No more teachers, no more books!

Disney villains and college professors have two things in common: Everyone loves to hate them.  You might loath your English professor while you cringe at Disney villains but what if your English professor was a Disney villain? We’ve compiled a sample college course schedule so you can choose which classes you would choose next semester:

1.       Chemistry 1010 – Instructor: Ursula

Who wouldn’t want to have an octopus for a chemistry instructor.  Put away the periodic table and let’s break out some potions.  Her awesome raspy voice would definitely keep you awake in class, but don’t ask her to repeat anything.  She’s hilariously dramatic and all of her lessons would have one motivation: to gain more power. 

2.       Introduction to Business Management – Instructor: Cruella De Vil

No one can teach business better than Cruella herself.  She can teach you how to run a complete operation with just two dim-witted side kicks.  While fashion merchandising is her main area of expertise, She can teach management styles through manipulation, fear, force and yelling. 

3.       Forensic Psychology 2010 – Instructor: Jafar

Psychology, manipulation, same thing.  Jafar can teach you everything you need to know about the mind, so long as he has his magic snake stick.  Everything about this guy simply drips evil and although he is sleazy and sinister, he can persuade his way into anywhere.  Even to get a job with the sultan he must have had some amazing references.

4.       Nutrition 101 – Instructor: Gaston. 

Gaston is everything you’d like in a professor, he’s charming, handsome, charismatic, entertaining and completely full of himself.  You know the tests would be easy, the material would barely be covered, the books would be full of pictures and the only homework would be five dozen eggs for breakfast.  This class would definitely qualify for an easy A.

5.       Anthropology 1015 – Instructor: Scar.

Nobody spends more time in an elephant graveyard than Scar, so nobody is as qualified to teach anthropology.  Amidst a backdrop of skeletons, Scar would teach his class the importance of preparation, planning, and trickery. 

6.       Introduction to Personal Finance – Instructor: Ebenezer Scrooge

Penny pinching 101 is another way to describe the finance class taught by Scrooge.  However ruthless the grading might be, as long as you learn to keep everything you earn, give nothing to others and count each penny twice, you’ll be cruising through finals week.

7.       Physical Therapy – Hook

It’s always nice to learn a subject from an instructor with first-hand knowledge and experience.  Hook could use his crocodile mis-hap to instruct others on the importance of physical therapy and the ability to overcome obstacles.  While he’s not traveling as a motivational speaker, he could be filling young minds with the facts and knowledge needed for a career in physical therapy.

8.       Child Development 2010 – Instructor: Randall

Randall has years of work experience with children.  Monsters, Inc. was a hugely successful corporation that played into the inter-mind of small children throughout their young development.  Randall understands children from various perspectives and could bring that knowledge base into the classroom. 

When college students think about college they usually think about school, classes, studying, partying, working, money and food.  Very few know that college students are one of the biggest targets for identity theft.  Most college students have little to no credit and not much of a record.  A clean slate like that is prime territory for identity thieves. 

Identity theft generally falls into two categories: casual and professional.

A casual or one-time identity theft might involve a roommate using your account at a local store or accessing your bank account online. Professional organized identity theft involves criminals who are part of professional criminal enterprise.

Most college students assume they are immune to identify theft because their bank accounts are next to empty, but most identity thieves aren’t after money, they are after personal information.  College students receive more credit card offers than any other demographic, which means they are in a prime spot to secure new credit. Identity thieves know this and so are specifically targeting students for identity theft.

Identity thieves can get access to college students through roommates, ripped up credit offers, online shopping or even student loan documents. 

In 2002, a nationwide survey of college students was conducted for identity theft research.  They discovered that 49 percent of college students receive frequent applications for credit cards, and 30 percent of them throw the applications away in their original condition without even ripping them up. 

