College Stress. Does this look familiar? Photo: energyandmotivation.com

College can be a really stressful time in your life. From waiting for college acceptance letters to cramming for final exams, college stress can make you feel like a juggler who just can’t keep all the balls in the air. Since we’ve been there, done that, and made it out alive, here are some of our favorite ways of dealing with college stress. (Blog dedication: EarthquakesxHeartache and MeCassieMarie, this one’s for you.)

1. Build a support system. You can bet you’re not the only one on campus freaking out about student loan applications and assignment deadlines. Find friends that you can lean on who listen. When they’re feeling stressed, you can return the favor and be a listening ear.
2. Take care of yourself. You’d be surprised what healthy food, 8 cups of water/day, and a good night’s sleep will do to alleviate college stress. We don’t have anything against comfort food. In moderation.
3. Take Vitamin B. When you’re feeling stressed, your body burns through Vitamin B like nobody’s business. Get some supplements to help replenish your Vitamin B and help you balance.
4. Exercise! Chances are your campus has some sort of gym that you’ll have access. It’s a great way to make friends and a healthy way to take out your aggression.
5. Avoid procrastination. Waiting the last minute to submit your paper? Not good for your college stress levels.
6. Get a friend to proof-reader your work. Even though you’ve read your last draft five times, a set of fresh eyes will help you catch things you missed.
7. 

   Photo: Wellsphere

   Make a to-do list. Have you ever tried unsuccessfully to fall asleep as your mind was going a million miles a minute? Having a to-do list can help you get these tasks out of your head and onto paper where you can then prioritize what needs to be done first.

8. Make “me” time. If you’re feeling totally overwhelmed like you haven’t had a minute to yourself, take some time to decompress and do something for you. Indulge in a video game. Watch a movie. Take a long bath. Catch a yoga class.
9. Ask for help. Reaching out to school counselors and asking for help can be a great way for you to get your concerns off your chest and give you some perspective. If you’re overwhelmed with your course load, they can help reshuffle things.
10. Earn a degree online. Just think, no roommates, more lenient deadlines, you can keep your day job… By earning a degree online you can eliminate a lot of the stress you’re currently dealing with.
11. Plan your outfits the night before. We’ve all had mornings when the alarm goes off late. Having your outfits laid out in advance will help you get out the door ASAP to make your 8:00am class.
12. Accept your best. If you’ve given it your all and you didn’t get the grade you want, there’s nothing you can do about it now. Be kind to yourself and accept your best.
    And if all else fails?
13. Take up a vice. There are plenty to choose from.

What do you do to deal with college stress?

Online schooling offers busy students the freedom and flexibility to reach their college dreams, but too much freedom can spell trouble for the procrastinator.

Don’t surrender to the temptation to put off today’s work until tomorrow. You can become a time management pro and a successful online student by following these simple tips:

1. Invest in a calendar. Choose one with plenty of room to jot down all of your daily assignments and due dates, and write them down as soon as you get your course syllabus.

2. Review assignment details immediately. Your English essay might not be due until next month, but you might need to read a novel before you can write it. Brief yourself on those specifics so you aren’t caught off guard.

3. Break homework into manageable parts. That overwhelming chemistry research project will seem less intimidating if you view it as a lot of little jobs instead of one big job. Set small target goals for each day and then aim to complete them one step at a time.

4. Study every day. Even if you aren’t in the mood, do some homework, preferably at the same time each day. When you do things repetitively, they become habits.

5. Make a daily “to do” list. Review what needs to be done at the start of every day.

6. Pay attention to your biological clock. Some people rise at dawn. Others sleep until noon. Ask yourself when you work most efficiently, and study during those hours.

7. Prioritize. A procrastinator’s hallmark is finding a million things to do besides the task at hand. Resist the temptation to clean your room or play a video game when deadlines loom.

8. Set limits. If an assignment is due, turn down that babysitting job or the dinner date with friends. Don’t be afraid to say “no!”

9. Find a quiet place to study. Stay away from busy locations where you might run into friends who will lure you away from your work.

10. Tune out technology. Your favorite television show can wait. Sign off of Facebook. Shut down instant messaging. Turn off your cell phone so you won’t be distracted by text messages.

If you put your mind to it, you can beat the procrastination blues and achieve your educational goals.

Taking online courses from online colleges or other schools is one of the most convenient ways to earn a college degree. However, online courses have specific difficulties that are different than taking a course in a class room. Here are the ten most difficult aspects of online courses.

- Distraction

Distraction is part of every college course whether taken in person or online. Online courses have the added allure of the internet, which is an immensely efficient time waster. Be prepared for distraction: set goals, and reward yourself when you achieve them.

- Auditory Learners

Online lectures are often written. If you learn by listening, it can be difficult to absorb material as readily as in a lecture hall. Try reading lecture material aloud to yourself.

- Self-discipline

Without the pressure of worrying whether the professor will notice you are in class or not, it is all too easy to ignore your study needs and play video games or go out to party instead of studying. Stick to a schedule!

- Interruptions

Related to distractions, interruptions usually take the form of a household member like a child or pet requiring attention. These sorts of interruptions can be mitigated by setting aside special alone time where all household members know the student needs to work.

- Remoteness

Distance from the professor and class can make an online course seem remote or pointless. It is easy to overload on courses and burn out - treat online courses as you would in person courses, and your computer as the lecture hall.

- Hands-on Learners

A lack of hands on experience can make learning certain subjects more difficult. Look for interactive online software and ask your professor if he or she has a good recommendation for an interactive support system.

