<p>So, the swim test graduation req. I have severe water phobia... if I take a class and I still can't swim, will they really not let me graduate? Have you heard of anyone getting an exception?</p>
<p>People get exceptions for all sorts of reasons. If a therapist will agree that you have a real water phobia, I’m sure they wont make you do it.</p>
<p>If you take the class, you’ll graduate. Who knows, they might even teach you to swim!</p>
<p>The requirement is a survival swim test OR one quarter of Aquatics class. If you’re willing to get in the pool twice a week for half a semester, you’ll be fine. Or else, as was suggested, get a therapist to verify your phobia.</p>
<p>Thanks! I’ll be fine then. I think I will take the class because swimming is an important skill-- I just wanted to have a failsafe in case I take the class but end up flailing around most of the time and don’t actually acquire enough skills to float :)</p>
<p>My son has water phobia (sort of). It isn’t severe but enough that even with encouragement, he had not learned to swim at age 18. He learned to swim at Swat - if what you call “swimming” is learning to float. He tried it one semester and then did not have the fortitude to complete. His last semester, he was told he needed it to graduate (he did know that - it sort of “went out” of his mind in the meantime). The instructor told him “prove to me you can float” and you’ll pass. My son did. He still cannot swim very proficiently. But he did overcome his water phobia to float enough to pass.</p>
<p>I am not sure I gave away any secrets with this - sorry if I offended someone. People at Swat are human beings and know human failings…everything is not “perfect”. I don’t know if he got some special dispensation to just float but they must have observed his distress I am sure. He did take phys ed in other ways during other semesters. That is what I remember of my son’s stay at Swarthmore.</p>