One of the best ways for college students to protect themselves is to keep their social security number private.  However, this is virtually impossible in a college setting.  A students social security number is required for financial aid, scholarships, loans and is used in registration, admissions and on student files.  Sometimes even grade reports and transcripts are printed with the full social security number in view.  Students have no choice but to trust the university to protect their social security number the best they can.  Fortunately, there are some other steps you can take to protect your identity while on campus. 

1. Invest in a lockbox or safe to store your private documents.
2. Don’t keep clutter out that include documents that have personal information on them.
3. Keep your credit card and bank account statements locked in a safe place.
4. When online, never display your full name in an online profile.
5. Be discreet about where you live.
6. Only shop online through reputable merchants.
7. Avoid email surveys. 
8. Shred all junk mail.
9. Create safe passwords and never share them.
10. Don’t ever leave social networking sites, banking websites or your email account open.

The college life is a busy one and the last thing you want to do it spend hours on the phone you’re your credit company and bank lender to clear up your good name.  Take the time now to protect yourself and continue making college memories that don’t involve becoming a victim to identity theft.

We have never met, but a quick Google search will show you my most recent family picture on Facebook, you can learn where I work, where I go to school and what the last movie I saw was.  You can see my dance moves on YouTube, learn my favorite music from Grooveshark, read my journal on my blog and see my best friends on Flickr. 

Social media encourages people to share anything and everything with the world around them.  These sites generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue based on activity, so they encourage users to share as much as possible, as often as possible.  But is this really necessary and when does sharing qualify as oversharing. 

Oversharing is becoming an epidemic.  In 2010, Consumer Reports released its annual “State of the Net” report, and found that over half (52%) of social network users post risky information online.  Police officers have confirmed that many home robberies use Facebook to target when the homeowners will be out and the house is empty. 

Most users share their full birthday, address, phone numbers and location.  This habit is not only unnecessary, but can be dangerous as well.     

Fortunately, oversharing is almost entirely preventable.  To avoid becoming victim to oversharing, ask yourself these questions before posting on blogs or Facebook:

1. Does everybody really want to know this?
2. Is it helpful? Relevant?
3. Are there any tradeoffs or potential risks from sharing it with the entire world?
4. Is there anyone I wouldn’t want to see this? 

It should be common-sense to think before you share, rather than share reactively, but too often we type before we think.   Always avoid posting your location, or messages about personal matters that should stay between family or friends.  Don’t publish information about vacation dates, relationship arguments, finances or personal information.  When emotions run high whether you’re extremely angry, overjoyed or depressed, it’s best to avoid social networking all together until you’re not in an overly emotional state.  It can be an unpleasant surprise when you realize what seemed like a good post to share a few hours before might not be such a good post anymore.

Walk through a university library and you’ll see many students with headphones on, listening to music.   Some listen to classical music while studying because they claim that it makes them smarter.  Others listen to pop music as background noise just to drown out those around them and they claim it keeps them focused.  Other students prefer the quiet solitude of a silent library so they can talk out loud to themselves or study in peace.

Researchers are split on the issue of whether music is actually beneficial while studying.

Researchers at the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff, United Kingdom, looked at the ability to recall information in the presence of different sounds.  The study found that participants performed worst while listening to music.  This study doesn’t necessary prove that listening to music has a negative effect on all forms of studying, but merely shows a negative effect when working to memorize facts or items in a specific order.  Even songs from their favorite bands proved more of a hindrance than a help. The beat and words of the music can throw off a student who is working on memorization. 

On the other hand, the “Mozart Effect” which was a popular theory in the 1990’s said that listening to classical music was said to increase spatial abilities, but research has failed to confirm this.  Instead, research found that performance was improved when individuals were listening to something they enjoyed, regardless of whether it was classical or not. 

According to a study done by the Stanford University School of Medicine, researchers found a concrete physiological link between the acts of listening to music and learning. During the study, researchers played short symphonies by obscure 18th-century composers to subjects while scanning their brains with functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI. The findings showed that music ‘lights up’, or activates, areas of the brain involved with making predictions, paying attention and committing details to memory.

