When your son or daughter turns 18 years of age, the privacy laws of the Government of Québec come into play. The College is prohibited by law from releasing information about a student to anybody, including parents, unless the student has authorized us to do so. We realize that this can be frustrating to parents who are still providing financial support. We encourage our students to be open and forthcoming with their parents, and to keep them up to date with their progress. If you were interested, our Academic Advisors would be pleased to meet with you, together with your son or daughter, to discuss their progress. Nevertheless, if your son or daughter is attending CEGEP, and is not yet 18 years old, you are entitled to receive information directly from the College about their academic standing.

College policy and Bill 65 of the Province of Québec guarantee the confidentiality of every student's file at Champlain. No information can be released to anyone, including parents, or to any agency without the express written permission of the student. The only exceptions are certain designated members of the college administration, as well as the parents of students under 18 years of age. The College encourages all students, however, to keep their parents informed and involved in their education. The Academic Advisors are always available to both parents and students to consult with regard to the subject of confidentiality.

Outside class time, college students will find a host of opportunities through athletics, student activities and clubs to meet new people with different points of view and experience. With this comes growing independence and self-assurance.

Since most students reach the age of majority while attending CEGEP, Champlain College Saint-Lambert treats all students as responsible young adults from the time of their arrival. The student is expected to meet the requirements set by instructors in their course objectives that are distributed at the beginning of each new semester. The responsibility for attaining a diploma, for taking care of one’s affairs, is squarely on the shoulders of the student. This is also the reason that academic report cards are addressed to the students themselves, and not to you, their parents.

Deciding on a potential career may be the single most serious decision of your son or daughter’s life thus far, and the fear of making a mistake may make it more difficult for them to choose a direction.

Your son or daughter will arrive at Champlain St-Lambert having already made a program choice. Their studies, however, may lead them to reflect upon themselves, their strengths and weaknesses, and what they really want in life. The college experience expands students’ horizons and decisions to change direction are often made at this point. Whereas for some students it is easy to make the decision to change program or career choice, for others the difficulty resides in the fear of disappointing their family. If your son or daughter wants to change program or is experiencing uncertainty, encourage them to consult an Academic Advisor or a Counsellor. In both cases, outside help can be precious.

The first academic results your son or daughter receives are certain to have an effect on their motivation. If they obtain the same or better results that they were used to getting in high school, this will generally provide encouragement for them. However, if they initially receive disappointing marks on exams or assignments, it may result in self-doubt about their ability and/or choice of academic program. It is important to know, however, that in certain cases it may only signify that they are experiencing temporary difficulties. Nevertheless, for some students, their academic results may signal that a change in program choice should be considered.

If you see that your son or daughter is experiencing such difficulties, encourage them to seek out the assistance of college professionals, notably one of our Academic Advisors and/or Counsellors.

Students have told us that the biggest challenge they face in their first college semester is adjusting to the amount of studying they have to do and the increased workload.

The academic demands, the amount of study time required, and the level of difficulty of college studies may surprise and sometimes discourage students who, in high school, did well without much effort or who never really learned how to study. If students want to avoid any surprises in CEGEP, they are expected to study, on an on-going basis outside of class time, an average of 20-25 hours a week. Priorities must therefore be set between schoolwork, part-time jobs and socializing, or students may find themselves over-extended, which could lead to personal stress and academic failure.

Every Monday, the Student Services puts out a newsletter called The HUB. It lists everything from upcoming activities to what’s on the menu at the cafeteria. It is also an important tool that advertises upcoming deadlines for course withdrawals, change of programs or registration. We would ask that you encourage your son or daughter to pick it up so that they can stay on top of all that’s happening on campus. The HUB can also be found on this site under Current Students.