College

For many of us the college experience is our first encounter with urban legends. Young men and women living away from home for the first time are particularly susceptible to legends that play on the unease and fear of life in a strange, new environment among unfamiliar surroundings. College life (especially in fraternities) is filled with legendary tales of pranks and debauchery — some true, some not. Students often have to deal with university administrators and their bewildering array of rules and regulations, and with instructors to whom they may be nothing more than names on a roll sheet — all of them at times frustratingly arbitrary and uncaring. And, of course, students are always trying to come up with new ways of cheating and outsmarting their instructors (and sometimes vice-versa).

Latest in College

Did Ripon College Ban a 9/11 Memorial Because ‘It May Offend Muslims’?

Did Ripon College Ban a 9/11 Memorial Because ‘It May Offend Muslims’?

A conservative youth organization's claims about Ripon College's response to a controversial poster were contradicted by school officials.

Did a Professor Flunk a Student for Correctly Saying that Australia Is a Country?

Did a Professor Flunk a Student for Correctly Saying that Australia Is a Country?

Ashley Arnold attracted media attention after challenging — and triumphing over — her instructor's faulty grasp of geography.

Does MIT Offer Students a ‘Pirate Certificate’?

Does MIT Offer Students a ‘Pirate Certificate’?

The prestigious university counts among its alumni Nobel laureates, leaders of science and industry, and a fleet of certified swashbucklers.

The Unsolvable Math Problem

The Unsolvable Math Problem

A student mistook examples of unsolved math problems for a homework assignment and solved them.

Is a Kentucky University Giving Black Students Free Tuition as an ‘Apology’ for Slavery?

Is a Kentucky University Giving Black Students Free Tuition as an ‘Apology’ for Slavery?

A non-binding vote by student leaders on a largely symbolic resolution has been misrepresented as official university policy.

Cent to College

Cent to College

How an enterprising college student financed his education by soliciting one-cent donations.

Are California College Students Cutting Off Their Genitals Over Trump’s ‘Wall’ Plan?

Are California College Students Cutting Off Their Genitals Over Trump’s ‘Wall’ Plan?

A dubious web site fabricated an account of a student protest over President Trump's plans for a U.S.-Mexico border wall.

Is Hell Endothermic or Exothermic?

Is Hell Endothermic or Exothermic?

Old collegiate legend involves a student's coming up with a clever proof about the physical properties of Hell.

Can You Sell a Testicle for $35,000 to $50,000?

Can You Sell a Testicle for $35,000 to $50,000?

A university medical school will not pay you upwards of $50,000 for the donation of a testicle.

College Rejection Letter

College Rejection Letter

Rumor: Applicant turned down for a college position sends the school a letter declining the rejection.

Daughter’s Letter Home

Daughter’s Letter Home

A college student sends her parents a letter filled with disastrous news.

University of Wisconsin Booklet Photoshopped to Add Black Student

University of Wisconsin Booklet Photoshopped to Add Black Student

The photograph used for a University of Wisconsin application booklet was altered to include the face of a black student.

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