As college students we juggle so many different activities, whether it be studying, going to class, working, having a social life, or even all of the above. Being so busy all of the time means that it’s easy to find yourself completely unaware of current events. For the most part, college students only seem to know what’s going on when Facebook has a filter you can add to your profile picture when something has happened. While that works for informing you on one event, what about all of the others?
I’ve personally been unaware of important worldly events before, and it can be embarrassing not being able to hold up a conversation about something that is prominent in the news, especially when your professor uses it as an example in class. But, with the help of the following things, I have been able to better educate myself on current events without having to spend too much time out of my day.
1. Sign up for theSkimm
The best thing that I did was sign up for the daily email that theskimm.com sends. Essentially the staff at theSkimm do the reading for you and break down important events and the latest news, summarize it and then send it out in their daily newsletter. Reading their newsletter is a great way to start the day, and even though you aren’t reading a full story, you get the gist of it and can successfully be informed and can even be able to bring some of it up in conversation if need be. If you only do one thing on this list, have it be this.
2. Follow news outlets on Facebook and Twitter
Instead of mindlessly scrolling through your feed during class, you can now do so while informing yourself on current events. Find news outlets that align with your views—Fox News is generally more conservative, while CNN and The New York Times are preferred outlets for liberals—and follow them on social media. They won’t flood your feed, but you will be able to read a short tidbit of current events every so often. You are always on Facebook and Twitter anyway, might as well make it somewhat educational, right?
3. If you don’t want to read, listen
If you find that the last thing you want to do is read something else when you are already swamped with reading for class, find a program where you can listen to the news. Instead of listening to music or watching Netflix while you get ready in the morning consider listening to NPR or BBC. Both programs run through the world news and daily headlines ever hour in about five minutes.
4. Start small, and then take bigger steps
If becoming enlightened on current events seems overwhelming, stressful, or that there is just no time to do so, well you’re wrong. But, if that is the case, instead of jumping head first into current worldly events, start small with your campus paper. More often than not, school papers can be found on just about every free surface on campus. UCSB has two, The Daily Nexus and The Bottom Line, where you can read about current events going on at school, as well as in the county. If you find yourself with a gap between classes, pick up a newspaper and start reading!
Being informed is really cool, and will no doubt help you to become better educated and more impressive in conversations!