Did you know, some colleges require that you can swim to graduate ?

[steve2470]

Historically, many colleges in the United States required that you demonstrate the ability to swim (since it was considered a necessary life skill) before graduating. While the tradition has waned, there are still schools, such as MIT and Cornell University, that require students to demonstrate swimming proficiency.

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[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Yup.

Mine did.

In fact, I flunked it the first time and had to do it over.

I did pass.

It's not a fond memory.

[steve2470]

3. aw bummer Peggy

Glad you finally passed. Mine did not. Have you gone swimming much since then?

[CaliforniaPeggy]

15. Damn little swimming since then. I am NOT part fish!

I hate not being able to wear my glasses, and I hate having my hair all wet and straggling over my face!

Other than those things, it's great! Yeah......right.

[woodsprite]

2. With global warming/climate change, it might come in handy depending on your location!

My son is anxious to go to college next year so he can take classes in scuba and rock climbing. He's also taking other classes, like those in his major -- although, not sure what he's gonna settle on for that. Probably something between mechanical engineering and restaurant mgmt/culinary.

[DonViejo]

4. When I was in High School (the sixties) we had to be able to swim a mile before we could...

graduate. It was a public High School

[steve2470]

7. wow, a mile ? that's a long way to me

When I was in the Boy Scouts, I went to a camp where they had an event early in the morning where you swam a mile or so to get some award. I never did it, but many of my friends did. I have not thought about this in a very long time.

[lastlib]

18. I did that when I was just eleven (y/o)--

Damn near killed me, and I was the last one out of the pool to finish, but I did it!

Yes, my college required me to pass a swimming test to graduate!

[steve2470]

19. a long way to swim at age 11! nt

[lastlib]

20. This is what I got for it:

Plus a root beer float from my scout leader! .

[steve2470]

21. very cool, brings back memories! nt

[unblock]

5. i had to pass a swim test to become a sophomore at my college.

someone lost his son as a freshman because he couldn't stay afloat for 10 minutes.

so he donated millions to the school with the proviso that freshman had to be able to stay afloat 10 minutes without touching the walls of the pool before they could advance to the sophomore class.

they've since done away with that requirement.

why? because the requirements of the donation had been met and/or the money had run out.



so the school no longer cares if students drown.

[frazzled]

6. Yup

My son had to take a swimming test at the University of Chicago as a requirement. Although we'd given him swimming lessons as a kid, he always hated swimming, and was terrified he wouldn't make it. He barely did, but managed to eke out a lap or two and ended up with a BS and PhD.

Actually, I thought the test was a good idea: the school is right next to Lake Michigan, and you know college kids late at night. Make sure they can at least swim a bit.

There was an incident earlier this year at Northwestern, where a new member of the crew team was killed after he fell over in the lake. I was shocked to learn that even crew members weren't required to prove they could swim! (He couldn't, and it was tragic.)

[steve2470]

9. such a terrible accident

I was on the crew team in HS for two years and I could swim. I just assumed we all could. It's just common sense, to me anyway.

[Sanity Claws]

8. Columbia College has one too

Now the test is conducted in a swimming pool. However, IIRC, it used to be done in the Hudson River. The Hudson is affected by tides so it flows both up and downstream. Think how hard that must have been.

[steve2470]

10. yea the tides would make it hard and the water might be a tad chilly too! nt

[FuzzyRabbit]

11. University of Puget Sound, 1960s

We had to tread water for 20 minutes to pass swimming, a required course for graduation.

[SCantiGOP]

12. Americans with Disabilities Act??

I assume those with disabilities are given waivers on the requirement? I imagine almost anyone could get some medical statement that would exempt them from having to do this.

[steve2470]

13. yes I would assume so nt

[PRETZEL]

14. Penn State had this requirement when I was there

back in the late 70's early 80's.

I knew I was going to flunk it. It also didn't help that it was at 8 am on the first Saturday after the upper classmen arrived.

[csziggy]

16. I think that was the requirement at the first college I attended

It made sense - a college at the end of a peninsula (Now Eckerd College at the south end of St. Petersburg, Florida) with a lot of oceanfront property for the college campus. Of course, being a Florida native I had been taught to swim at a very early age and had the certificates to prove it so I did not have to take swimming in college.

Not long after the beginning of the school year a student was killed - she was sailing (another encouraged sport) in a single person sail boat. It was a couple of days before her body washed up on the Sunshine Skyway. Apparently the boom of the sail swung around and hit her in the back of the head. She did not drown - she was dead when her body hit the water.

After that I never had a desire to learn to sail.

[ecstatic]

17. No swimming, but I had to run a mile in a certain time, IIRC

Bachelor of Science. If I recall correctly, the physical fitness course was not optional.

[catrose]

31. I had to do both

Swim & run a mile in some amount of time. I had visions of being pulled out of graduation for not running fast enough.

[sakabatou]

22. No, but I believe most middle schools require that skill

[Ohiya]

23. You had to be able to swim to graduate Navy Boot Camp...

...The joke was unless you were going into the coast Guard, because then if your ship sank , you could wade to shore!

[red dog 1]

24. Didn't know that

I went to a high school that didn't require taking any Physical Education courses.

Required courses:
- Four years of religion
- Two years of Latin

I won't name the school..but it was a Catholic high school in northern CA.
(Don't ask when I went there either)

K&R

[Skittles]

25. everyone should know how to swim

yes indeed

[Cicada]

26. Yes, it almost killed me

At my college at the start we had to go to the gym. I had to swim along with 3 others 100 yards in a 25 yard pool. Unknown to me the other three were on our freshman swim team which in a few months began breaking many world records, and which included the top swimmer at the just completed Olympics. They tore out like maniacal aqua men and I felt I should keep up. By the time I made the first turn and was coming back I was completely exhausted and veered out of my lane and was struck by one of them coming back toward me. I went under several feet but managed to get back up. At the end I had to wait a while before I had the strength to get out. I took a few steps and then threw up from my complete exhaustion from trying desperately to keep up.

[Beakybird]

27. I don't know about colleges,

but schools of fish have this requirement.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

28. Oh, my. I had never run across this requirement before.

I do think it's a good idea that everyone know how to swim at a basic level, but some of what's been posted here goes far beyond a basic level.

When I first went off to college in 1965, my local University required two semester of P.E., unless you were at least 25 years old. I took one semester, intermediate fencing, then promptly dropped out of school, and by the time I got back and was serious about getting a degree, the P.E. requirement had disappeared. Whew.

[sadiegirl]

29. I graduated from a college that required that.

Required basic skills that I am still not good at.

[sweetroxie]

30. Bryn Mawr, 1963

I had to pass a swimming and a diving test in order to graduate. I passed the swimming but was scared to death of the diving so I had to work on that.

[femmocrat]

32. I had to take swimming in college.

I went from being unable to swim a stroke to completing eight lengths. I could not dive though, too scared. The instructor gave me a C. Unfair, IMO!