<p>Columbia has always been my dream school, but i recently found out about the swim requirement to graduate from CC. I am extremely aquaphobic, and I really don't want this to keep me from wanting to go to my dream college. I heard that by" securing a medical waiver for an allergy to chlorine, psychological aversion to swimming, or other health conditions" you can be exempt from the requirement, but I don't know if my condition would qualify, and if so, how to get exempted. Does anyone have experience or hear of any ways to be exempt from the requirement? I also know that you can take a beginning swimming class instead. Does anyone know the details about the course (what you do in the course, how long/ often the classes are, where is it)? Also, how deep is the water for the class? If it is over 5 feet deep I don't think I would be able to overcome my aquaphobia. Please help me, I really don't want this to be the determining factor in whether or not I go to the school.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should let this minor requirement stop you from applying to ivy leagues (all ivy leagues have the requirement) and getting a good education. I would assume for the swimming test the water is definitely going to be over 5 ft, but like you said, if you really have a strong psychological aversion to swimming, you can easily get exempt. Plus, you have 4 years ahead of you, never know what could happen…you might overcome your aquaphobia. What you ARE going to regret though, is not applying to Columbia simply because of some swimming requirement :D</p>
<p>For the swim test requirement you can either take the swim test (I think my daughter said the pool is 8 ft deep) or take a beginning swimming class. There are all types of people in beginning swimming - people who have never been in a pool, people who have had traumatic experiences in pools, people who kind of know how to swim but aren’t sure they can pass the swim test, etc. If you take beginning swimming you do not have to take the swim test, you just have to pass the class (which means not missing more than 7 classes).</p>
<p>Yeah, now that I think about it, it really is silly of me to let this get in the way of going to my dream college… Does anyone know of any cases where people with a case like mine got exempt? Also, does anyone have any experience with the swim class and know details? thank you so much!!</p>
<p>Do you know how to swim? If not, this is a lifelong safety issue for you, regardless of where you attend college. You could take some beginner lessons this summer at a pool near you.</p>
<p>i do know how to… just i’m not very good at it… there is no way i would be able to swim three lengths of a pool to pass the test…</p>
<p>im more concerned about my fear of deep water. i think that if the beginning swimming class is conducted in not so deep water i would be comfortable with doing that, or if somehow i could take the test in more shallow water i would feel a lot better. </p>
<p>i know that the test is seeing if you can handle yourself in deep water like in an emergency but im pretty sure that if it really ever comes down to that my adrenaline would keep me going, but i really don’t want to have to embarrass myself by chickening out right before the test or failing.</p>
<p>If you take the beginning swim class you do not have to take the swim test. You just have to get in the pool. As long as you go to class you get credit for taking the swim test. In other words, if at the end of the swim class you haven’t learned a thing then you still get credit for passing the swim test. You only have to take the swim test if you do not take a class. My daughter says the class is conducted in three foot deep water. She said the last two classes you go to 8 foot deep water but you have a board to paddle with. If you don’t feel comfortable then nothing happens. You don’t fail. You just try your best and joke about it with the other people sitting on the edge of the pool that you an ivy league student that cant swim. No big deal.</p>