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If you think higher education means drudging to campus every day, then you may be happy to learn about an option that lets you learn from virtually anywhere: online education.

"Online learning works very well if you work full-time or if the program or school you want to attend is not available in your area," says Anthony Edwards, instructor and manager of e-campus outreach for Tarleton State University. "Additionally, earning your degree online can allow you to keep your job while attending school."

Just keep in mind that while online study does offer flexibility and convenience, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's a walk in the park.

Still interested? Keep reading to learn more about seven exciting online degree programs.

Let's face it: Carrot cake is good, but we're in it for the cream cheese frosting. These parfaits leave the dream ratio up to you. No judgment for filling on top AND bottom.

Vegetable-oil cooking spray 8 ounces carrots, peeled and grated (about 4 cups)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 cup safflower oil
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup apricot jam
Cream-Cheese Filling (see recipe below)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 12 1/2-by-17 1/2-inch rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray. Line with parchment; spray parchment. Whisk together carrots, eggs, sugars, oil, and fresh ginger. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground ginger. Fold flour mixture into carrot mixture.

2. Spread batter in pan. Bake until golden and a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool in pan on a wire rack 20 minutes. Invert onto rack; let cool completely. Cut out 16 cake rounds to fit in an 8-to-10-ounce glass, piecing together scraps as necessary.

3. Spoon 2 tablespoons jam into each glass; layer with 1/4 cup filling, then 2 cake rounds, pressing to compact. Top each with 2 tablespoons filling and serve.

16 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons grated orange zest
Pinch of coarse salt
1 cup heavy cream

1. Beat cream cheese on medium until smooth. Beat in sugar, zest, and salt. Fold in cream. Use immediately.

A lot of people often have the wrong idea about what makes a good pair of jeans, so shopping for them feels like a chore, instead of something fun. It's not about spending a bunch of money on a designer label or getting bogged down by a bunch of stupid rules about dressing for your body. If you want to find the perfect pair of jeans for you, here are seven myths to keep in mind on your next denim shopping trip.

Skinny jeans are flattering on almost everybody, especially curvy girls. They accentuate the natural shape of a woman's body and make her look taller. There is a common misconception that if you are curvy, you need flared or boot-cut jeans to balance out your hips, but those cuts can actually make you look shorter and heavier. Really, you want to focus on tapering silhouettes. If skinny just isn't your thing, try a slim boyfriend cut instead.

2. If a particular jean worked for you last season, it will work for you this season. 

Sometimes designers make subtle changes to a design without renaming it or informing consumers, so it's possible that your favorite jean will not be there the next time you go shopping. So when you find a jean you absolutely love, it's a good idea to buy a few pairs while you still can.

Designers love to say how amazing their fits are in order to justify the high price of their products, but, in reality, good fit is all about what looks good on your body, whether it's a $200 pair of Frame jeans or a $70 pair from Gap.

Also, little known fact: Jessica Simpson jeans are the exact same fit as J Brand. No joke. The styling and fabrics differ, but the fit is the same.

Embellished jeans can be great when the embellishments are on the body of the jeans - a print, patches, beading, etc. - or just running down the side of the jean like a tuxedo pant, but the back pocket is the one place you NEVER want to see any sort of decoration. This means no logos, no flap pockets, and absolutely no rhinestones; they just look cheap.

High-contrast stitching can also cheapen the look of your jeans, so make sure the thread of your seams is either the same color as, or at least similar to the jeans themselves. That or a classic orangish-yellow color and thin - a single thread, no more. Otherwise, the stitching will end up distracting from the overall look.

Lies! Uniqlo, H+M, and American Eagle make great jeans for less than $50 in a wide variety of cuts, colors, and washes that look way more expensive than they really are. Even Old Navy has really been stepping up their denim game recently, and their jeans go up to a size 20, many of them in short, regular, and long lengths.

A decent tailor can hem any pair of jeans in a day or two. You don't even have to lose that special rolled hem all jeans have. Instead, your tailor can just cut that hem off and move it up wherever you want it. You won't even notice the seam unless you turn them inside out.

Good distressing is an art not easily reproduced by amateurs. Sure, you can turn an old pair of jeans into cutoffs and run them through the wash a few times, but you'll never achieve the same kind of fraying you get on a pair of professionally distressed jeans. Ever worn your jeans until the knees ripped naturally? It's not so cute - just a horizontal gash with two sad, greying strings hanging down on either side. Professionally-made holes, on the other hand, are rounder and still have those horizontal threads running across them so they're ripped, but they don't look sloppy.

After three years of construction, the 125-acre aquatic theme park is open for business. Located on Hengqin Island near Macao, in China's southeastern Guangdong province, the destination is expected to accommodate millions of visitors a year.

