My son was accepted into Champlain College and is leaning towards majoring in Computer Programming. We have not been able to visit the campus due to the campus being closed for visits. I have read numerous reviews which appear to be mixed. The campus appears to be nice. I have read some complaints about the underclassman dorms not being so nice and the dining hall food. This is a common complaint at many schools.
Could someone provide input on the upside down program, internships available, job placement etc? Do employers actively recruit from Champlain? Did you child have job offers and in what major? Are research opportunities available with the professors?
Are there social activities and clubs?
Is Champlain fairly generous with merit aid? We are still waiting for the merit scholarship package?
Would you recommend the school? Is the school worth the price of admission? All information is appreciated.
It seems Champlain students/families are not super active here. If your son was admitted I recommend searching for the Champlain Parents/Families group on FB. Good intel there. Good luck - my youngest child was accepted into their Game Art program. It’s in their top three choices.
My D was also accepted into Game Art, and the merit offer was good and competitive.
The main challenge we have is that she was also accepted into Virginia Tech, RPI, WPI, and Purdue, and one of the concerns about Champlain is that they do not have strong programs outside of game art, so if she decided to change majors it would be an issue. The other schools are all highly ranked across their majors.
We had visited Champlain, and although it is a very small school (2K students?), my daughter really liked the school, loved the Game Art tour, and thought their unique dorm approach was novel (although I am sure that it gets old like any freshman dorm situation).
I have really only good things to say about Champlain, but as it stands our daughter is probably eyeing higher ranked schools.
I hear you! Overall there are higher ranked LACs out there for sure. My kid has been admitted to RIT, Ringling, MECA, MICA, CCAD, and UMASS. Champlain was the most generous with scholarships - all very equal with need based (not much). We are waiting for RPI, RISD and Northeastern.
I found this very informative: with real quantifiable numbers:
Honestly I think the Game programs at Champlain are underrated - they have excellent career outcomes. But if you end up in a “traditional” degree program, I agree the rep of the school doesn’t stack up against the likes of WPI, RPI etc.