- Availability

Although billed as being flexible, sometimes online courses are offered only in certain subjects, by certain universities. Look at public universities in various states like Oregon and Arizona as they’ve often on the cutting edge of class offerings.

- Expense

Online classes can sometimes be more expensive than the equivalent at a community college due to tacked on ‘technology fees’. Shop carefully for the best price before enrolling, and compare the online to in-class price.

- Reputability

Degree mills are still around, and some unscrupulous sites are always popping up that claim to offer courses. Be wary, and only take courses at accredited institutions.

- Time

Online courses are just like those taken in person. They require effort, and time. Some students try to cram online courses in during slow hours at work, and this is not advisable.

Shigeru Miyamoto is Nintendo’s chief video game designer and the creative genius behind their best-selling games including Mario, Donkey Kong, and Zelda. He’s also the legend video game designers aspire to be.

A natural innovator, Miyamoto received his formal education from the Kanazawa College of Industrial Arts in Japan and finds inspiration from real life experiences for video games. Wii Fit came about as a result of his family’s efforts to get healthier, hit the gym regularly, and track their weight. “It made me think that perhaps health could be a subject for a game,” Miyamoto told The Sunday Times. And thus Wii Fit was born.

When Miyamoto got a puppy, the dog training class with his sheltie inspired him to create the video game Nintendogs. When asked about Nintendogs’ popularity, he reports, “rather than trying to follow industry trends, it’s based on things that people find appealing in general. Not just what they find appealing in a video game.”

Video game design and development is a popular field that relates not only to fictitious worlds, but as Miyamoto shows us, the one we know and love.

There is much that can be said for doing what you love. As they say, if you do what you love, you never work a day in your life.

For people who would love nothing more than to enjoy a profitable career in the video game industry, there are available jobs other than just programmers, game testers, and computer animators. After all, what would Super Mario Bros. be without the music?

One of the most popular video games of all time, the music for Super Mario Bros. was penned by Japanese composer Koji Kondo who has been on Nintendo’s payroll since 1984. Talk about job security!

Since video games have become mini-movies, no video game is complete without a music score. Music professionals adept in composition and arranging can enjoy careers with video game companies writing video game theme songs. Through a music or composition degree, you can develop the music skills necessary to have your compositions be immortalized in video game history like the Super Mario Bros. theme!

What does a Video Game Designer Do?

Video game designers are responsible for creating a virtual gaming world, including the storyline, artwork, and character bios. They are also in charge of determining the mission of the video game and any challenges that players encounter.

Preparation: Video Game Designer

To stand out in the competitive gaming industry, an education in computer programming will help you land a job as a video game designer. Since there are many different facets of game video game design including character development, art design, and programming, invest in an education in whichever area of game design you choose to specialize in. An education in math, animation, storyboarding, computer simulation, and computer programming, such as C++, is valuable.

Personality Profile: Video Game Designer

Video game designers need creativity, good work ethic, vision, and strong communication skills in order to thrive in the industry. As you might have guessed, a love of video games helps.

By the Numbers: Video Game Designer

• Video game designers held about 209,000 jobs in 2008.
• There are 72,600 projected job openings for video game designers over the next decade.

Video Game Designer Perks

As a video game designer, you can bring your game concepts to life for the enjoyment of countless others.

Show Me the Money: Video Game Designer Salary

Video game designers with more than 6 years of experience made an impressive $37/hour and $77,010 annually in 2008. Designers with who had between three to six years of industry experience made $57,000 while those with less than three years experience made $44,000.

To find the perfect video game designer program for you so you can launch a successful gaming career, visit My Colleges and Careers.

This weekend, Prince of Persia joins the ranks of video games turned Hollywood blockbusters along with the likes of Tombraider, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil, and Mortal Combat. Since video games typically lack any significant plot or character development, films based off of video games give room for lots of flexibility in the story development, but often fall short.

Prince of Persia film critics had this to say:

“It’s sort of pointless,” says Amy Biancolli with the Houston Chronicle. “Along with The Mummy, Aladdin, Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Book of Exodus, Lawrence of Arabia gets ripped off, I mean referenced, quite a bit.”

“Stop the presses,” says Dean Obeidallah with the Huffington Post, “because apparently we have all missed one big thing: The Prince of Persia was a white guy! I have a dream … that there will be a day when Hollywood makes a movie about the Middle East and actually casts Middle Eastern people in the starring roles. There are some great Middle Eastern actors out there who would bring a realism and depth to these characters that a non-Middle Eastern actor could never do.”

Did you see Prince of Persia this weekend? What is your review of Jerry Bruckheimer’s latest film? Was it worth the price of admission and popcorn?

On Wednesday, former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor spoke with ABC News about a great new learning tool for children — video games.

“They’re fabulous,” she told George Stephanopoulos this week. “And we’ve had tests done. And the students go up 20 percent in their knowledge by playing those games. It’s just incredible.”

Since middle school aged children are spending 40 hours on average in front of a screen, Justice O’Connor says, “if we can capture just part of that time, to get ‘em in front of a computer screen to play these games, they’re going to learn. [T]hey’re fun. The games are great.”

Integrating modern technology such as this into today’s teaching methods is an effective way to teach the up and coming computer-savvy generation. A free resource, both teachers and students will benefit from these educational video games.

If you’re passionate about teaching with technology or developing video games that can be used for educational purposes, visit My Colleges and Careers to find a program in your area.

An online computer animation degree will help you have a better chance of landing the perfect computer animation career. If you want to work for Disney, Disney Pixar, Dreamworks, LucasFilm, Electronic Arts, Namco, or Konami, they may require some type of formal training and experience. Some companies have the need for a specialized talent within animation.

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.