<p>Can a current Princetonian confirm that there's no swim requirement to get a degree???</p>
<p>i don't know where you heard this, but it's most definitely not true.</p>
<p>you mean in addition to 36 courses required for a BSE degree, you need to pass a SWIM test to graduate??</p>
<p>no , quirkily just confirmed that it's a MYTH.</p>
<p>I think that may be a Columbia thing. Don't quote me on that, though.</p>
<p>It's definitely a requirement at MIT.</p>
<p>I think I've heard that it's a Columbia thing too. I am quite sure the swimming test is no longer required at Princeton.</p>
<p>Hahaha. That reminds me of camp, when you have to be able to at least dog-paddle across 10 feet of the deep end before you can go in the lake or something ridiculous.</p>
<p>I guess because I'm a swimmer it seems so weird to me that anyone doesn't know how to swim. I guess Princetonians who can't swim have too much other knowledge in their brains to hold room for a trivial activity like swimming :).</p>
<p>it's not trivial (not at all, i mean something everyone should know how to do).. it's just scary.. i mean.. I ALWAYS drown!</p>
<p>how bad can a swim test be? but i still don't think it's a requirement :)</p>
<p>Wow. That would be quite funny if there was a swim requirement. Of course, there is a fine academic institution with lots of physical requirements. But it's West Point, and physical fitness is kind of a big deal given the professions that follow graduation.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I ALWAYS drown!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>lol How many lives do you have? ;)</p>
<p>No, there is no swim test.</p>
<p>I've heard they might reinstill the swim test. However, only 35% can pass. Good luck!</p>
<p>But there used to be, as there was at many universities. I believe '93 was the last class to take the test which entailed treading water for 10mins I think.</p>
<p>Whether the swim test is a current requirement or not, I can't say. It was required when I started at Princeton (mid-1980s), and I found it anything but trivial. </p>
<p>There was a program called "Outdoor Action" (don't know if it still exists) that had a 1 week hiking trip just before school started. We had a medical emergency in our group, so we got back late and I missed the cattle call for the swim test. They graciously allowed me to do the test "solo" about a month later... As a runner, I simply couldn't float. I ended up swimming in a circle for 10 minutes (couldn't touch the wall).</p>
<p>It may be urban legend, but the coach who watched me swim said the test was a requirement because of an accident decades earlier. A student supposedly fell in the water where they practice crew, and he drowned before help could reach him. The "10 minute" requirement was meant to give rescuers time to reach anyone who needed help.</p>
<p>It's not a current requirement.</p>
<p>It would be nice if it's really a requirement, I think.</p>
<p>I am a freshman at Princeton & there is no swim requirement.</p>
<p>Same here; no swim requirement. I think Cornell might have one, though.</p>