SOCAPA's Vermont Campus is hosted at Champlain College, situated in the picturesque city of Burlington. The Champlain College campus is perched in the historic Hill Section, overlooking the breathtaking Lake Champlain and the surrounding Adirondack Mountains.
Students who live locally or who have friends/family to stay with in or around Burlington are welcome to attend the program as Day Students. Day Students commute to campus each day and return home each evening after classes.
The classroom and tech facilities at Champlain College are among the best we've seen in the nation. The MacPro Editing labs used by the Photography and Filmmaking Programs feature thirty individual stations loaded with the Adobe Creative Suite (Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign), Flash, Dreamweaver, ImageReady, Fireworks, Maya and many others. Just down the hall are state-of-the-art photography facilities and a large gang darkroom with ten enlargers. Movie nights and the final showcase festival take place in the Alumni Auditorium Theater which seats two-hundred.
Students stay in Champlain College's Lakeview Residence Hall, a traditional-style dormitory looking out over Lake Champlain and the Adirondack Mountains. The residence hall has double rooms, shared bathrooms, a game room, air conditioning, and broad-band wireless internet. Male and female students are separated by floor. Each room is typically furnished with a bed, desk, bureau, and light.
SOCAPA students also have access to the Student Life Center which houses a full-sized gymnasium, fitness center, dining room, student lounge with fireplace and big-screen TV, game room, and an outdoor terrace with full views of Lake Champlain and the Adirondacks.
Resident students eat most of their meals in the campus dining hall, but weekly outdoor barbecues and dinners-on-the-town are planned as well.
The classroom and tech facilities at Champlain College are among the best we've seen in the nation. The MacPro Editing labs used by the Photography and Filmmaking Programs feature thirty individual stations loaded with the Adobe Creative Suite (Premiere, Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign), Flash, Dreamweaver, ImageReady, Fireworks, Maya and many others. Just down the hall are state-of-the-art photography facilities and a large gang darkroom with ten enlargers. Movie nights and the final showcase festival take place in the Alumni Auditorium Theater which seats two-hundred.
Lakeview Hall - 320 Maple St., Burlington, VT 05401
A variety of extracurricular activities are planned for evenings and weekends. Activities range from the much anticipated "Non-Talent Show" and Karaoke night, to taking in a local show and summer blockbuster movie. Cool off swims in lake Champlain, hikes in the beautiful Green Mountains, leisurely strolls downtown and summer concerts in the park are also planned.
Our staff only does airport transfers on the first (opening Sunday) and last (final Saturday) days of each session. Upon arrival we will greet you at the baggage claim area for your flight wearing a SOCAPA t-shirt and holding a sign with your name, and travel back to campus with you from the airport. At the end of your program, we will help you check-in at your airline's check-in counter; unfortunately we cannot escort you beyond security unless you are an unaccompanied minor as designated by the airline.
Please note that you must fill out the online Travel Form at least 2 WEEKS PRIOR to the start of the program.
There is a fee of $45 per airport transfer from BTV to our Burlington Campus. There is an additional fee of $100 for each direction of unaccompanied minor service (arrival and departure). Unaccompanied minor service must first be purchased through your airline and then added to your SOCAPA travel information.
If you have made air arrangements outside our scheduled dates, times, or airports we service, you will need to arrange for transportation from the airport to the residence hall.
Day students should plan to begin the program on the afternoon of the first Sunday of their session, just as residential students do. Schedules and important information is shared during this orientation, and students will also meet their classmates and teachers.
Depending on the program, most class activities begin at 9am and end at 5pm, Monday through Friday. Most programs require at least one or two nights of evening work (editing time, night shoot time, etc.), and some 3-week programs also require students to attend 1 of their final weekend days, such as during a longer shoot day for filmmakers and actors. Students are responsible for following their individual program schedule and respecting that others are counting on them to be there for early call times, evening production meetings, etc. They should also note that schedules may change due to weather, special events, or other circumstances, and watch for communication from campus about these changes. Day students do not have residential staff to remind them of changes, so they’re responsible for paying attention to knowing where they’re supposed to be for class or events.
Evening activities typically run from 7pm to 10pm, with some variance. The break between when class ends and evening activities begin is a dinner break when residential students might shower, change, nap, get supplies for their film or photo projects, buy dinner, work on the songs they’re writing, etc.
Day students in Burlington are welcome to be in the dormitory until about 10pm on same-gender floors and common areas such as the ResLife office or Rec Room. However, they will not have key access to the dorm. They will need to call the office to sign in in the morning, and/or ask a friend to let them in when they enter at other times through the day.
Day students are encouraged and welcome (but not required) to attend any of our structured evening and weekend activities at no extra charge.
Day students are charged Meals and Activities Fee of $55 per week which allows them access to the cafeteria for lunches, Monday – Friday, and covers the cost of entrance passes for shows or events that we might attend as a camp in the evening. Day students should be prepared to purchase their own dinner when joining us for the evening. Meal tickets may be purchased from our ResLife office.
