Photo: Passive Aggressive Notes

Roommates. They’re an important part of the university experience, though you’ve probably had a couple get under your skin before. Existing with people can make all their flaws all-too-visible, so here are a handful of ideas on how to cope with college roommates.

Establish ground rules. Develop rules at the beginning of the semester for the way you’ll handle smoking, taking calls during study time, studying late into the evening, bringing home significant others, etc.

Don’t touch their stuff. As tempting as his or her tasty looking food may be, leave it alone. Don’t use their shampoo, makeup, clothes. Your relationship will improve for doing it.

Be friendly, but don’t force friendship. Stay courteous, but don’t expect you’ll be BFFs throughout your lives. Some of the best roommates are the ones you barely ever see.

Determine your bathroom schedule. At the outset of the semester, talk through your schedule to understand when people need to be on their way every morning then base your bathroom schedule around that timeline.

Cleaning rules. Set up a cleaning agenda for your living space and make certain you pull your own weight. When your roommate left something in the sink that’s smelling up the apartment, the easiest solution might be to tidy it up then and address it with them later.

Pick your battles. It may well drive you nuts after they leave their hair in bathtub after showering, but there could be more vital things to handle.

Have one room to keep clean – always. Even though the remainder of your apartment may be a mess, it helps to have one community room you know you’ll be able to retreat to that will almost allways be clean, such as kitchen or living area. Agree to keeping it tidy.

Bring it up. When you let the problems that bothers you simmer underneath the surface without addressing it directly with them, it’s going to just worsen for you and they could have no clue what they’re doing gets under your skin. While leaving a note may perhaps be much more comfortable for you, just take care of it up front, as opposed to declaring a post-it war.

Click here for more back to school tips.

Does this look familiar? Photo: Casey Serin

As we listen to what university students are facing today, probably the most common things we hear is college overwhelm. If you’re falling behind with all your assignments and feeling overloaded with responsibilities and expectations, you’re experiencing college overwhelm. If this sounds familiar, to you, below are great tips on the way to avoid becoming overwhelmed.

1. Structure your time. After 12 years of structured school, trying to proactively schedule study time is usually overwhelming to freshmen students, reports Dartmouth University. Having a calendar or your cell phone, put your classes on the calendar and be certain to block out time for work and play. Some experts report that creating a list of what you ought to accomplish the next day before going to sleep will assist you to mentally organize your day while you sleep.

2. De-stress. Taking on a physical activity like kickboxing, yoga, or maybe walking can improve your capability to copy with college overwhelm.

3. Allow for flexibility. In case your goal was to finish your project prior to the weekend but it doesn’t happen how you thought it might, be flexible. Its not all things work out just how we plan and assignments may take longer than you expected. Get used to it.

4.Take a break. If you’re burning the candle on both ends and working non-stop, an escape would do you good. Leave the house and breathe some fresh air. Call a friend and laugh at their silly jokes. Go to a pet store and pet the puppies. Even a small break will let you feel refreshed.

5. Don’t overdo it. Typically, 12 credit hours per semester is regarded as full-time, with 18 credits being the maximum. A lot of people will burn out around 18 credits. Consider not all college credits are created alike. That half credit college choir class you thought would be a fun break might end up taking 3 hours/week – a lot more than expected! 

Check out this article for 13 ways to reduce college stress.

Does this sound familiar? Procrastination is really a favorite past time of college students at traditional and online colleges, postponing unpleasant tasks for later, to do something fun right now. Instead of share tips on how to overcome procrastination, here is a list of college students’ favorite ways to procrastinate. You know, in case you need more distractions.

Tumblr. Tumblr is the latest addictive mini-blogging webpage that univeristy students love. Start reblogging and you can’t stop.

Doodling. Doodling is a popular escape from class and studying alike.

YouTube. Watching hilarious YouTube videos, like ones on fainting goats or cute kittens, is a terrific strategy to procrastinate. You can also take it up a notch and make your own YouTube videos.

