Mercer University student is a finalist for NPR's best college podcasts in America

Cover of The Best College Podcast Challenge (LA Johnson/NPR)

What’s it like to live with schizophrenia? What if I turned off my phone and spent an entire day completely offline? Can I use my campus physics lab to test the best tool for stirring coffee?

These are some of the questions students explored in the 2023 NPR College Podcast Challenge. NPR received more than 500 entries this year (a record!) that brought personal stories of conflict or triumph; deep, thoughtful interviews; compelling local news coverage; and sound-rich investigative reporting.

And so here they are, presented below – the 10 finalists representing this year’s best college podcasting. Finalists from campuses big and small, and all over the country: the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Miami Dade College, Tennessee Tech … and more. Some are from journalism students, others from public health, peace studies or physics majors.