Podcasts can be really great, especially because you can listen to them in your free time and learn something new. Indeed, podcasts can boost your brain cells, in addition to giving you some great talking points on a multitude of varied topics. So, to help you get started, here is a list of some great podcasts on a number of different subjects.
1) StarTalk
The StarTalk podcast network bridges the intersection between science, pop culture and comedy with clarity, humour and passion. For anybody that is fascinated with stars and, of course, with space, StarTalk will only feed your fascination. Hosted by astrophysicist, Neil deGrasse Tyson, StarTalk explores captivating subjects like space travel, extra-terrestrial life, the Big Bang, the role science plays in people’s lives, the future of our Earth and the environment, and more.
As Neil deGrasse Tyson says, StarTalks explores,
“Everything under the sun; Or rather under the universe!” for an audience of “All the people who never knew how much they’d love learning about space and science.”
Neil deGrasse Tyson, StarTalk
StarTalk also does regular features with cool guests such as Buzz Aldrin and Morgan Freeman.
2) The Accidental Creative
Their keynote topics focus on concrete practices that lead to sharper focus, improved productivity, and better collaboration. Usually, they customize each talk for the audience, and can also develop a custom talk for certain occasions. Hosted by author Todd Henry, The Accidental Creative is a podcast designed to share tips on how to thrive. This is a great podcast for creative minds to learn how to turn their art into a profession.
3)Freakonomics
I’m sure most of you have heard of this podcast, featuring Nobel laureates, social scientists and entrepreneurs. As the title of the podcast may suggest, Freakonomics explores the wonderfully weird characteristics of human nature like why we cheat or commit crime, for instance. The podcast, and the book, are both great sources of information if you’re looking to learn something new in your spare time.
4) The Memory Palace
The memory palace is lighter, perhaps, than the aforementioned podcasts. It is primarily a storytelling podcast and public radio segment about the past. Hosted by Nate DiMeo, who previously hosted NPR, The Memory Palace takes a look at history through artifacts and vignettes. So, if you’re interested in history, particularly the history of common objects, and are looking to learn something new, you might find that this podcast is rather interesting.
5) The History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps
Philosophy is one of my very favourite subjects to study, always promising to teach you something new. More over, almost all areas of study emerged from philosophy, including science and the scientific method. The host of this show, Professor Peter Adamson, takes you through the history of philosophy across various domains. Interesting subjects- or at least interesting to me- like free-will, virtue and ignorance are addressed in this podcasts. You learn about the historical context of major philosopher, as well as the lesser know philosophers. It is actually very interesting so see how major schools of though emerged from these ancient philosophers.
6) Philosophize This!
Another really valuable way to learn about philosophy without needing a philosophy degree. Hosted by Stephen West, Philosophize This provides an overview, albeit a detailed overview, of some of the major ideas in this area of study. I think this is a great podcast because of the approach to philosophy taken by its host. I especially liked the end to his response to a blog question. For I believe it reflects the whole point of studying philosophy in the first place. He said,
Thank you for wanting to learn more today than yesterday
Stephen West, Philosophize This
7) TED Podcasts
I assume most of you already know about, or have watched, Ted Talks. Well this is the audio version of TED Talks, with an amazing range of informative presentations on a multitude of subjects. Motivational talks, inspirational talks, business talks, psychology, art, crime, history, science, energy conservation, exercise, and the list goes on. In this sense, TED is rather versatile, potentially catering to anything that you might find interesting.
8) Reveal
Okay, moving away from philosophy now. Reveal is a podcast about investigative journalism, focusing on highlighting unseen issues. It is perhaps a better alternative to mainstream media and it rather reliable- extensive amounts of research are put into each story before you hear the podcast.
9) The Infinite Monkey Cage
Hosted by Professor Brian Cox, The Infinite Monkey Cage is a humorous science show with comedian Robin Ince from BBC Radio 4. The podcast covering topics such as the apocalypse and space tourism. It is certainly worth listening to if you need a bit of science approached differently.
10) The History of WWII Podcast
Another one for the history lovers, The History of WWII is a great source of knowledge. The podcast is hosted by Ray Harris Jr., a major history buff himself. In this podcast, he dives in everything related to the second word war, including personal stories and addressing the contents of some dense history books You could start with the following podcast, Roosevelt Learns of the Coming Attack.
11) On Being
“On Being is a pursuit of the ancient and enduring human questions that gave rise to our spiritual traditions and resonate through every institution anew in this century: What does it mean to be human? How do we want to live? And who will we be to each other?” Journalist and former diplomat, Krista Tippet, takes a deeper look in the question mentioned above.
Each episode of the podcast consists in a conversation with people of different vocations, such as artists, activists, or spiritual leaders. Even if you are neither spiritual nor religious, you might some episodes that prod your brain, giving you something to think about. Or you might think it useless. Either way, only one way to find out.
