My son and I visited Champlain for the Game Exploration Day and Open House ( 2 day visit ). We were pleasantly surprised by the very welcoming staff and students. The campus is small but very nice and there are beautiful views of Lake Champlain and the mountains. The down town is a short walk from campus and there are many shops and restaurants which makes it a great college town. Freshman live in Victorian mansions which is so unique! There are 19 mansions in which to choose from. My son is interested in the Game Programming major which seems to be well developed and really prepares students for this field. There are also majors for Game Art and Animation, and Game Design. We like that students have the opportunity to intern in Montreal since Champlain also has a campus there where students can go to school and do internships. My son was concerned that the students would be nerdy but that was not the case since there seemed to be a variety of students. Surprisingly, there are many students from out of state which adds to the geographical diversity, although most everyone is white. As a parent, I like that the professors and staff seemed to be very caring and supportive. I would be very comfortable having my son attend Champlain. He will definitely apply but hoping he will receive some merit scholarship to defray the cost since tuition and room/board is about 51K. All in all, it was a great visit and most definitely worth a visit particularly if your child is interested in a Gaming major.
We had a similar visit, exactly one year ago. We also felt very welcomed at Champlain and Burlington is a vibrant, fun city. Our son is also a Game Programming major. We were impressed with the Gaming majors and the placement of students in jobs after graduation. It came down to Champlain and RIT. The Champlain campus is somewhat small, but shows very well. The new buildings, the views of the lake, Burlington… it is all impressive. The merit aid at Champlain was also the highest offered at any school, and Champlain was also the second most expensive of the colleges he was accepted at (UVM being slightly higher). There are no varsity sports teams like at RIT and UVM. (which turned out to be a minor concern in my son’s eyes). He got his third choice housing request and when we got there, I was wondering why it wasn’t his first choice. The Victorian mansions are beautiful. Move in was actually fun with a lot of current students helping out. We took part in the family weekend last month and really enjoyed it. It has only been a few months, but so far, our son loves it there at Champlain. In the end, a parent wants their child to go somewhere they can succeed and feel comfortable. For our son, Champlain was it.
@TURTLE2016 I am glad to hear that your son loves Champlain. Is he finding the coursework rigorous? Did he find it easy to make friends? RIT is also on my son’s college list although he has less interest in RIT now than he did months ago. My son likes a lot about Champlain but is concerned about the small size (2000 students), since he thinks it will feel like high school. He is also somewhat of an introvert and is worried about making friends. He is also questioning if he should major in game programming or just computer science. His other concerns include the distance ( about 5.5 or 6 hours away) and the cold weather. So many things that worry him! Ultimately, he will have to think through everything and weigh the pros and cons. Best of luck to your son.
Programming will definitely be rigorous. I have not heard too much on that count so far, but it is still somewhat early in his first semester. I know they are already working in small groups with the designers and artists on a game project. It is a smaller school and that is a consideration if your son wants to go to a large school. My son has made some friends fairly quickly in his dorm. You should also look at the computer security majors at the different colleges. I think my son will take a few electives in that field. I think 75% of game programmers got jobs in game programming and 25% got “regular” programming jobs. I don’t think it limits you too much as the computer languages in other business uses are the same. We are also +/- 5 hours away and we considered that close to home. Lol. It is an exciting time in their lives. All the best to you.
My son received his acceptance package today! We will attend the admitted student’s day in April. He is still deciding between Champlain and two other colleges. @TURTLE2016 how is your son doing now that it is almost March. Is he still loving Champlain?
Congratulations to your son, @carly135 !! I hope you’ll say hello when you attend Admitted Students Day. 
I hope your son is having a great year, @TURTLE2016 !
Thank you @NicoleChamplain!
Congratulations @carly135! My son graduated last year from Champlain in the Networking and cyber-security with a minor in digital forensics. My son was sort of shy in HS but found his people at Champlain. He had some good friends in the game programming major, all of whom are now employed, but I don’t know who is actually working at a gaming company. My son did the Dublin abroad and visited friends in Montreal when they were during their “abroad” up there. I can’t say enough about Champlain. Our son is currently employed with a Digital Forensics firm and loves his job. My nephew is at RIT and is not nearly as happy. He started before my son did and still has at least one more year to go.
Congratulations @carly135! My son graduated last year from Champlain in the Networking and cyber-security with a minor in digital forensics. My son was sort of shy in HS but found his people at Champlain. He had some good friends in the game programming major, all of whom are now employed, but I don’t know who is actually working at a gaming company. My son did the Dublin abroad and visited friends in Montreal when they were during their “abroad” up there. I can’t say enough about Champlain. Our son is currently employed with a Digital Forensics firm and loves his job. My nephew is at RIT and is not nearly as happy. He started before my son did and still has at least one more year to go.
Thank you @walkinghome. Glad to hear your son did well at Champlain and is now employed. We are looking forward to seeing Champlain again next weekend. I think Champlain may be the one!
@walkinghome , thank you for sharing your son’s experience here! @carly135 , we will look forward to hosting your family this weekend!
Hi to anyone who may read this. UPDATE: My son started at Champlain in Fall 2016 as a Game Programming major and he is loving it there. He did well his first semester in college which makes me very happy. He loves where he is living on campus and has made a group of friends and feels very comfortable there. All seems to be good! Champlain was an excellent choice for my son. Good luck to all considering Champlain.
@carly135 thank you for providing an update. My son, who is a junior in high school, is considering this school and we will be visiting it soon. From everything I have read it sounds like it may be a good match. Anyway, it’s always nice to hear a follow-up that things are going well!
@carly135 I appreciate this update as well! I’m so happy to hear that your son is happy and is doing well here.
@CandJ1031 We will look forward to hosting you! Feel free to say hello if we cross paths - I always love meeting people from College Confidential in real life!
We had a great visit at Champlain! My son enjoyed the tour/information session, and when we left he said it will be a college that he applies to this fall. I can see him at Champlain, which is a bit scary as it is quite a distance away from home. Overall, we were quite impressed.
Hi @CandJ1031 , I’m so pleased to hear that you all had a great visit! Please feel free to reach out if you have any follow-up questions post-visit - either on here, or at my email nlentine[at]champlain.edu. Have a great rest of your week!