Music is shows to help focus when it is something that the listener enjoys.  However, music with lyrics tends to provide more negative effects than positive.  So, find a new genre of instrumental music that you enjoy.  There are also different types of music that can benefit different types of studying.  While silence might be best for memorization, music can enhance other types of skills.  For example:

Creativity: If you’re working on an art project or a creative writing piece, choose music set at 60 beats-per-minute for your optimum creativity boost.  Try Telemann or Vivaldi.

Concentration: For memorizing cardiac nurse procedures or the periodic table of elements, choose music no real beat like waterfalls, rain, seashore, whatever your taste.

Brainstorming: To allow your mind to roam and come up with new ideas go for more modern music genres such as Trip-hop, Nu jazz, New Age and other sub-genres of Down tempo. 

Serious Studying:  When it’s time to cram, try Eno’s “Music for Airports” which has been noted as being useful for serious studying and deep concentration.

If you’re like most students, you own at least one pair of headphones.  Most likely, they are the same classic white pair that came with your iPod or Mp3 player.  If you’re like most students, you know these don’t work very well.  Between walking to and from class, working out, partying and juggling your life in between it is pretty natural to want to take your music with you wherever you are.  Most students put up with the poorly fitting standard iPod earbuds because that’s what they came with, but there are much better options out there.  A more durable, comfortable and versatile headphone is well worth the investment.  Whether you’re walking to class, running, biking, skating or working out in the gym, a good pair of headphones that are up for the job can really enhance your playlist.

Good headphone have three main components:

Secure fit on head and ears

Resistance to humidity or sweat

Unbeatable sound quality

 There is nothing more frustrating than having to readjust your ear bud every 30 seconds.  Headphones should have some secure method of staying on your head or in your ears. Some sports management professionals use the headphones that wrap around the neck, whereas others hook over the ears to be sure you’re not forced to constantly adjust.

Headphones should also be either resistant to perspiration or seal out moisture so they aren’t affected by sweat or humidity. Headphones that have removable foam earpads are a great feature as they can be washed out in water to prevent bacteria.

Of course, all good headphones should give you the clarity of sound so you feel like you’re actually in the recording studio instead of on campus.   

Here’s our top picks for alternative ear buds and headphones:

Best Earbud:dB Logic EP-100 Pro Fit IEM Earphones

These fit securely and deliver superb sound.  One nice feature of these is their sound limiting technology, to be sure you’re always listening to your music at a safe sound.  If you are listening for hours at a time, it is reassuring to know that you’re not damaging your hearing. The ear bud body is shaped to fit snug in the ear and the gives a good seal.  Definitely gets our seal of approval. 

Runner Up: SoundMAGIC E30 Earphones

These ear buds are a great value for the money and the cabling is designed to run up and over the ears to the back of the neck, which means the earbuds stay very securely in your ear. They have multiple sizes of foam tips, which are comfortable and ensure the perfect fit. 

Best Headphone: Sennheiser PMX80 Sport II Neckband Headphones

If you prefer a headphone rather than an earbud,  these are our pick.  The neckband is a great alternative to the ear bud that stays on securely and allows you to move freely.  The sounds is superior and the quality is built to last. 

 Runner Up: Jaybird SB2 Wireless Sports Headphones

For a bit of an investment, these wireless headphones are sleek and modern with  great sound and NO cables! These headphones appear a bit more bulky, but the head and ears shape to your head and maintains a slim profile that feels very comfortable and natural. 

Keep in mind that while you’re wearing headphones outside while walking around campus or on the street, keep the volume low enough so you can hear traffic or other potential hazards. It is important to always stay aware of your surroundings so you can take advantage of your ears as an early warning system for situational awareness.

“Checking in” no longer requires a sign-up sheet or stopping in at the front desk.  Social media sites allow you to “check-in” and declare your location to the entire world with just one click.

