A high-school sophomore just asked in the comment section if Champlain is a good school for writing.

I'd like to answer this question as well as I can. In terms of a general writing major, Champlain's program exposes you to just about every aspect of writing, from full-on creative works--the kind of stuff that you need to reach beyond the depths of your soul to write--to full-on hard news journalism. The professors I've had have been creative and challenging, and the overall curriculum had helped contribute to "world citizen" sense of self.

We don't have a B.F.A--yet, but I can't say that my time in the writing program has been absent of lovely, and creative work. On that same note, my time here hasn't been devoid of extremely helpful classes and advice from professors on how to really live out "the writing life." And I'm not talking about "hey, kid, get a job at Starbucks, you're a writer," I'm talking about lessons in how to take work you believe in to publishers, look them in the eye (virtually or not) and get your work out there.

The professional writing major has put me in the pilot's seat of my life as a writer, now it's up to me to fire up the engines, grab the controls, and let ambition be my map.