I’ve learned so much about myself through my college experience—and I like who I’m becoming! But after two years, I feel trapped in class. It’s like I’m having the same discussions with the same conclusions on the same topics. And while I have a bit of a bone to pick with my university and professors, I also have the power to take my education into my own hands.
Instead of watching shows like Gossip Girl or New Girl in my free time, I’ve been obsessed with Crash Course videos. Yes. Crash Course. As in, John and Hank Green. First time around, I watched their videos to help pass my biology and chemistry tests, because science is really not for me. But now, the channel has expanded so much that it’s a fun pastime to watch videos about the world.
I am a history buff and my favorite playlist right now is on mythology. As an art history student, it’s so cool to learn about different religions and cultures throughout history, and the commonalities between belief systems. Crash Course has become a fun and casual pastime where I don’t have to think too hard about “studying” but I can still learn new things. It’s like reading a Wikipedia page but without the headache. For the longest time I thought this made me a weirdo. Maybe it does. But there is nothing cooler to me than joining their other 12 million subscribers across the world in learning.
Explained by Vox is another series that produces episodes on topics affecting people’s lives. Available on Netflix, the docuseries highlights issues not typically covered in the news, such as the world’s water crisis, tattoos, diamonds, and coding. They even produced a video on the next pandemic released in November of 2019: literal fortune tellers. The series also has separate channels that tackle one topic in a variety of facets, such as the mind, sex, and the coronavirus. Each episode is its own research paper, documentary, TedTalk, and lecture.
Understanding the world around you in any way you can–that’s key.
I hope more people take learning into their own hands. Just as we never stop growing, we never stop learning! Understanding the world around you in any way you can—that’s key.