<p>I'm a prefrosh at Williams, and I'm worried about the maths placement test & the swimming test...</p>
<p>I'm an international student, so I'm really not sure what type of questions there'll be in the maths test. I did take SAT Maths 1&2, and bought an APcalculus book. Do you recon these'll be enough??? btw, I'm not really good at maths:p</p>
<p>also, how well do you have to be at swimming to pass the test? I REALLY don't want to take the swimming course!!</p>
<p>And one more thing- I'm thinking of taking the introductry French course, but I'm worried about the workload cos I'll be taking a few humanities courses, and I hear that they'll take up quite a lot of time... DO French classes have homeworks everyday? If so, how much?</p>
<p>I remember the math test was pretty easy, and even my non-math-inclined friends didn't have much trouble with it. I don't think it had any calculus; it's mostly basic algebra and geometry and maybe a little trig. If you did well enough on SATII math to get into Williams, you should be fine.</p>
<p>The swim test was basically just to swim across a section of the pool, and then maybe tread water for a minute or so (I don't really remember). They don't judge you on speed, form, or anything like that, just whether you can stay alive in the water for a couple of minutes.</p>
<p>Haven't taken French, but I hear all of the intro language classes are pretty intense.</p>
<p>The math test contains real analysis and advanced topology. It also asks you to prove that pi is a rational number. The swim test requires you to swim 8000 yards in half an hour. It also tests your cardio capacity by making you swim 100 yards underwater.If you fail the math test and/or the swim test, they will kick you out in an instant. </p>
<p>Not really, so you can stop worrying. </p>
<p>The math test is there to know if you have basic math skills, as basic as- divide 235 by 0.25.
The swim test is a graduation requirement. It's 50 yards in total:25 yards using any front crawl like strokes and 25 yards using anything that resembles a back stroke. Doggie paddling is allowed. Everything is allowed...as long as you dont drown, you will pass...if you drown and the lifeguards have to scoop you up..you gotta take the swim course. So if you want to avoid the course, dont drown..at least try not to.</p>
<p>I didn't do TOO well on maths2, but I didn't do too bad either... I will probably look through the book roughly before the school starts.
As for swimming test, I can only backstroke super slowly, but I guess it won't be a problem:p</p>
<p>I still can't make up my mind about intro French... Any more advice?</p>
<p>The math test is just a basic quantitative aptitude test. If you don't do well, you'll have to take 101-102, I think.
French department here is not my fave. But I took 105 in my first semester not intro. A friend of mine who took intro said it was a big mistake, and you can't pull out, or else, you get no credit. But I think the 101-102 prof is great. Try it for one week, and if you think you can handle it, go ahead.</p>
<p>The worst mistake I made last fall was to think I had too much work in my first semester. When spring came, I realized my first semester had just been too easy. Yeah, the intro classes are intense, but if you love the language and do your homework on time, and are prepared for the class, you'll have it good. And I think 50% of the grade is for participation alone.</p>
<p>I'm quite relieved about the maths test! Thanks guys:)</p>
<p>I'm worried that I'll have too much work... I'm taking envi, ling, econ and french. I just went to the peoplesoft and registered for french:) I'm still a bit worried that I won't be enthusiastic enough to do it everyday for a year. But I do like the language, so I'll give it a try!</p>