The Best Student Podcasts to Listen to at University

Looking for some new listening? Here are the best podcasts for students 👇

Who doesn’t love a good podcast?! From motivational stories to conversations that make you laugh out loud in public (and get weird looks in the process), podcasts powered us through lockdown and have become a core part of modern culture. With over 1,950,000 podcasts out there, we certainly aren’t short on content.

The beauty of a podcast is you can listen to it at any time; on the commute to campus, while you’re cooking dinner, while you do a spot of cleaning around the house or just before you go to sleep at night. Plus, podcasts aren’t only good entertainment, but also great education!

Whether you’re looking to feed your brain with practical life tips or to have some company on a walk, look no further - we’ve put together a list of the best student podcasts for you to check out in 2021. 

🧐 If you love a murder mystery...

Fancy yourself a bit of a Miss Marple? There’s nothing like true crime podcasts to distract you from the stress of coursework and the woes of the world. Reaching #1 in the charts in 2020, the award-winning Redhanded is one of the UK’s most listened-to crime podcasts and is well worth a listen. Join hosts Hannah and Suruthi as they deep dive into the unsettling details of everything from big-time serial killers to cases you’ve never heard of. Even one episode is enough to inspire a midnight scroll into the depths of the internet to discover more.

👩‍⚕️ If you’re a medical student…

Studying medicine is exciting, but the road ahead can often feel daunting. Since medicine is such an interesting and diverse subject, deciding which direction to take your career can be an intimidating prospect. When it comes to medical student podcasts, there are so many out there to choose, but our personal favourite is The Undifferentiated Medical Student. This podcast was created as a safe space to champion overwhelmed med students and empower you to start thinking about your future in a way that doesn’t feel pressured.

🍿 If you’re a film student…

Two films. One theme. Where there’s a link to be found, hosts Jason Concepcion and Shea Serrano will find it, connecting rom coms with slasher films, thrillers with action films. The result is The Connect, a hilarious podcast made for movie buffs. While your film studies tutor probably isn’t going to ask you for a list of similarities between Scarface and Office Space or quiz you on the Bad TV Appearances that link The Joker and Anchorman, The Connect will leave you searching for tenuous links between movies. Plus, it’s a great one to play along with.

🌮 If you’re a foodie…

Whether you’re a flavour-chaser or just bored of the same old student meals, there’s nothing like a good bit of inspo from the experts. We love Desert Island Dishes, a weekly podcast packed with ideas for recipes to get you excited about planning your meals for the week. Each episode, host Margie Nomura asks a special guest about the dishes that have shaped their life – from a fancy dinner ahead of a marriage proposal to a slice of toast in a maternity ward.

🎵 If you’re a music lover…

As a music buff, there’s a good chance you’ve pondered the origins of your favourite songs. For example, did you know that Britney Spears’ song Hit Me Baby One More Time was written by two Swedish pop songwriters who thought the American term for “call me” was “hit me”? If that story has got you itching for more, check out Song Exploder, a podcast that asks musicians to take apart their songs and, piece by piece, share the story of how they were made. Created and hosted by Hrishikesh Hirway, episodes last an average of 20 minutes, so you can listen to one guilt-free during a much-needed study break.  

💪 If you’re looking for motivation…

Always leaving essays to the last minute? Find yourself getting anxious easily? As a student, you’re already on your way to achieving a big life goal. So, don’t worry if you’ve still got a lot to figure out. If you are looking for a helping hand, though, give Tiny Leaps, Big Changes a listen. This personal development podcast is focused on the little day-to-day behaviours we all engage in that can have a big impact on our success and happiness in life. From personal finances to managing grief and dealing with bad feedback, host Gregg Clunis shares some simple tips you can take in your life to start.

💤 If you’re looking for something to stick on in the background…

It all began when Jamie Morton discovered that his Dad had been penning adult fiction titled ‘Belinda Blinked’ under the name Rocky Flintstone. Most of us would try to repress the memory and move on, but Jamie decided to share it with the world. The result is My Dad Wrote a Porno, one of the most hilarious and listened-to podcasts out there. If you’ve heard of it but haven’t listened to it, stick it on while you do some cleaning– trust us, it’ll make the whole thing much more enjoyable. 

⚽️ If you’re a football fanatic…

If you’re equally infuriated and infatuated with the most popular sport in the world, tune in to the Football Ramble. Fuelled by their love of the Beautiful Game, Luke Moore, Pete Donaldson, Marcus Speller and Jim Campbell got together to unleash their opinions and share stories from the Premier League and European football. Twelve years later, their podcast tops the charts and has been taken on tour. Broadcasting five days a week during the football season, this podcast is arguably one of the most entertaining voices in football.

📚 If you’re a psychology student… 

As a psychology student, there’s a good chance you’re passionate about what goes on inside people’s minds. If you’ve ever found yourself tapping into the knowledge you’ve gained in your course to psychoanalyse characters in films and TV, we’ve got the perfect podcast for you. Hosted by three licensed therapists, Popcorn Psychology explores the psychological states of characters in popular movies from the perspective of an individual, child and a marriage therapist. A word of warning: your non-psychology student friends probably won’t want to hear about the emotional impact of not fitting in while watching Elf.

What podcast are you listening to right now? Share them with us on Instagram!