Especially with college students and even students younger, it is important to have an effective study area to ensure that are focusing on what you are doing and what is right in front of you. Follow my six, easy steps to make sure that you have your very own effective study area.

1.     Make sure your area is quiet

Having an area that is quiet is very important. One of the biggest distractions you can have while studying or doing work is to have un-wanted and un-needed noise around you. This means that you should set some time aside where it is designated just for studying and work. During this time, your phone should be silenced, there should not be any TV on near you and you should not have music on unless it is calming music that might help you concentrate.

2.   Make sure there is proper lighting

Having proper lighting is also very important. You want lighting that is not too bright that it blinds you but also not too dark that you can barely see anything. Also, make sure the lighting allows you to properly see what you are doing. You don’t want to be squinting to see what’s on the paper or on the computer.

3.      Make sure your study area is clean and clutter free

One of the most important things is to have a clean and clutter free workspace. Wherever you are designating as you study/workspace, whether it be your room or the kitchen table, you want to make sure that there is no clutter around you, which can serve as a distraction. Make sure there are no messy piles of papers that will leave you scrambling to find the paper you need. You want to make sure that you have all of your supplies near you and make sure your supplies are clean. Lastly, make sure that there is no garbage around you.

4.      Have snacks and drinks near you

While you study, something that can help to make an affective study area is having snacks and drinks nearby. Snacks like nuts and gum can help keep hunger thoughts away while doing your work and studying. Having drinks like juice and water can do the same as snacks while instead keeping the feeling of being thirsty away.

5.      Have a fish tank near you

One way to keep an affective study and work area is to have a fish tank in your study/work area. It is not known to a lot of people but fish are said to help you concentrate. Watching the swim around in the tank can also be peaceful. Petbloglady.com gives a good explanation as to why fish tanks can help during study or work hours. Click the link to read more about the health benefits of having a fish tank near you.

http://www.petbloglady.com/2014/02/calming-effects-of-aquarium-to-the-mind.html

6.      Play with Play-Doh

The last simple and easy way to keep you concentration going while doing homework and studying is to channel your inner child. You can do this by playing with Play-Doh. This doesn’t mean sit there and make Play-Doh animals. This means to just take a chunk in your hand and as you work or study, just squish it in your hand. Doing this can keep your mind focused and not distracted. The imaginationtree.com discusses how playing with Play-Doh as kids and even adults can be calming and soothing. Click the link to read what they said.

http://theimaginationtree.com/2012/06/benefits-of-playing-with-play-dough.html

Succeeding in the field of journalism can be a tricky thing to do. With jobs in this career competitive, it can sometimes be difficult for some students to find their dream jobs. By following my top five list, students can hopefully find ways to gain the experience needed in order to succeed in the field of journalism.

1. Internships:

One of the best ways to gain experience especially in the field of journalism is through internships. Internships allow for you to have hands-on experience with the professionals in your field. These internships can be anything from assistants to actual article writers. I remember going to a TV show taping with my mom and I spoke with one of the interns there. Her best advice was to get the best internship you can get and make sure to do a good job because that could become your permanent job. The only pitfall with internships is that most internships require students to get course credits for it and internships can sometimes conflict with your schedule. The best way to fix that is to speak to your teachers and advisors and they definitely will be able to help.

2. Clubs:

The great thing about college campuses is that they offer a vast array of extra curriculers that could help you gain experience. Depending on what aspect in the journalism career your focusing on, there is almost always something for you. If your college offers some sort of news writing, magazine writing or just a regular writing club, make sure you join. By joining a club like this, you will be able to perfect your writing skills. Another club you want to make sure to join is an on campus radio or news channel. By joining a radio or news channel, you will actually be able to see how it feels like to be a professional in this field.

3. Making a name for yourself:

Although this can be the hardest, it is so important to make a name for yourself. Whether its through Facebook, twitter, YouTube or instagram, do whatever you can to make sure people are seeing your name. The more people see your name, they will know that you are passionate for this field. Also, if they constantly see your name, they will suddenly become more interested in you and what you are interested in. It might be hard at first, but through time, you will be able to make a name for yourself.

