about automotive learning opportunities for their kids.  If you are in a position to send a student to this camp, it will ignite their passion for the automotive industry and hobby.  It will also expose them to an excellent private university with programs designed to get them ready for an automotive career.

In the event your student cannot attend this camp, I put together some fun and easy ways to Getting Started In The Car Hobby.  The camp is obviously the best way to start, but in case it is not feasible to attend, you have a back up!

Please let me know if you have any questions in the comments section below.