This week I decided to change it up a little with the podcast column. With the three-day weekend approaching, I wanted to know what students on campus were planning to listen to on their rides back home. From “Pod Save the World” to “The Daily,” here are some student favorites:
My go-to podcast for my Good Friday drive home this Easter is “Pod Save The World” from Crooked Media. I love getting my U.S. political news via podcasts, and this pod allows me to kill two birds with one stone – Trump administration antics and U.S. foreign policy wrapped into a one-hour-long package. Its host, Tommy Vietor, was the spokesperson for the National Security Council under President Obama, and he brings a funny, engaging perspective to U.S. foreign policy under our current administration, and he always has the COOLEST guests to interview. I promptly follow each of his guests on Twitter after I finish an episode.
— Bella St. Amant, sophomore international studies major
For my Easter trip, I’m probably going to be listening to the podcast “Sunday School Dropouts.” In this show, the two hosts – the self-described “ex-Christian” Lauren and her boyfriend, the “sort of Jew” – Niko – read through the Bible, book by book, for the first time. Throughout my childhood, I tried countless times to read the Bible. I would stay up all night struggling to finish a certain book of the Bible or a certain chapter, and I’m listening to this podcast right now to sort of supplement actual Bible reading. What I love about this show is that Lauren and Niko make it extremely clear from the start of every episode that the show is not a Bible study podcast, but they are simply trying to retell the events of each book of the Bible exactly how the Bible tells them. Feels like a good fit for Easter!
— Adam Dunnells, sophomore English major
Podcasts have become a daily ritual of mine, though I’m somewhat of a podcast newbie. I have a few favorites, but my absolute favorite is The New York Times’ “The Daily.” Host Michael Barbaro starts my day off with a new topic every episode. “The Daily” is produced once a day Monday-Friday and is about 20 minutes long. This podcast usually takes a topic that is relevant and current and dives super deep into the discussion. Barbaro interviews experts, politicians and even celebrities who are knowledgeable about whatever topic seems important that day. My personal favorite is the last three-minute segment that always begins with “Here’s what else you need to know today.” This segment fills you in on what’s going on in the world. If you’re new to podcasts and care about being informed about the world around you, “The Daily” is the right podcast for you.
— Brady Ruffin, senior integrated marketing communications
I really like “Welcome to Night Vale.” It caught my eye on Twitter because of its design, and it was actually the first podcast I ever listened to. It’s about a radio show in Night Vale, a very strange town, and the show just talks about all strange things that happen there. Its Twitter is awesome, and it’s very representative of the hosts’ humor, so if you like that, I would 10/10 recommend listening.
— Ingrid Valbuena, senior integrated marketing communications
While I usually listen to a number of podcasts on my long drives home, I have begun to listen to “Working” by Slate. The podcasts look to understand how people do their different jobs and what brought them to choose such a career. The series is usually organized by a theme, such as “Baltimore,” “Animals,” “At the White House,” and several people who work in different jobs are profiled. I have come to enjoy the podcast because it exposes listener’s eyes to the different careers that make our society operate, whether it be a bartender or a pediatric neurosurgeon. One of my favorite episodes was “In Detroit: How Does the Mayor’s Chief of Staff Work” because it opened my eyes to the predominant issues faced by those respective residents and highlighted the different facets of a municipality from the Chief of Staff’s point of view.
— Alex Crouch, junior Public Policy major
