College is one of the biggest adventures of people’s lives. It’s the time when many students leave home for the first time, gain the skills they need to launch and succeed in their careers, and grow into the people they are meant to be. During your four years of college, you’ll make friends for life, fall in love with your college hometown, and create the kind of memories and life experiences you’ll remember for years to come. Here are just a few things Champlain students have told us should not be missed.
Orientation Weekend
Orientation is the exciting first few days before school starts, when new students move into their homes on campus and say tearful goodbyes to their families. It may feel a little stressful, but most upper-year students wish they could relive this experience all over again! There’s an incredible buzz in the air—everyone is so pumped to have new students on campus, and it’s a great way to set yourself up for this new chapter of your life.
Besides ice breakers and other fun activities to help you meet and make new friends, Orientation is when you finally get to meet your roomie, check out your residence hall, and meet all of the awesome people at your new home-away-from-home. We guarantee the memories you make during Orientation will be ones you’ll remember forever!
Watching the Sunset Over Lake Champlain
Photo by Steven Mease // Steven Mease Photography
Very few things in this world top a Burlington sunset, especially when the weather is warm! When you walk down to the lake with friends to see the sun set over the Adirondack Mountains for the first time, you’ll feel like you’re in a movie scene. As hard as it is to believe, we promise the view is more stunning in person than on our postcards, and it never gets old.
The Unlimited Meal Plan (aka all the food you can eat)
Photo by Steven Mease // Steven Mease Photography
When you live on campus, you will have an unlimited meal plan. Simply swipe your Champlain ID, and you can eat as much as you’d like of whatever you want in the dining hall. Hungry after 8:00 PM? No problem! A late-night menu is offered Tuesday through Friday nights. Students on campus also receive flex money, which is used like cash in the IDX Dining Hall and at EATS, with its Zime Cafe and The Grill, in our Center for Communication & Creative Media.
First Snowfall of the Season
Photo by Ryan Bent, ’08 // Ryan Bent Photography
Lacing up your boots for the first time to check out the winter wonderland right outside your door is pretty exciting! The key to enjoying winter is to embrace it fully—whether you savor it from a cozy spot wrapped up in a blanket by a window or on the slopes of the local ski hill. There’s no snowfall quite like what you’ll get in Vermont. Champlain is only a short drive away from some of the best ski terrain in the East. If you ski or ride, you’ll be happy to hear Champlain students get a discounted pass to Sugarbush Resort, and plenty of deals at other local resorts. Not a skier or snowboarder? There’s no lack of other ways to get out and enjoy the season, from snowshoeing to improv to warming up in one of Burlington’s great cafés.
Making Your Own Schedule
Photo by Ryan Bent, ’08 // Ryan Bent Photography
Once you have a few weeks of college classes under your belt, you’ll start to wonder how you ever went to high school for six straight hours a day. After your first semester on campus, you’ll be able to develop your own class schedule. College classes are more rigorous than what you may be used to, so it’s important to learn how to balance school time with free time. But that’s one of the coolest parts about being in college! After all, you’re living in one of America’s best college towns, and the Church Street Marketplace is just four blocks from campus. There’s a whole world of entertainment in and around this great city. We promise it offers unforgettable experiences for everyone who chooses to make it their home.
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