From http://www.comcast.net/articles/news-politics/20080904/CVN.Palin.Education/ the 5th is University of Hawaii at Hilo.
“According to a biography — “Sarah” by Kaylene Johnson — Palin and three friends went to the University of Hawaii at Hilo after graduation from high school in Alaska in 1982. But they left after a few weeks because of the constant rain there, the book said.
Palin, then known as Sarah Louise Heath, and a friend then traveled to Honolulu and enrolled at Hawaii Pacific University, a private, nonsectarian school. She attended only as a freshman during the fall of 1982, school spokeswoman Crystale Lopez said.”
I like the way MIchaelTArchangel laid out her education in http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2074833/posts. I’ve plagiarized it below. It really tells the story of an average American girl getting her education. I’m impressed with her education choices! It makes mine seem boring. I’ve added comments to his list.
F82: Hawaii Pacific University, Business Administration (With at least one friend. Could have been the friends’ plan to live in Hawaii for a few months and still work towards a degree. Remember her parents are teachers, so she knew education was important.)
S83: North Idaho College, General Studies (a community college - great way to get basic classes in a cost effective manner, and it looks like a cool place to go to school. http://www.nic.edu/overview.asp)
F83: North Idaho College, General Studies (ditto)
S84: No college listed (took a semester off to earn a little money)
F84: University of Idaho, Journalism (?).
S85: University of Idaho, Journalism (?).
F85: Matanuska-Susitna College, Journalism (?) (About 14 miles from her hometown of Wasilla and part of the University of Alaska Anchorage. Maybe something was going on at home and they needed her help, or maybe she needed to be close to home to earn some money again. http://www.matsu.alaska.edu/)
S86: University of Idaho, Journalism
F86: University of Idaho, Journalism
S87: University of Idaho, Journalism
That is a good way to list her career too. I guess Hawaii-Hilo was editted out of the story???
You tell the story quite well too. She went to a or two warm weather school, which is pretty natural for some Alaska kids, did not like it and transfered to Idaho which was more like home. As you say she goes to a resort area JUCO maybe because she spent a bunch of her scholarship money in Hawaii or to get her academic house in order or because she liked the area, it does not matter. Then she transfer to Idaho where she graduates with one term as a transient student at a local JUCO.
So she did not “transfer” but twice. She was a transient student one term. And the 10 semesters from your method of showing her path to graduation equals the five years I found.