Academics
The students at Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont, are “professional” and “career-minded,” and name Champlain’s “career-focused curriculum” as a primary reason for choosing the college. “Networking and the emphasis on internships at Champlain leads to a great deal of job placements relevant to your chosen major after (or before!) graduation,” extols one student. Students love the “small class sizes,” which “allow your professors and classmates to know, contribute and follow your success.” They’re also crazy about Champlain’s “upside-down curriculum,” which uniquely allows undergraduates to “take major-specific courses [their] first semester”: “I could begin major-related work on the first day.” Game design, filmmaking, digital forensics, psychology, and marketing are all offered as majors, distinguishing Champlain’s available courses of study to many applicants, with its “strong focus on major-specific skills, and field-applicable classwork.” For the most part, students say the professors are “engaging, encouraging, and interesting” and “do all they can to help students understand the material and reach their full potential.” Champlain works hard to produce graduates who know “how to survive and thrive in the business world” and “reach their highest level of satisfaction.” Champlain is a “career-focused school that gives students the tools to succeed in the professional world.” This career-conscious education is animated by Champlain’s “engaging, encouraging, and interesting” professors, who “know your name,” are “enthusiastic about the students’ education,” and “come from extremely professional backgrounds and add personal touches to their discussions that make students want to participate.” In addition to academic curricula, Champlain’s InSight program “readies students for outside life,” teaching life skills such as “financial sophistication” and fostering a “strong sense of community.” For those interested in the burgeoning gaming industry, “Champlain’s game major is also rigorous and unique, bringing students from amateurs to developing a game in a seemingly short four years.” Champlain’s greatest academic strength lies in “excellent professors, innovative classes,” and an “inviting small-classroom environment.”