Life > September 29, 2006

By Dave Chace

Editor in chief

Ben Applebaum and his two buddies Ryan McNally and Derrick Pittman didn’t last two years past graduating in 1997 before they realized just how much they’d learned in college.  Not in school - but in college.  Out of the classroom.

Thus spawned Collegestories.com - a Web site for college students and alumni to submit their favorite stories out of their golden years.  Since ‘99, the site, a mere side project for the three men, contains hundreds of stories from schools across the country.

Last July, 75 of their favorite stories from the site were compiled into the second book to spawn from Collegestories: Class Dismissed: 75 outrageous, mind-expanding college exploits. 

“We took our favorite stories from a bunch of different topics and wrapped it into the idea that in college you learn way more outside the classroom rather than in the classroom,” Applebaum said.

The book’s promotion will include special “crapper” editions to be printed up and delivered to fraternity houses across the country.

Suitably, the book is loaded with bathroom humor that “only the coolest Grandmas would appreciate,” Applebaum said after mentioning the parental warning - warning parents to approach the book with a sense of humor.

To the right is a story from McNally’s own university experience at a pizza joint no longer in business.  For the full story, and many more, the book may soon be coming to a crapper near you.

Applebaum will be signing copies on the Quad on Sept. 30, and will also speak in Shorty’s Sept. 29 at 2 p.m. about getting a job and ads and entertainment for non-business majors.

“Pizzalicious”

A story straight from Wake Forest included in Class Dismissed

A.J. and I did everything in our power to increase our chances of ?nishing the pizza, which we calculated was the equivalent of approximately three seventeen-inch pizzas.

We began a strict eating and exercise regimen, and consulted our friend and future doctor Patrick on whether eating the cheese or the crust ?rst would improve our chances.

When the hour arrived, we rounded up about ten friends who were interested in cheering us on (and witnessing our foolishness in action). In the cheering section was A.J.’s girlfriend, Allison, who was blissfully unaware of the extent of the gluttony that would soon take place.

The pizza arrived at our table amid much hoopla, and I was immediately alarmed by the signi?cantly thicker-than-anticipated crust on our gigantic pizza, which took up the entire table. Nonetheless, we were determined in our quest and launched out to a fast start, completing half the pizza in a mere twenty minutes. Our prospects looked bright.

As we attacked the second half of the pizza, however, we began to “hit the wall.” Worse yet, after a few more minutes of gorging ourselves, the wall fell on top of us with a resounding thud.

Desperate to catch a second wind, A.J. stumbled to the bathroom to induce some vomiting, only to ?nd that management had locked the men’s bathroom as a precautionary measure. Unfazed, he entered the women’s bathroom and unleashed a massive regurgitation. Face ?ushed and eyes watery, he emerged from the bathroom ready to reattack as several petri?ed patrons looked on.

“Excerpted from Class Dismissed by Ben Applebaum, Ryan McNally, and Derrick Pittman.  Copyright