The swim test

[Weder]

Cornell's swim test gets the A-hed treatment in today's Wall Street Journal. For the record, I didn't take the swim test until spring semester of my senior year.

[jtn27]

I always thought the swim test was a bare bones safety measure to prevent drowning in the campus gorges. Regardless of why we have it, it should remain in place because being able to swim is a valuable life skill. I actually thought the test was too easy and would be in favor of expanding the test from 3 laps to 10 or more (of course, maybe that's just because when I took the test I was fresh off 7+ years of swimming competitively).

[dag14]

This is the reason the swim test is still required:  :  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38533071/ns/us_news-life/

[KeithK]

I always thought the swim test was a bare bones safety measure to prevent drowning in the campus gorges. Regardless of why we have it, it should remain in place because being able to swim is a valuable life skill. I actually thought the test was too easy and would be in favor of expanding the test from 3 laps to 10 or more (of course, maybe that's just because when I took the test I was fresh off 7+ years of swimming competitively).

As someone who was fresh off of 5+ years away from swimming I think the swim test was hard enough as is, thank you! :-)

[Chris '03]

There are plenty of basic life skills, many of which are more generally applicable than swimming, that are not required. The swim test is completely arbitrary. It's also arguably discriminatory, though that's probably a stretch. Swimming is a great skill that everyone should have but I don't think it makes anyone a more well-educated biologist or architect or whatever and shouldn't be tied to a degree.

[Trotsky]

There are plenty of basic life skills, many of which are more generally applicable than swimming, that are not required. The swim test is completely arbitrary. It's also arguably discriminatory, though that's probably a stretch. Swimming is a great skill that everyone should have but I don't think it makes anyone a more well-educated biologist or architect or whatever and shouldn't be tied to a degree.

This is why we can't have nice things.  ::rolleyes::

[Josh '99]

Cornell's swim test gets the A-hed treatment in today's Wall Street Journal. For the record, I didn't take the swim test until spring semester of my senior year.

With graduation approaching this spring, Jessica McSweeney has a sinking feeling. A senior Human Development major at Cornell University, she has completed her required science and writing classes and looks forward to traveling this summer.

But one thing stands between the 21-year-old Ms. McSweeney and her diploma: three lengths in the school's 25-yard swimming pool.

Cornell students must take the plunge in order to graduate, either by passing a swim test or enrolling in a beginner's swim class. Ms. McSweeney, who hasn't been in a pool much since grade school, is less than lukewarm on the tradition.

"I guess it's a noble skill to have," she says, "but I don't intend to be a water-going person."

"You go through four years of classes. I don't think three lengths of the pool should decide whether or not you get a diploma," says Corey Minerva, a 2010 Cornell graduate who put off his test until senior year.

Why focus only on two Cornellians who put it off until the very last minute instead of finding one of the thousands who had enough foresight to take the class as freshmen or sophomores and said "well that was no big deal"?

[jtn27]

Why focus only on two Cornellians who put it off until the very last minute instead of finding one of the thousands who had enough foresight to take the class as freshmen or sophomores and said "well that was no big deal"?

Because a bunch of quotes of people saying "It wasn't a big deal" and "I completely forgot about it; it was years ago" makes for a boring read.

[Josh '99]

Why focus only on two Cornellians who put it off until the very last minute instead of finding one of the thousands who had enough foresight to take the class as freshmen or sophomores and said "well that was no big deal"?

Because a bunch of quotes of people saying "It wasn't a big deal" and "I completely forgot about it; it was years ago" makes for a boring read.

In which case, maybe there didn't need to be an article about it in the first place.

[Willy '06]

I definitely saw people puking after the swim test my Freshman year.

[ugarte]

Never took it. I was never asked to. I have no idea if it isn't a requirement for transfers but... no swim test.

[dag14]

Not a requirement for transfer students.

[cth95]

Speaking of puking, I took the swim test shortly after running windshield wipers (picture the motion of running back and forth) up and over the Crescent concourse stairs for crew tryouts.  I wasn't a fast swimmer, but I still should have passed the test relatively easily. Instead I was getting passed by people in the next group and almost couldn't finish.  I started to worry that I was going to have to take the phys ed class if I didn't drown in the middle of the pool first.  When I finely finished, I was barely able to pull myself out of the pool and nearly puked in a nearby garbage can.

I thought it was only two laps when I did it in the fall of '90, but maybe I am remembering incorrectly.  If it was more than that, than I feel better about being totally shot

[Rosey]

I thought it was only two laps when I did it in the fall of '90, but maybe I am remembering incorrectly.  If it was more than that, than I feel better about being totally shot

It was 3 laps in 1994. I wasn't at all in shape or even much of a swimmer. I thought it was easy and pointless, and I imagine I would still think it easy and pointless.

[ftyuv]

Speaking of puking, I took the swim test shortly after eating half a pizza to get over my hangover.  I wasn't a fast swimmer, but I still should have passed the test relatively easily. Instead I was getting passed by people in the next group and almost couldn't finish.  I started to worry that I was going to have to take the phys ed class if I didn't drown in the middle of the pool first.  When I finely finished, I was barely able to pull myself out of the pool and nearly puked in a nearby garbage can.

I had almost exactly the same experience.

Btw, the author of this article is a Cornellian.