Great Smokies Experience
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The Great Smokies Experience is a one-of-a-kind college class experience for high school students entering their junior and senior years, as well as recent high school graduates. Created and administered by professional educators from Maryville College, Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, and the Mountain Challenge Program, this is an eleven-day program where you will experience the great outdoors through hands-on experience and getting up close and personal with nature.
Participants who successfully complete this program will earn credit for a three-hour Introduction to Environmental Issues and Sustainability Studies (ENV/SUS 101) class from Maryville College, a high-quality, student-friendly liberal arts college with a family-like environment, just a short drive away from Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Students will spend most of this class living on Tremont’s campus inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with the remaining time taking place on campus at Maryville College and at other important sites in southern Appalachia. Students will go on breathtaking hikes, take a canoe trip to the Tellico Reservoir, take scientific species surveys, explore the national park at night, climb up Mt. LeConte, investigate the Maryville College Woods, and spend time in a classroom tackling big questions about the environment and our relationship to the earth.
The cost per student for the entire 10-day program is $1,999 and includes tuition, fees, room and board, all special events, and transportation to and from the Park. Students will spend the majority of the course living in the national park at Tremont, and the remainder will take place on the Maryville College campus and other important Southern Appalachia sites.
*Times, dates, and prices of any activity posted to our calendars are subject to change. Please be sure to click through directly to the organization’s website to verify.