Sarah Palin’s pregnant teenage daughter Bristol has caused renewed discussion in the issue of sex education in schools — especially since Governor Palin opposes all sex education programs that teach anything other than abstinence. Read the rest of this entry »

Was Sarah Palin a success or a failure in college?  The Internet is positively abuzz with that question, but the answer is a mystery.

Sarah Palin attended six different colleges before she finally graduated with a degree in Communications/Journalism from the University of Idaho in 1987.  Sources say that as a kid, she was kind of a bookworm, but that at college she didn’t distinguish herself.  But really, that’s about all we know.

Palin really ought to just come out and tell us her GPA. Seriously, nobody seems to care that Joe Biden graduated 506 out of 688 from his class, or that McCain finished nearly dead last in his.  I mean, how much worse could Palin’s record be? Americans seem to be more put off by evasiveness than they are by poor grades, so she may as well just release her transcripts.

Read more about Sarah Palin’s university background, along with the college records of Barack Obama, John McCain, and Joe Biden.

Common Misspellings: Sara Palin, Sarah Pallin, Sarah Palen, Sara Palen

So how did Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden, and Sarah Palin fare in college?  What were their GPAs?  What courses did they take and excel in, and what gave them problems?

I investigated this question today, and sadly, it was difficult to find solid answers.  After all, GPAs and other information about college performance is confidential information.  When I was a professor, I couldn’t even tell parents how their kids were doing in classes, much to their frustration.  That’s the law.

Nonetheless, when an individual applies to grad school, or when they apply to a competitive job where intelligence matters quite a bit, they are asked to submit their GPA and their college transcripts.  And that’s why it irks me that information about the candidates’ college records are not readily available.   After all, the American people are about to hire two of these candidates to crucially important positions.  Shouldn’t we have this information about their accomplishments — or lack thereof– in higher education?  No, GPA isn’t a direct indicator of intelligence and future success, but it certainly is one indicator.

At any rate, here’s the information that’s out there about the college records of Barack Obama, John McCain, Joe Biden, and Sarah Palin.

Vice Presidential candidates will have their first chance to face-off in person tonight, during the VP debate at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. The debate hosting honors have been Wash U’s for every election since 1992.

While the facts being shared by Joe Biden and Sarah Palin might be, well, debatable – here are some facts about Washington University in St. Louis that you might not have known (and probably can’t be disputed!). Other famous faces who’ve walked the hallowed halls at Washington University, and walked away with a degree, include the following. Their alumni also include 27 Nobel Prize recipients.

• Harold Ramis, 1966, Co-Writer “Animal House”
• Peter Sarsgaard, 1995, Actor
• Tennessee Williams, 1936, Playwright
• Steve Fosset, 1968, Adventurer
• George Zimmer, 1970, Founder Men’s Warehouse (we guarantee it!)
• Conde Nast, 1897, publisher Vogue magazine
• George Herbert Walker, 1897, Founder of Walker Cup; great-grandfather to President George W. Bush

Established in 1853, it is a private university with an undergrad enrollment of about 7,400, post-grad of about 6,200 and faculty of about 3,100. They’re quite proud of their institution, have an incredibly selective enrollment process (for the class of 2011 it was 19%). Tuition is about $33,700/year with room and board topping $10,000.

The school is very tech-friendly, offering Internet more than 10,000 internet connections throughout the campus, and 2,500 computers available for student use.

More than 70% of the student body resides in campus housing, where alcohol is allowed on campus. For students interested in being active in university activities, there are more than 200 organizations, including honors groups, newspaper, government, musical and religious groups. For those interested in Greek life, there are 12 fraternities and 12 sororities, with 50% of students participating. Athletic types can show their talents in one of the 19 varsity sports.

Washington University in St. Louis is located in one of the United States’ major cities- so even if life on campus isn’t appealing, the bustling city is sure to accommodate your interests.

A friend recently read an article to me that McCain stated “Palin is the next Clinton or Reagan”. But after seeing multiple interviews and listening to her speak, her lack of knowledge seems to say otherwise to me. I don’t think comparing her to Clinton or Reagan before given the chance to prove herself is a smart thing to do, before she has the opportunities to perform tasks as a Vice President. She may seem fit for the position now, but once someone is placed in a new situation, they may change completely and not be able to handle what they are placed in the position to do.

Although placing judgment early on may be a bad thing, comparing Sarah Palin to some of the most well-known and most successful presidents of the United States is something that shouldn’t be done before she is even placed in office.

Quite personally, her lack of knowledge when it comes to current politics scares me. The fact that she questions some of Bush’s policies (by questioning, I mean asking what they are) makes me uneasy, giving me the feeling she knows little of what is going on. Although I may feel this way, I admire her for what she is doing and how she is sticking to her personal beliefs, not letting those who badger her and try to make her look bad pull her down.

So what are your takes on Palin as VP? Do you think she has what it takes?

Sarah Palin has more experience applying to colleges than she does as governor (serving Alaska for 22 months).

We previously shared Sarah’s alma mater. It appears that the VP candidate did in fact attend six universities in six years, finally snagging a journalism degree from the University of Idaho in 1987. There is no evidence she worked for the school’s media, but she did work briefly for Anchorage’s KTUU as a sports reporter. Only two other Presidents have had previous careers as journalists- Benjamin Harrison and JFK.

This detailed story at WikiAnswers talks more about Palin’s college-hopping days and her lack of extracurricular participation at each.