One day, about two or three weeks ago, my roommate Emma came home from Organic Chemistry class absolutely ecstatic. Knowing what little I do about Organic Chemistry, I knew it couldn’t be the class that made her this excited. What had brightened her day was not the chemistry but her new discovery: NPR. Thanks to my roommate, I have recently began listening to NPR, National Public Radio.

NPR offers programs and podcasts on topics from “news” to “arts & life”. Podcasts and updates can last anywhere from two minutes to an hour and a half. You can hear stories on podcasts such as “The Moth,” scientific discoveries on “Radio Lab” or “Hidden Brain” or pop culture updates on “Pop Culture Happy Hour”. Regardless of your interest, NPR definitely has a podcast for you. Below are 7 ways NPR enriches my life on a daily basis! Enjoy!

1. You learn new things every day.

Everyday we are exposed to so many new things. Being in college, we are learning new material every single moment we are in class. However, a lot of what we learn in college is specific to our major and/or minor. NPR allows for you to learn a little bit of something entirely new. You learn things you would have never learned otherwise. For example, did you know the entire forest is united by a vast, underground network of fungi? Interested? Listen to From Tree to Shining Tree on Radio Lab.

2. You hear stories that no one covers.

On NPR podcasts, you hear about stories that wouldn't normally be shared. You can listen to the personal stories of individual lives or listen to commentary on widely publicized stories from a unique angle. "Sight Unseen" is a unique episode dedicated to the horrific yet eye-opening experience a photojournalist encountered. She experienced something that happens all the time but something that not many get to see: "a soldier fatally wounded on the battlefield". If you are interested, you can listen to "Sight Unseen" here.

3. Each episode is different.

Each episode of NPR covers something entirely different. Sure, certain podcasts may overlap and talk about similar topics - however, many times the way the hosts tell story or describe scientific discovery can alter your perception of it. Sometimes the hosts leave the subject matter entirely unbiased and other times they enter heated debates amongst themselves over what they think is right and what is wrong. One of my favorite episodes from Radio Lab is "Update: Eye in the Sky". Have you ever heard of the technology that can trace someone who recently committed a crime to their present location in the city? If you are interested, you can listen to "Update: Eye in the Sky" on Radio Lab.

4. They are great distractions.

I am always on the look out for something that can distract my from my responsibilities. While I enjoy being distracted, I also truly enjoy learning. NPR allows me to do both at the same time. Even though I am an English and Hispanic Studies double major, many of the podcasts I choose to listen to don't have anything to do with what I learn about in school. This allows me to not only learn about English and Language, but in my down-time learn about things such as the "Buried Bodies Case". This is a episode that shows just how far lawyers must go to "provide the best defense for the worst people". How far does lawyer confidentiality reach? What do you do, as a lawyer, when your morals and the law collide? Radio Lab covered this story on their episode "The Buried Bodies Case". You can listen to it, here.

5. They keep you updated on current events.

NPR offers daily updates on local and national news. In election season, NPR politics picks up on "Election Essentials" to keep you caught up on everything "election". The "National Newscast" is a daily update, generally only three minutes long, that keeps you up to date on what is happening in the US. You can listen to them everyday on the NPR homepage.

6. You are supporting independent journalism.

"In the Dark" is an independent podcast that traces a specific kidnapping/murder case over eight episodes. APM Reporters and reporter Madeleine Baran independently investigate how Jacob Wetterling's case was mishandled by Minnesota police. They give a detailed account of what happened but also delve into why it took law enforcement 27 years to catch his killer. What did they miss? What did they do wrong? If you are interested, you can listen to all eight episodes of "In the Dark" on NPR. "Episode 1: The Crime" is linked here.

7. You are supporting a radio whose content is dependent on the people who listen to it.

NPR is dependent on its listeners. NPR tells stories that it thinks will interest its viewers. Every time I log on, there is something new waiting for me. There are so many podcasts I have yet find, so much I don't know yet, and so, so much just waiting to be listened to.