Watch TV. Particularly with Netflix and Hulu, it’s effortless to be up till 2am watching your brand-new favorite show.

Hang out. For those who have friends who aren’t on the same schedule just like you, a dinner invitation is tough to turn down.

The Internet. As soon as your web browser is open, hours are usually lost checking out random things online.
Twitter and facebook. If you’ve ever brought up Facebook for an email address, or even the details for Friday’s party, it’s not unusual to get lost in status updates and an hour later, wonder what you were doing on Facebook from the start.

Pets. Dogs and cats are glorious distractions. Even Mark Twain was said to have had a kitten who would distract him to cease working so they could go play.

Procrastination is a glorious thing, until you’re out of time to finish your assignments. If your procrastination habit has you frustrated,, we’ve got a remedy for that:

13 tips on how to deal with college stress
10 tips to help you avoid procrastinating 

Disney has teamed up with Facebook and pioneered an innovative way to purchase tickets for the “Toy Story 3″ without leaving Facebook and invite friends to come along.  The Disney Tickets Together app is in conjunction with Fandango.com, providing access to the majority of theaters across North America.  “The whole idea is that no friend gets left behind,” Oliver Luckett, who oversees Disney’s social media efforts, told the New York Times.

While purchasing tickets online isn’t new, integrating the power of social networking with online purchases could revolutionize movie ticket sales.  With the convenience of buying tickets right on Facebook, it could increase the number of impulse purchases and simplify the planning procss of a group movie outing.

Initiatives like this are exciting ways that web development, social media, and animation meet.  If you’re excited about how social media is changing how business is done, perhaps you should consider a career in web development and be on the cutting edge of innovation.

A web designer designs, creates, and maintains websites on the internet for companies, organizations, and public figures.  Using languages and programs such as HTML, Javascript, and Dreamweaver, web designers create memorable websites that can be used as an online resource, for promotion, and display.

Preparation: Web Designer

In order to become a web designer, people can receive training through vocational schools or an associate’s degree to gain a comprehensive understanding of computers, design, and the coding languages on which websites are built.  Web designers typically require some sort of on-the-job training as well.

Personality Profile: Web Designer

The web design industry attracts people from both spectrums, with artistic and analytic thinkers represented in the field.  Web design has procedures to follow but also allows for creative design opportunities as well.  Anyone considering a career in web design should have an ability to cope with high stress situations, solve problems, innovate and bring new ideas to the table.

By the Numbers: Web Designer

• Web designers held about 209,000 jobs in 2008.
• There are 72,600 projected job openings for web designer over the next decade.

Web Designer Perks

Web designers enjoy independence in their work and a feeling of achievement upon completing a website that receives profitable traffic and business.

Show Me the Money: Web Designer Salary

Web designers make approximately $37/hour and $77,010 annually.

To find the perfect web design program for you so you can launch a successful web design career, visit My Colleges and Careers.

Animators can be found in local television production creating the graphics and elements used to display the weather, news, or events. Animators my find themselves creating feature films, special effects, or video games. Every animation industry has it’s specialists. A majority of animators may find themselves working directly in the entertainment industry.

Jobs in animation can be very unique and specialized. There are three main different types of animation, they are:

• Cel Animation
• Stop Motion Animation
• Computer Animation

Animation is not the art of drawings that move but the art of movements that are drawn.

– Norman McLaren

Most animation positions require a Bachelors in Fine Arts or equivalent experience. If you don’t have any type of connections for any jobs in animation, an animation degree becomes even more important if you want an animation career. If you don’t have an animation degree you’ll need one heck of a portfolio because the industry can be very competitive.

Animators usually have specific responsibilities. Some animators focus on texture, and things like clothing. Other animators may do nothing but lighting. Some animators are responsible for specific characters. There are animators that focus on background and perspective. I think one of the most interesting animators is the one that is in charge of the movement of the characters and keeping the physics realistic. There are many opportunities within animation. Begin now by figuring out what you’re good at.