4. Jobs:

The thing that I think is the hardest is physically finding a job. A lot of jobs that are being offered require a lot of experience. This is hard especially for college students like us who don’t have the experience required. Although, there are many jobs that require experience, some prefer it. If they prefer it, then your lucky; this means that you still will have a shot. This is when your priorities have to be in line. Most of the time, when a job prefers experience and doesn’t require it, it is not the dream job you were hoping for. This is where you have to remember that it is not where you start but where you finish. Take the job that will gain you the experience needed for your dream job and use that as a starting point to move forward.

5. Classes:

This one is what I think is the easiest one to do since you can start it right away. While you are in school, you want to make sure you are taking the proper classes. While finding classes, you want to think to yourself, “Is this class going to help me prosper and succeed in my dream field.” If it is going to do that, then sign up for the class. A lot of classes offered in classes these days require projects to be done. Most of the time, these projects either require you to go out into the field or they require you to practice an important skill used in your field. Make sure to meet with professors and advisors to make sure that your classes will actually help you in your future career. By doing that, you are bound to be on the right track in succeeding in the field of journalism.

September 11, 2001 will forever be charred in all of our minds. Whether you were physically affected or mentally, that date will always be a date to remember. I have compiled a list of the Top 5 news stories that captured the importance of that date.

1.  After 14 years, 9/11 memories still sear the heart

Source: USA Today article published September 11, 2015

This article starts off perfectly; it starts off with a video report on ground zero. In the video, the reporter talks to the visitors about their memories of 9/11. After the video concludes, you have the option to read the actual article which is full of vivid and descripted words that put you right in the moment and makes you feel like you are there. Along with the actual article and video, there are also pictures that show the destruction and devastation of the attacks and how 9/11 is being remembered. As a matter of fact, there is a picture slide show full of pictures that are worth seeing. Please click the link to read the article and view the multimedia.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/09/11/after-14-years-911-memories-still-sear-heart/72054898/

2. The iconic photos Blaze editors will ‘never forget’: 9/11 as we remember it 

Source: The Blaze article published September 11, 2015

The headline of this article really hooked me in. Once I actually read the article, I understood why. The writer starts off with a brief introduction and then goes into something that I haven’t seen before. The article continues with pictures that staffers took along with a brief paragraph or two describing what each staffer remembers. The pictures that are provided send chills down my spine because of how vivid they are. I believe that the pictures really show the sorrow, destruction and devastation that were caused that day. Please click the link to read the article and view the pictures.

http://www.theblaze.com/blog/2015/09/11/the-iconic-photos-blaze-editors-will-never-forget-911-as-we-remember-it/

3. See What the World Trade Center Site Looks Like 14 Years After 9/11

Source: Time Magazine article published September 11, 2015

I liked this article because it showed what the World Trade Center site looks like all these years after the attacks happened. The article starts off with a time- lapse showing the progress of the rebuilding of the World Trade Center. As I read through the article, I came to the conclusion that the structure is like a list post, which makes it easy to read. The writer provided pictures of the different sites along with a brief description. My favorite was the photo and description of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum. Please click the link to read the article and view the pictures and time-lapse video.

http://time.com/4023448/911-september-11-anniversary-world-trade-center/

4. 9/11 anniversary: America remembers lives lost on one of its darkest days

Source: CNN article published September 11, 2015

Like the previous news article, this article is set up like a list post. It first starts off with a 9 minute video titled Look Back at How September 11 unfolded. The video is chilling because it is full of original news reports from that day. The videos show the moments the planes hit. If you scroll farther, you will see that the writer separated the article into sections. There is one section for each crash site from Ground Zero to Pennsylvania to Washington. In each of those sections, there are short paragraphs of what happened and the number of fatalities at each site. If you want to pay attention to anything, you will want to pay attention to the numbers given because they are horrific. Please click the link to read the article and view the pictures and video.   

http://www.cnn.com/2015/09/11/us/september-11-anniversary/

5. CHILDREN BORN ON 9/11 SPREAD MESSAGE OF HOPE ON ANNIVERSARY OF ATTACKS

Source: Channel 7 Eyewitness News Article published September 11, 2015

I liked this article because it was taken from a different perspective. This article was based on the children born on September 11, 2001. The article starts off with a video about the children and their mission to do good deeds on 9/11. I like how the video ends with pictures of the kids that were born. The article continues with brief stories about two of the kids. The quotes they used were really good because they sort of restored hope in a sense. Please click the link to read the article and view the pictures and video.           

http://abc7ny.com/society/children-born-on-9-11-spread-message-of-hope-on-anniversary-of-attacks/979170/