The amount of words that I have to describe the term “music” are endless: outlet, escape, life, etc.. However; there are many times when the brain needs a release from it and a podcast to fill the creative space in the brain!
I have had my fair share of trial and error finding good podcasts as a college student. As a junior, I have spent the last three years at Marquette on many Rec Center elliptical jogs and many more long walks to class down Wisconsin Ave. Podcasts have filled my eardrums through many of those times, and I have finally fallen into my core group of go-to shows.
For my college students: check out these podcasts. No no no — not just one episode of each… give them all a few episodes to soak in the hosts, guests, content and vibes. Without further ado —
- Girls Gotta Eat
GGE has been #1 on my podcast list since I was a senior in high school, believe it or not. Looking in retrospect, do I agree with a 17-year-old listening to this religiously every single Monday of her life? Not really, but good for 17-year-old me.
GGE is a sex, dating and relationships podcast hosted by Rayna Greenburg and Ashley Hessletine. The women share their experiences in the sex and dating world as well as bring on expert hosts to offer intellectual and real insight on everything from meeting the in-laws to practicing safe sex in hookup culture. This is no Call Her Daddy….. This is the real stuff.
- Crying in Public
Crying in Public is hosted by two college seniors, Sydney and Sarah, in New York. The women talk about a variety of topics targeted towards college women. Since they are living the college city life right now, they are always full of fun and relatable stories and do not hold ANYTHING back! The two recently started a book club series on the podcast on the book Why Men Love Bitches by Sherri Argov which stormed TikTok late last year. Hop in right now if you’re a podcast-loving bookworm… I’m literally starting the book just to gossip with them about it tonight.
- Thick and Thin
Thick and Thin with Katy Bellote is definitely the most wholesome of all of the podcasts on this list. Katy is a sweetie-pie girl who lives in a New York studio apartment living life as a single podcaster. She is a history buff (is ‘history buff’ a gender-neutral term?!) so lots of her podcasts incorporate insightful and, honestly, super interesting history lessons. I am not super into history, but all of her commentary is so fun to take in. She’s not about Paul Revere or WW2; but more of the history of high heels, martinis, why women are insecure about their photos, self-image, New York and so much more.
She introduces each episode with a catch up on how she is doing personally. She talks about her mental health, dating life and everything else that has happened to her throughout the last seven days. Katy comes off as more of a friend than anything else. I started listening to Thick and Thin on a fall walk in 2020 and now her voice reminds me of a beautiful fall day….
- Anything Goes with Emma Chamberlain
BEFORE YOU SKIP THIS ONE… I despised Emma throughout my entire life. When I first was introduced to the star, I could not stand listening to her voice and watching her videos. She was annoying and childish to me.
I must have been in a goofy mood one day when I decided to turn on Anything Goes during a hike one day. I am so grateful that I did.
Since I have watched a full video of hers (maybe 2018? 2019?), she has matured in so many ways. She offers her listeners true insight. Chamberlain is one of the biggest celebrities of my generation, yet she talks to her listeners not as if she is above them, but like she is socially and mentally in the same boat and everybody else. She talks about how to make friends and about financial struggles: things that she does not need to deal with. She, then, talks about her experience at the Met Gala and being followed by people on Instagram with 14M followers: things that people want to hear.
Anything Goes is a perfect mix of so many different topics, moods and attitudes. For a college student looking for background listening, turn this on! Chef’s kiss, well done Emma.