In a world where a phone with a Facebook app is most likely connected to the hip of nearly every student in America, the “checking-in” feature is a popular one among young people. This feature, while was originally intended to encourage friendships, and keep track of loved ones, but it is a double edged sword.  While the path to technology is paved with good intentions, this feature might have more risks than benefits.

In theory, the program is meant for students to plan and announce group activities and company between friends.  In a perfect world, you could be traveling from the east coast to the west coast and have a five-hour layover, so you grab your mobile, login on your location-based social network and old friends in the area immediately get notified that you’re in town. While this might be one of the benefits of location-based social networking, what about the disadvantages?

While it might be appealing to students to let your friends know where you are, it’s not only friends who are getting access to your status.  Criminals are often monitoring social network pages and when you “check in” to let your friends know where you are, criminals know exactly where you are as well (or sometimes, more importantly, where you are not).  According to a recent survey including FBI and police officer reports, 78 percent of burglars use Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare to spot potential property targets.  If you happen to be at the mall or a local coffee shop, criminals can estimate how long they might have to vandalize your home, car or personal property.  Even checking in when you arrive home is not always the best idea.  A simple search on Whitepages.com and help anyone find your address and print off directions.

Advertising the wrong information to the wrong crowd can be a recipe for disaster.  Even if you are strict about setting your privacy settings, doesn’t mean those you allow access to can’t turn around and pass that knowledge onto someone else. Perhaps many of us can get away with publically checking in for years without any consequences, but what is the potential cost of doing so? Do the benefits really outweigh the immeasurable risk?

It’s not surprising that on most college students mind is one of 3 things: studying, partying or eating.  Unfortunately, most college students are failing Nutrition 101 by maintaining poor eating habits.  Student are notorious for over-eating, skipping meals, missing the fruits and vegetables and piling on the fried foods. 

We compiled a list of the most popular foods for college students from surveys and  it’s not hard to realize how the Freshman 15 appears once you take a look at the typical college student menu:

Ramen Noodles:  These are the go-to meal because of their 10 cent price tag; not to mention they are easy to make and delicious.  Unfortunately, they are also ridiculously high in carbs and very low in fiber, so they leave you hungry just a few hours later.

Pizza:  Delivered straight to your door hot and ready, pizza is a college staple.  A large pizza is generally less than $10 and can feed 3 or 4 people, but most pizza won’t go that far.  Males especially are known to consume ½ of a large pizza on their own, equaling approximately 50 grams of fat and 1300 calories. 

Frozen Meals: TV Dinners, skillet meals and frozen foods offer the typical American college student easy meals, read in minutes in a wide variety of flavors.  Unfortunately, these are also full of calories, preservatives and very little nutritional value.  Among the most popular frozen foods are Hot Pockets and frozen burritos. 

Hot dogs:  Hot dogs are the cheap BBQ meat.  They are easy to make, quick to prepare and an American staple.  They are also a decent source of protein on their own at just 150 calories, but once you add in ketchup, mustard and a bun, they quickly become a recipe for additional calories. 

Spaghetti: Spaghetti is a cheap and easy meal and is one of the only foods on the top 10 list that is relatively healthy.  As long as the cheese is kept to a minimum and garlic bread is not on the menu, spaghetti can be a healthy dinner for a student on a budget. 

Macaroni and Cheese: Entering from stage right: Easy Mac.  This food was no-doubt created with college students in mind.  The familiar blue box with an orange label is loved by children and students alike, but also carries 230 calories in just one packet, and most students will make two at a time.

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches: These are a favorite among students and if made with wheat bread, can be an OK lunch choice, if paired with a fruit, vegetable or traditional tomato soup.

Soda: While caffeine is not technically a food, it is definitely part of every student diet.  From Coke to energy drinks, students consume caffeine on an almost constant basis.  Pepsi, Mountain Dew, coffee and energy drinks are what fuels America’s students, but the sugar, calories and carbs in these drinks only add on the pounds.

