Photography professor: Yeah, I did this whole series about raves when I was in Tucson… I even dyed my hair yellow and shaved a daisy into it because, you know, I was “submersing myself in the culture.” But that was a long time ago. Now I'm a teacher. Go figure, huh?
Photography Class
Phoenix, Arizona
Overheard by: Katie
Art history TA: This print depicts the sacrifice of Isaac, which is a biblical story where God told Abraham to kill his first-born son.
Bimbette: Oh. My. God. That’s… terrible! That’s almost as bad as a girl telling her boyfriend that he needs to get rid of his dog because she’s allergic.
http://overheardatcornell.blogspot.com/2006/11/halloween-mania-part-2.html
Overheard by: mary
Girl: Everyone knows Barbie is disproportional. Look! She has no butt! And her waist is tiny.
[Pause.]Professor: I bet black Barbie has a big butt.
Los Angeles, California
Professor: The researchers were trying to see whether or not subjects would react to taboo words. Of course, this was in 1940, so the words they used were things like ‘whore,’ ‘penis,’ and ‘Kotex.’
Widener University
Chester, Pennsylvania
Overheard by: I heart grad school
Volleyball girl: How come you have a painting of a football helmet on the wall but nothing for us?
Athletic trainer: I don't know. Maybe I'll paint something for you guys.
Volleyball girl: Yeah! You should paint a whole mirage!
Gustavus Adolphus College
Minnesota
Ninth grade English teacher: I mean, it isn’t just like, ‘Wee, the man in the moon is gettin’ laid!’
Newton North High School
Newton, Massachusetts
Professor, on possible Nazi allusions in animation: Well, it was a German film, and any time you hear German muttering, it’s harsh words and armbands.
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island
Overheard by: Sandro
Physics professor: First we’ll put it in the A hole and then we’ll put it in the other hole.
Allegheny College
Pennsylvania
Student: I was wondering what my grade is.
Instructor (after consulting grade book): You have 312 points out of 500.
Student: So that's like, what, a “b?”
Instructor: Are you failing math too?
MCCKC
Independence, Missouri
Overheard by: Not failing math
Film studies professor, after screening Eadweard Muybridge, in which animals and naked humans walk together: So what did you all think?
Student #1: I liked the tiger!
Student #2: I thought the way the elephant was filmed was fantastic.
Film studies professor: Yeah…I just like all the naked ladies.
Concordia University
Montreal
Canadia
Overheard by: In a class of 100 and disgusted