And it's really big: According to Guinness, the attraction snagged five world records, including largest aquarium. It can also boast bragging rights for largest underwater viewing dome, largest aquarium tank, largest aquarium window, and largest acrylic panel — included in the whale shark exhibit's walk-through viewing tunnel.

The aquarium holds a whopping 5.99 million gallons of saltwater. All told, the park's seven themed areas contain an incredible 12.87 million gallons of saltwater and freshwater.

Chimelong Ocean Kingdom "will be the first great Asian theme park combining animal exhibits, themed entertainment shows, and thrill rides," PGAV Destinations, the park's lead strategist, planner, designer, and product developer, noted in a statement.

If this sounds vaguely familiar to a certain Florida destination, it's not a coincidence. The developer, Guangdong Chimelong Group, led by Su Zhigang slated it to be "the Orlando of China."

The park's aquatic attractions will include that whale shark exhibit, penguins, and polar bears, along with the more exotic pantropical spotted dolphins and Chinese white dolphins.

Other entertainment options include a "4D" movie theater; Asia's first "winged coaster," Flying Over the Rainforest (see it in action, but it might give you vertigo); and a roller coaster that also combines a live polar bear exhibit.

While that might sound like an odd choice, it's actually "one of the best efforts in Asia to create viewing interactions between people and animals," said PGAV Destinations VP and project lead Al Cross. Just don't blink.

Why it works: Evolutionary psychologists believe that we see flowers and plants as a subconscious cue of safety ("Things can grow here-let's set down roots"), reward ("All that foraging paid off") and promise ("These buds mean that fruit is on the way"). So the sight of a colorful bouquet in the morning, they theorize, can convince you that everything's coming up roses today.

Strange, true thing that might convince you: In a study led by Harvard Medical School psychologist Nancy Etcoff, PhD, women who saw flowers when they woke up reported feeling happier (and less anxious) at home, as well as more energetic at work.

Why it works: It will influence your dreams. Turkish researchers found that people who tend to sleep on their right side have mellower dreams, with themes of relief, joy, peace and love. They also report feeling better rested and less dysfunctional during waking hours.

Strange, true thing that might convince you: Strange, true thing that might convince you: Sleeping exclusively on the left side can put pressure on organs like the stomach and spleen (could that be why left-side-sleepers are more likely to have nightmares?).

Why it works: It's not just because oranges are the color of the morning sun: They're also high in vitamin B6 and folic acid, both of which have been found lacking in patients who suffer from depression.

Strange, true thing that might convince you: The scent of sweet orange essential oil made test-takers in one Brazilian study feel less anxious throughout the exam (bonus: The effect lingered throughout the afternoon).

Why it works: For all the obvious reasons (you'll be better rested, more alert, more optimistic about what the day holds).

Strange, true thing that might convince you (as if you need it): When you lose sleep, you also risk losing your sense of humor. No joke: The ability to "get" that something is funny requires you to process information cognitively as well as emotionally-and that processing is severely affected by a lack of sleep, explains William D.S. Killgore, an associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School. In one of his studies, sleep-deprived participants hadsignificant difficulty recognizing when items like news headlines and cartoons were supposed to make them laugh.

Why it works: Cardio exercise wakes up your heart and your muscles and can set your mood on an upward trajectory that lasts until nighttime (and may even extend into a more restful sleep). Doing it outside seems to compound the effects. If you don't have time before work for a trail run, this jumping-squatting-planking move, which can be done in a few minutes and a few square feet of outdoor space, is the most efficient cheat.

Strange, true thing that might convince you: Just 5 minutes of exercising in nature can enhance your mood and boost your self-esteem, researchers found (that's at least 20 burpees).

Why it works: Sleep has been shown to make memories more vivid and durable, particularly emotional ones-perhaps as an evolutionary mechanism to help us learn from these experiences (we remember how angry Ug got when we made that comment after the mammoth hunt, so we never, ever say it to him again).

Strange, true thing that might convince you: People shown disturbing images at bedtime had strong reactions both before and after sleeping, found a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience. But when shown upsetting images first thing in the morning and then after a day awake, they didn't seem nearly as fazed. Staying awake after an upsetting experience neutralizes some of the emotion, the scientists concluded, while going to sleep helps "preserve" the emotional response.

Why it works: Testosterone levels (yes, women, too have small amounts of it naturally) are highest in the morning. Having sex then also boosts your levels of the love hormone, oxytocin. Schedule an a.m. tryst, and you'll not only feel more vital and alive but also more bonded to your partner for the rest of the day.

Strange, true thing that might convince you: Sex increases blood flow to the entire body, even the brain, which can keep the synapses firing and the neurons healthy and pumped.