Everyone knows that the iPod is not just for music.  The Apple-developed Mp3 music player is a study guide, video game, translator, calculator, television and telephone all in one.  The accessories that come with the iPod are literally, limitless.  Pre-teens, college kids and even adults are taking advantage of the educational benefits an iPod affords them. From downloadable podcasts to just-for-iPod study guides and applications, learning on the go has never been easier.

The iPod was originally marketed as a way to carry “1000 songs in your pocket.” Developed in less than one year by three software engineers as an alternative to the bulky products on the market, the iPod was an instant sensation.  Since iPods hit the market in 2001, they have developed 21 different models and versions of the same product; each one flying off the shelves faster than the last.  Since October 2004, the iPod product line has dominated over 90% of the market for digital music player sales in the United States.  In January 2007, Apple reported record quarterly revenue of US$7.1 billion, of which 48% was made from iPod sales.  Over 300 million iPods have been sold worldwide as of October 2011.   

There are plenty of apps to download, podcasts to listen to, videos to watch and games to play, but the iPod is still the best way to compile a playlist of your most favorite tunes. Spring break is on its way and whether you are planning a road trip, weekend getaway or just a week of relaxing on your couch, you’re going to need some music to accompany your holiday. 

We have searched high and low, scoured pre-made mixed, polled students, downloaded, revised and developed the top 40 songs for any spring break playlist. Whether you like country, hip-hop, rap, show tunes or 70’s classics, we’ve got it here for you:

The Ultimate Spring Break Playlist:

One Week: Barenaked Ladies
Stayin’ Alive: Bee Gees Number Ones
Single Ladies: Beyonce Knowles  
Jump Jive An Wail: The Brian Stezer Orchestra
Cowboy Casanova: Carrie Underwood
Songs Like This: Carrie Underwood
What Do U Want: Cassie
Forget You: Cee Low Green  
Just the Girl: The Click Five 
Soldier: Destiny’s Child
Sugar We’re Going Down: Fall Out Boy  
Low: Flo Rida Mail on Sunday
Remember the Name: Fort Minor 
Top Gun Anthem: Harold Faltermeyer  
Mesmerize: Ja Rule and Ashanti  
Escape: Jimmy Buffett 
My Love: Justin Timberlake
Hot-N-Cold: Katy Perry
Just Dance: Lady Gaga
Bleeding Love: Leona Lewis
Beat It: Michael Jackson 
Pocket of Sunshine: Natasha Bedingfield
Hot in Here: Nelly  
Shake ya Tailfeather: Nelly 
Hey Ya: Outcast 
Ignition: R. Kelly  
SOS: Rihanna
Temperature: Seal Paul 
Beautiful: Snoop Dogg  
Eye of the Tiger: Survivor 
Freak Out: Various
Leavin’: Various 
Shake That: Various
Shattered Glass: Eeek…I can’t remember, but it’s on iTunes
Disturbia
Go Down
YMCA:Village People
Let Me Go:3 Doors Down
That’s The Way ( I like it)

Students across the country are getting ready to bust out of high school and look forward to their first apartment.  For many of these students, this is the first time living on their own and it can be a daunting class to stock an entire apartment.  While most dorms don’t require much more than bedding and clothing, many large universities don’t have enough dorms to house their entire freshman class, so most students need to look for off-campus housing.   

When you’re looking for dorm/apartment furniture, cheap is king.  College is not the time to invest in quality and pricey living necessities, it’s the time to find lightweight, versatile and inexpensive pieces that will work for 2-5 years. 

Furniture:  Craigslist. Check out not only your local Craigslist but also the Craigslist of the city where your college is.  Most Craigslist sellers are willing to negotiate on price and furniture is generally in decent condition.  Consider a little paint to update old furniture rather than looking for brand new pieces. 

Garage sales can be gold mines for lamps, couches, picture frames, small end tables and accessories.  I would NOT recommend purchasing bedding, sheets or towels from a garage sale; you can find decent prices on these items at big box department stores. 

