Whether you’re bored during your study period or just driving around, podcasts are a great way to occupy your time. Any excuse is a great excuse to dive into a podcast, and with a variety available, there’s bound to be a podcast out there for everyone! If you’re looking to indulge in a new series, or you just want to find something to listen to in the meantime, here’s a list of what some HB’s students dubbed their “favorite” podcasts.

1. Crime Junkies: Crime Junkies is a podcast starring Ashley Flowers and Brit. This podcast focuses on true crime stories based on murders, serial killers, wanted criminals and missing persons cases. They tell the stories many people haven’t heard of due to little news coverage or stagnance in solving the case. Listening to a true crime story that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat is why Laura Considine ‘20 calls this her favorite podcast. “Obviously it’s the true crime that I love, but they’re great because when they do talk about cases. It’s really clear and they don’t try to glorify any of the cases that happened, it’s just the facts going through how the crime happened,” said Considine. Whether you’re a self proclaimed “crime junkie” or really just want to hear sinister stories, Crime Junkies is a podcast definitely worth checking out.
2. Hello from the Magic Tavern: Hello from the Magic Tavern is an improvised comedy podcast hosted by Arnie Niekamp. The podcast is telling a story of a  character set in a place known as, “Foon”, which is supposed to be this magical realm with all sorts of imaginary characters. Niekamp’s character sets out to go on many adventures and as he runs into all these different sorts of characters he goes onto interview them, such as a shape-shifting raccoon. The imaginative setting is what made student Tatiana Madsen ‘20 fall in love. “It’s not like your average podcast. Hello from the Magic Tavern is basically an improv podcast that is just full of funny and inappropriate [humor], and it’s just a hilarious podcast.” The imaginative story is great for those who love listening to creative stories with improvised characters.
3. Wolf 359: Wolf 359 is a science-fiction podcast created by Gabriel Urbina and Zach Valenti. This podcast is a radio drama set out to make its listeners feel like they’re tuning into a radio segment. The story is centered around a space station set out to search for alien life. The stories cover the dysfunctionality of the crew, and they add in a little drama by creating some daily life-or-death scenarios. “It’s kind of a fun sci-fi thriller, done in like an old golden age radio format, but it’s really interesting to me,” said student Rowan Gingras ‘20. Designed for the people who love a good sci-fi story meant to thrill its audience, Wolf 359 may just be the podcast for you.
4. Game Theory: Game Theory is a podcast that discusses both college and NBA draft level basketball. Sam Vecenie is an expert on all things basketball whose main focus is on the ins and outs of the NBA draft and its current prospects. “Mostly because I’m a big basketball fan [I like] this guy Sam Vecenie, who does really good analytical takes on basketball and it’s a really good podcast,” said basketball fan and advid podcast listener, Ian McNabb ‘20.  If you are someone who enjoys basketball and or the NBA draft and wants to hear about more on the topic then Game Theory is a podcast for you!
5. Welcome to Night Vale: Welcome to Night Vale is a podcast that captures the style of a radio drama telling the story of the town of Night Vale, the stories are based on broadcasts directed towards the town’s community, updating the small desert town. The podcast goes into detail on what is going on in the town such as local weather, news, announcements from the police, and the town’s conditions based on real life events. “It’s a narrative podcast and they make these really weird stories, and I think they’re pretty interesting,” said Morgan Smith ‘21. This narrative podcast is great for those who have imaginative minds or love to listen to stories.

There’s so many entertaining podcasts out there designed for all sorts of people’s different interests. Maybe you’re a true crime enthusiast or you love storytelling, there’s a podcast out there for you that will keep you from dying of extreme boredom. Sit back, relax and dive into a new podcast.