Do you have to take swimming classes at Bryn Mawr?
No, but you do have to pass the swim test. It’s a funny old tradition at the college (Columbia Univ also requires one, for example). It’s VERY easy: just ten minutes of laps (can be doggy paddle and you can be sloooow, you just have to be moving), then one minute of floating on your back and one minute of treading water. Most first year students take and pass the test during orientation week before classes start. If you’re nervous about swimming you can take a swim class to help you feel more comfortable in the water. At the end of the swim class you will pass the swim test. For the swim test and swim classes, you receive PE credit. The PE requirement is very easy to fulfill–you can take anything from yoga and pilates to independent workouts to personal finance.
More on swim test: http://athletics.brynmawr.edu/information/physical_education/swim_test
More on PE requirements: http://athletics.brynmawr.edu/information/physical_education/requirements#15
My daughter cannot swim at all so we were like whaaaaat??? Should this be the deal breaker??
Anyways, thank you for the detailed information. Appreciate it.
I’m a pretty lousy swimmer, but I had a few friends with student jobs as lifeguards. After a couple hours with them I felt comfortable taking the swim test. Bryn Mawr has a really, really nice pool that’s also open for free swim and women’s only swim (there’s also a shallow end for wading). I wouldn’t let this be a deal-breaker. As I said, it’s pretty easy and she can take a low-key intro swim class. Bryn Mawr generally encourages students to step outside their comfort zone within a safe, supportive space. The swim test is an example of that for some students.
Nice to know there is an INTRO class. Thank you for the encouragement!
Yeah - there are definitely intro classes. And students don’t need to be master swimmers on their first day of college. They just need to be able to not drown by the time they graduate. So it’s very low key. If she doesn’t know how to swim at all when she arrives at Bryn Mawr, she doesn’t need to take the swim test (no one needs to take the swim test in the first week). She’ll be given the option to enroll in intro swimming lessons in her first semester - it’s recommended that she does it sooner rather than later, but again, she doesn’t need to do it right then. Just before graduation.
Oh, OK. I thought it was a requirement for the first year. But you are right, one shouldn’t postpone too long!