IKEA is a great place to find furniture and accessories that are great for an apartment. It’s inexpensive and made to fit in small spaces. 

Consider the idea of throwing a going-away party with a few college friends and invite people to donate old household goods or used furniture.  Grandparents, aunts, unles and neighbors are more than happy to help a new college student and they can be a great resource.  Serve food, make it fun, and invite a crowd. 

Kitchen: Talk to your parents about adding a few items to each weeks grocery list to begin a stockpile of food to take with you to college. If you start early you can have a decent supply by the time you’re ready to move.  Consider a membership a discount warehouse shopping club to get food in bulk.  Ask your parents if you can freeze leftovers from dinner and store them in single-serving size plastic containers in the freezer.  Before long, you’ll have an entire supply of home-made frozen dinners. 

A thrift store, consignment shop or the dollar store is a great place to get silverware,  kitchen plates, cups, etc. You don’t need the latest and greatest, you don’t even need it to match.  Simple plastic plates and cups will work great (and won’t get broken as you move from place to place).

Towels, bedding and linens:  This is one of the few things I recommend buying new.  You just can’t be too sure when it comes to used linens and you definitely don’t want to get stuck with a case of the bedbugs.  Sheets, a blanket or comforter, wash cloths, bath towels, kitchen towels, oven mitts, can be found at relatively cheap prices at stores such as Walmart, Target, etc.  Consider sticking with all white linens, which can be bleached and will keep them looking clean. 

The Apple TV is like the black sheep of the Mac Family.  Mr. iPhone and Mrs. iPod developed the Apple TV but it never really got off the ground. 

I like black sheep.  I can relate. 

The Apple TV is the best Mac product you don’t know about.  It is an all-encompassing media command center that sits in your living room and connects your TV directly to iTunes. The reason this product flopped is because people don’t understand what it is.  I have three Apple TV’s connected in my home, one for even television, and I have explained it’s functionality to entranced guests each time I turn it on. 

The best part about the Apple TV is the ability to centralize all of your media.  You can control your music, DVD collection and Netflix account from one central station. And, because it’s an Apple product, you don’t have to be a software engineer to figure out how to use it.  Originally, The Apple TV was marketed as an internet capable-device for your television, meaning it connects to the internet for Netflix, YouTube and you can access iTunes store through it to rent and purchase movies.  What was not marketed well was it’s ability to manage all of the media you already own. 

The original Apple TV was basically an external hard drive connected to your TV.  This small silver box actually not only connected to the internet to make Netflix and iTunes readily available, but it provided a storage solution for your DVD collection.  All you had to do was to transfer all of your DVD’s into an mp4 format and download them into this silver box.  This option came and went quickly, and was replaced with the Second Generation. 

The Second Generation Apple TV is a tiny 4x4x1 black box that manages all your home media.  This box does not have internal storage.  Rather, it reads everything off of the iTunes program in your computer.  That means that whatever your iTunes can hold, this box can access.  So, in our case, we bought a 1 Terabyte external hard drive that is connected to our home computer that is dedicated to iTunes.  That storage space has allowed us to put over 200 movies, TV on DVD, and all our music in his iTunes, and have access to everything from any TV in the house. 

My Apple TV is the one electronic device I cannot live without.  I have uploaded over 200 DVD’s onto my computer and organized then into iTunes.  Now, they are instantly accessible on any TV in the house.  I can upload family pictures and use those as a screen saver for my television, I can listen to music without finding a place to plug-in my iPod and I Love, LOVE not having any DVD’s to store, pickup, put away, etc.

Now, all of our media is on our iTunes, our DVD’s are packed up in a box somewhere and with the external hard drive holding everything, it doesn’t slow down the computer at all.  The Apple TV is completely wireless and simply finds your iTunes and reads from that.  Not bad for the black sheep of the family, eh?