6 Must-listen Podcasts for Commuting to University

The bus doesn’t have to be boring

On the best bus journey I ever took I met my boyfriend – how romantic. Definitely one to tell the Grandkids. But, alas, not every bus ride ends in love. Sometimes the commute to uni can feel like a waste of time when you would rather be socialising, working or, more likely, sleeping.

While I can’t magic you an extra hour in bed, or the love of your life. I can help make your journey more interesting.

Head over to the Apple Podcasts app, or search for podcasts on Spotify, and delve into endless possibilities of listening material. Whether you want prefer light hearted, hilarious or educational podcasts, there will be something for you to binge listen.

The Food Medic

 

Good for: students who love learning

Determined to bust the diet myths circulated by the fitness gurus of Instagram, qualified and practicing doctor, Hazel Wallace hosts a series of medical professionals to discuss topical issues around health.

Episodes include ‘No-Nonsense Guide to Skin Health’ and ‘Food for Fitness’. Rather than spending your journey scrolling, listening to one of Dr Wallace’s podcasts will mean that learning doesn’t need to stop when you leave the library. And who knows, you might be healthier for it.

My Dad Wrote a Porno

Good for: students who love a giggle

You might think that it’s embarrassing to suddenly laugh out loud on public transport. But it’s definitely not as embarrassing as your Dad writing a porno.

As the podcast title suggests, this is what happened to Jamie Morton, who discovers his father’s cringe-worthy alter-ego ‘Rocky Flintstone’.

Fully embracing the awkwardness, Jamie, together with his friends James Cooper and Alice Levine, performs dramatic readings, with plenty of hilarious critical analysis.

From questionable writing to even more questionable story lines, this podcast is a favourite amongst my housemates and is too hilarious to miss.

Stuff you Should Know

Good for: students who love to whip out a random fact

Ever wondered how food cravings work? Or maybe you’ve always questioned what it takes to make someone a serial killer?

With hundreds of episodes telling you how pretty much everything works, from politics to prisons, you’re bound to learn something you never knew you should know from these podcasts.

There’s a whole HowStuffWorks network covering the factual gamut from true crime to remarkable history.

The Receipts Podcast

Good for: students who love a gossip

Meet the older sisters you’ve always wanted: Milena, Tolly and Audrey. Tune into the podcast to hear the girls chat about life, popular culture and issues of race and religion.

Alternatively, listen to their mini-sode, ‘Your Receipts’, where the girls act as agony aunts and discuss listeners’ problems. Expect topics ranging from relationships, parents, money and friends.

The girls are funny, honest and relatable. Listening to them on your way into uni will feel like a journey with friends.

TED Radio Hour

Good for: students who like big ideas

If you’re a fan of TED talks and big ideas then this is the podcast for you.

Combining the best bits from a variety of TED talks to form a discussion on broader issues, an hour with TED will bring you wisdom, insight and contemplation. Discussing concepts of inquiry, freedom of speech and decision making, these podcasts might be too heavy when you’re dragging yourself into uni on a hungover Thursday morning, but are sure to give you loads to contemplate on a more switched on day.

Adulting

Good for: students who aren’t quite sure if they’re doing the whole ‘grown up’ thing right

Adulting – defined by the ever-reliable Urban Dictionary as ‘being a responsible adult. Used by immature 20-somethings who are proud of themselves for paying a bill.’

Oenone Forbat (aka. Instagram’s @uhnonee) relates. Like other millennials she feels like we’re pretending to be adults. Barred as we are from experiencing the independence our parents enjoyed by hefty loans, an impossible housing market and an unstable economy.

In response to these issues, each week Onenone is joined by a guest speaker to discuss ‘grown-up’ topics like money, emotions, eating and self-love. The episodes will make you laugh, cry and think. All the while reminding you: hey you’re only 20 – someone who still sends a picture of every meal they cook to their mum.

So love on the bus might be beyond our powers. But we are sure that these podcasts will bring lots of laughter and learning to your commute.

Plug in your headphones and use our recommendations to fuel your new podcast addiction.