10 Popular Politicians Who Should be Ashamed of Their College Transcripts

If you think your college grades don’t matter once you get into the working world, you’re probably right in many ways. That is, of course, unless you decide to pursue a political career. Then every bit of your college past will come back to haunt you, from one night stands to that embarrassing D in political science. Pundits analyze your ability to lead, manage a budget and fulfill the duties accordant with the office — and try to dig up some salacious gossip, too!

The majority of college students won’t ever find themselves running for office, and can be assured their grades will remain out of sight (unless they want to show them off, of course). But for those who do choose a political path, transcripts have become a sticky subject. Many politicians have had theirs pored over to see if they show the slightest sign of inadequacy. Others, like President Obama, struggle to keep their college grades out of the public eye. Few politicians have been more haunted by their college grades than those we’ve chosen to include here. These public figures had their poor performances in courses (even some they really should have done well in, given their choice of career) showcased throughout the media for all to see. And, of course, judge.

1. Rick Perry

   You’d have to be living under a rock to miss the news stories about Rick Perry’s college transcripts. This Texas governor and presidential hopeful may be a rising star in the political world, but he wasn’t much of a standout student at Texas A&M, where he got an animal science degree. During his four years there, he only managed to get two As, a handful of Bs, a whole lot of Cs and Ds and one (possibly justifiable) F – in Organic Chemistry II.

2. Al Gore

   While many scandals surrounding college grades have involved conservative candidates, Democrats aren’t exempt from the media’s prying eyes. Even those who have championed a worldwide crusade on global warming, only to not perform so hot in their own science courses. While at Harvard, Gore got pretty middling grades overall, including some in classes that people today would expect him to have knocked out. He got a D in Natural Sciences 6 his sophomore year and a C- in Natural Sciences 118 his senior year. His overall GPA? Not that much different than the oft-mocked George W. Bush. To be fair, Gore’s interests may have changed a bit since he was in his twenties, and IQ tests show that despite his often uninspired performance as a student, he has above average intelligence.

3. John Kerry

   Kerry once possessed a media reputation for being a far more cerebral candidate than fellow Yalie Bush. Yet both shared similar academic histories at the Ivy League school. The Boston Globe called Kerry "a lackluster student," and the politician graduated Yale with a middling 76 average. He struggled particularly hard his freshman year, when he scored a whopping four Ds. In the years after his presidential run, Kerry has joked about his poor grades stating, "I always told my Dad that D stood for distinction."

4. George W. Bush

   There are more than a few people out there who regard former president George W. Bush’s intellectual aptitude with a great deal of skepticism. He did little to shake this image, making numerous errors and outright blunders in public speaking engagements — and his college grades don’t help, either. The junior Bush graduated from Yale with a 77 average. While he never earned an A in a single class, he also never failed and got a D in only one. His highest grade was an 88, and nearly all of his others were Cs. When asked later why he never spoke out about the criticism, he responded, "You know, I’ve always tried to lower expectations, and I feel like if people say, well, you know, maybe, you know, I don’t think you (can) handle the tough job, and when you do, it impresses people even more."

5. Joe Biden

   While President Obama may have been a standout at Harvard Law, his running mate Joe Biden doesn’t share the same academic distinction. He attended the University of Delaware at Newark, pursuing a degree in history and political science. To say that he was a poor student might be an understatement. Biden graduated in 1965 ranked 506 out of 688 in his class, and classmates report him being much more interested in sports and socializing than studying. Despite this dismal performance, he was accepted at Syracuse University Law School. There, he also did terribly, admitting later that he found law school incredibly boring. Nonetheless, he was admitted to the bar in 1969 and started practicing law.

6. John McCain

   There is no doubt that John McCain is a war hero and his military record is exemplary. Yet McCain didn’t fare quite so well in academics during his time at the US Naval Academy. The Arizona senator admitted in an interview that he graduated near the bottom of his class, ranking 894 out of 899, but it wasn’t necessarily because he was a terrible student. He often came into conflict with higher-ranking personnel and didn’t always obey the school’s strict rules. Like many others on this list, he found certain subjects boring (mainly mathematics) and simply didn’t put as much effort into them as others he enjoyed — like literature and history.

7. Sarah Palin

   Sarah Palin was a controversial choice of running mate during the 2008 McCain presidential campaign, and remains a divisive political figure to this day. Palin has been attacked for her lack of knowledge on important foreign policy and national issues — and not unjustly, in many cases. Her spotty college record may have something to do with it. Palin bounced between numerous universities before getting her degree, including the University of Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific University, North Idaho College, Matanuska-Susitna College and finally the University of Idaho, where she finally received her bachelor’s (communications major) in 1986. Palin has openly admitted not being the best student, and revealed in an interview that she got a D in microeconomics.

8. Scott Walker

   This Tea Party governor of Wisconsin has become a controversial public figure since his 2011 election, largely because he wants to cut the state budget through limiting teachers unions’ power. Many have found something else objectionable about Walker as well — his college records. He attended Marquette University in Milwaukee for four years, but never received a degree, instead choosing to go right into work. Walker’s transcripts have revealed that he was a pretty mediocre student before dropping out, getting mostly Cs. Today, he says he believes education is important, and expects his sons to attend college and perform much better than he did.

9. Dick Cheney

   Dick Cheney served eight years as Vice President under George W. Bush, and had enjoyed stints as White House Chief of Staff, Secretary of Defense and House Representative prior to that. While he would work hard at his political career later in life, college proved a rough start. Cheney applied and was accepted to Yale, complete with scholarship money from a Wyoming alumnus. Yet the young man would not adjust well to life there, drinking, partying and eventually flunking out. He would pull himself together and go back, only to fail again. The third try proved a charm for Cheney, but not at Yale. He eventually got his BA (and later MA) at the University of Wyoming in political science, but would drop out of the PhD program partway through.

10. Dan Quayle

    While not exactly a popular politician, Quayle is perhaps better known for his inability to spell potato than any political savvy. Ridiculed throughout his time in office for being an intellectual lightweight, Quayle did little to change his reputation, often making incorrect or contradictory statements. While we doubt that he is truly the moron the media made him out to be, he certainly didn’t fare well in college courses. He was a poor student at DePauw University, preferring to play golf or hang out with his frat bothers than study, once comparing his experience to the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. In fact, his grades were so poor, when he applied to Indiana University Law School, he could only gain admission to the night school. In the interest of fairness, however, we have to mention that Quayle changed his game once he got in, earned much better grades and even passed the bar exam on his first try.

Taken From Accredited Online Colleges