Most of us are somewhat guilty of getting caught up in the college bubble, forgetting how important it is to stay aware of what’s going on outside of our dorm rooms. Between classes, homework, school gossip, and our demanding Netflix queues, there’s hardly time for an extensive reading of the New York Times each day. However, given the huge range of media available to us, there’s really no excuse for neglecting your worldly intelligence. Here are some tips to make room for a more knowledgeable, news-savvy you.
Subscribe to daily news e-mails: It’s just like having a condensed newspaper delivered to your doorstep every morning, except you don’t even have to leave your bed to go and get it. When you wake up to check your texts and social media notifications, take a few minutes to read through this e-mail too. There’s a wide range of sites and services out there, but I’d recommend The Skimm for its brief, conversational, and entertaining style. Another option is The Front Page, an up-and-coming e-mail newsletter created by Wash U grad Lexi Levin (2014). Each e-mail features the top 10 news stories you simply cannot miss. Funny headlines and a bulletpoint format make this e-mail quick and easy to read. Click here to subscribe to The Front Page!
Theskimm.com
Use Twitter to your advantage: A lot of people are hesitant to use Twitter, perhaps because they are intimidated by the task of composing clever tweets. Sure, plenty of people use Twitter to share their thoughts, but using Twitter just to read and check on what other people are talking about is totally okay too. In fact, I’d recommend following a bunch of your favorite news channels (they all have very active Twitter accounts), so you can see their recent stories and click on the articles that interest you most.
Download the app for your favorite news source: A ton of news services have free apps that let you browse their content on your phone, so pick one (or a few) and stick it on your home screen. This way, you’ll be reminded to check up on the news instead of staring at your Instagram feed for the twelfth time that day. I personally have the Business Insider app on my phone, but check out the app store to see what suits you best.
The App Store
Check out The Daily Beast Cheat Sheet: The Daily Beast is well known for its cheat sheet, a brief 10-item list that changes throughout the day based on the hottest news. It offers a short paragraph summary followed by the link to its source article, so that you can keep reading if it’s a topic of interest. It’ll take mere minutes to read the whole cheat sheet, so whenever you’re standing in line or waiting for class to start, reading this will be a productive use of your time.
Cheatsheet.tumblr.com