12)Brain Science
This interesting podcast, hosted by Dr. Ginger Campbell, is all about the latest findings in neuroscience. The information is presented in a way that you can enjoy without being a scientist. Dr. Campbell also brings in expert neuroscientists from all the around for engaging interviews.
Learning about our brains and how they work is nothing less than fascinating. In fact, you could also consider watching the show Brain Games, you may learn a few really cool facts about your own brain.
13) Listen Money Matters
As a student, you know what the one thing you need most is, money. Well, this podcast will help you with the skills that you need to manage your money. Listen Money Matters is a superb listen for any of you looking for intelligent ways to pay off student loans, avoid bank charges and become financially independent. If you want a whole podcast dedicated to those topics, plus advice on renting vs buying a home, the basics of investing, and how to make extra money on the side, you should check out Listen Money Matters (LMM).
14) Money for the Rest of Us
Another good one for money advice, especially if you wan to know how to secure yourself after you retires. You might think that retirement is far away, but it is very important to start thinking about now. Indeed, it is never to early to start. In this podcast, former financial manager David Stein, will help you take control of your finances and manage your own investment portfolio. He explains how topics like inflation, trade wars, and electric cars can affect your personal finances.
15) Stuff You Should Know
Created by the same people who started HowStuffWorks, this podcast runs covers a vast range of topics, from Jack the Ripper to the Spanish Inquisition and The Gig Economy. It is certainly more than a great way for you to improve our knowledge for the next time you go to trivia nights with your friends.
16) Song Exploder
For the musical souls out there, Song Exploder is a super fun listen. Hosted by musician Hrishikesh Hirway, the show deconstructs music by interviewing artists about their creative processes. It helps us look deeper and understand more thoroughly the thought that went behind creating some of our favourite songs.
17) The Investors Podcast
The Investors Podcast explores, through a mix of interviews and analysis, questions like how billionaires got to be so rich and investing lessons you can learn from them. This podcast is on the more advanced side of investing, so if you’re new to the topic it would be better to start with Listen Money Matters or Money for the Rest of Us. But once you have a fairly decent understanding, with some experience too, you may find this show rather valuable- like taking the next step, perhaps. They have some interesting stuff on BitCoin and Commercial Real Estate Investing.
18) EconTalk
Economics is certainly an important topics that affects our lives more than we realise. In this podcast, Russ Roberts, an economics research fellow, interviews professional economists about the economics that shape our lives. This includes things like where we live and what we eat.
19) Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders
Their mission reads: create content that helps entrepreneurs bring bold ideas to life and supports educators in developing thoughtful innovators.
Featuring a selection of recorded seminars from Stanford University, this podcast is a great resource for anyone with dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. It gives you a ton of great information on startups, venture capital and technology. Past guests have included people like Mark Zuckerberg.
20) Money Lab
In addition to co-hosting the Listen Money Matters podcast, Matt Giovanisci also has his own show. Unlike a lot of business podcasts, which focus on how to start a business, Money Lab discusses all the challenges that come from being a full-time entrepreneur in the thick of it. The show is a conversation between Matt and his friend and fellow entrepreneur, Andrew Fiebert. Through this you will learn about topics like managing mental health while working for yourself, how to sell websites, and what it’s like to give advice online for a living. This podcast is more niche, in that it is more specialised that a lot of the other podcasts you come across. However, the presentation style makes in interesting, understandable and fun.
21) 99% invisible
This podcast is rather fascinating. There are a lot things we don’t take much notice of in our daily lives, like uniforms. Well this podcast focuses on the design of unnoticed everyday things in our world and how they work- this includes things like palm reading and the psychology of uniforms. It’s sort of one of those learning experiences where you find yourself learning about things you never thought you wanted to know more about. Be prepared to learn things that you never knew you wanted to know more about.
22) Cracked
Cracked is all over the place, in a good way. Their topics and always interesting and engaging, ranging from explaining the rise of movie genres to what life would be like without the internet. I think the latter would be rather difficult, I certainly can’t imagine a life without ease of google searches for one. This podcast is especially great for students.
23) Radiolab
I’m sure most of you have heard of Radiolab before. Radiolab is a popular podcast about curiosity. But you might say curiosity killed the cat, didn’t it? Well no it did not. Not necessarily at least. I mean we wouldn’t make progress without curiosity, of course, one must exercise caution. The founders tackle topics ranging from brain injuries to the story of Henrietta Lacks. Each episode features a ton of different voices – topical experts, subjects of the interviews, and more. This is certainly a binge-worthy podcast.
Need help with funding your education? Download StuCred now for real-time, interest-free, loans!
Tags- Best Podcasts for Students best podcasts for college students 2019, best educational podcasts 2018, best podcasts 2019, best educational podcasts reddit
