Discovery Through Immersive Learning

Term III is all about gaining knowledge through experience. We provide you with opportunities to do immersive and intensive work in different fields. These special cocurricular study options are designed to enhance your traditional coursework through innovative and adventurous approaches to learning. If you're an Education student, you can student teach, while Nursing students have the opportunity for clinical work. Many students elect to travel internationally for the term.

 
Students look into a mirror overlooking the Majestic Mile in St. John US Virgin Island.

What You Gain From Term III

Term III has multiple ways in which you can take your education beyond the classroom. Whether you want to immerse yourself by traveling to specific locations, have a more relaxed approach to learning, or do field research, we look forward to seeing you take your knowledge to another level.

A student holds a sea cucumber while in the Bahamas

Travel the World

Term III allows you to have an immersive learning experience where you get to be right in the action of your travels. The locations and historical artifacts you visit are direct points of reference that will inform your studies.

Students hike on a rocky staircase next to a waterfall

Low-Stakes Exploration

What’s great about our program is that it’s a low-stakes approach for students to gain knowledge since there are no performance evaluations or grades given. You simply get to gain a new experience and learn for the love of it!

Students examine a tree as part of a science trip

Perform Field Research

For those of you who are interested in field research, our Term III trips offer you the chance to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world situations and learn how to collect data, analyze, and problem-solve, while fostering an understanding of diverse perspectives.

What Cocurricular Activities Can I Do in 2026?

Elmira College Public Health Panama

TERM II TRIP: Global Public Health 

Over the spring break in March, you can gain an appreciation of the challenges in achieving accessible healthcare in settings outside of the United States with a trip to Panama. The trip is part of an online course that investigates the leading causes of illness, death, and disability in resource-constrained settings. During the trip, you'll learn first-hand about approaches to prevention and control of those conditions and learn to critically evaluate solutions to improve global health. 

TERM III TRIPS 

Elmira College | Term III Iceland

Culture, Health, and Policy Law Impacting Vulnerable Populations

Discover how society, culture, policies, and law impact the health, wellness, and resilience of vulnerable populations during this two-week trip to Iceland, a new travel location. You'll explore cultural arts, religion, architecture, paintings, music, handcrafts, dance, and food as you take daily walking tours, hold group discussions, journal, and more. 

Elmira College | Term III Australia

Natural and Social History of Australia and New Zealand

Visit major cities and natural landscapes to see the ecosystems of Australia and New Zealand. Learn about organisms and the effect environment has on them. Also learn about the indigenous peoples of the region and observe the relationship between environment and culture.  Among the sights are Sydney and the Blue Mountains, the Great Barrier Reef, Daintree rainforest, aboriginal culture park, Waitomo glowworm caves, and the Hobbiton movie set.

Elmira College | Term III St. John

Environmental Field Methods

Any student can join on a trip that will teach about hydrology, water resources, oceanography, ecology, geology, and sedimentology. For more than two weeks, students will stay near a beach and explore St. John, a U.S. territory. While there, they'll spend most of the time in the field collecting environmental samples, with time spent in the lab processing information. 

 
Elmira College | Term III Salem Witchcraft

Witchcraft & Potions

Learn the historical, political, and scientific aspects of witchcraft that includes a week-long trip to Salem, Massachusetts. Grasp the connections between chemistry and witches through lectures on the legends and history of witches to lab work investigating the science of witchcraft. 

Elmira College | Hawaii Term III

Tropical Ecology

Learn about tropical ecology with up-close look at organisms on the Big Island of Hawaii.  You'll learn methods for sampling and identifying plants and animals in fantastical environments while examining the geology, history, and culture of the island. You'll keep a field journal to record your observations and participate in a field research project.

Art of Tropical Ecology

No art experience is required for this studio art travel course, where you'll draw and paint the natural forms and phenomena within a tropical ecosystem of the Big Island of Hawaii. Learn to observe and sketch scientific illustrations in the field to create drawings, illustrations, and watercolor paintings. 

 

Past Opportunities

Explore our past Term III excursions and gain a better understanding of how exhilarating experiences like these can bring your classroom studies to life and change the way you see the world.

  • The ability to learn classical history while studying in Greece, Turkey, or Egypt
  • A class that studies Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, capped with a trip to the Galapagos Islands
  • Get ideas to bring back to classrooms on an instructional tour to Italy
  • The chance to participate in an archeological dig at important national historical sites

Highlights from 2023

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