7 Apps That Will Free You From the IMSA Bubble

Let’s face it. Being at IMSA is sometimes like being in an underground bunker where sunlight can’t get in (unless you’re in certain A wing math class rooms at a very specific time in the day). IMSA has a term for this known as “the IMSA bubble”. However, this phenomenon also affects our understanding of the happenings outside the academy. The news and other current events rarely find their place at IMSA, but reading the news is crucial for any citizen. Not only is reading the news important for being a well-informed citizen, but moreover, future SAT reading sections will all probably be based on news articles.

While it is true that it’s hard to squeeze in time to read the news everyday, it is easy to check news apps on your phone instead of Snapchat, Facebook or Messenger. Whether you’re standing in line waiting for Sodexo or want to relax for a bit before your double mod starts, here are seven great news apps that keep you in the know.

Apple News
Apple News is already on your phone so you don’t even need to take up storage with another app. Apple News is a compilation of all other news apps available in the app store, and you can customize it to your interests (or those of the SAT). News outlets include: The Atlantic, BBC News, Bloomberg, CNN, The Economist, Huffington Post, The Los Angeles Times, MIT Technology Review, National Geographic, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Newsweek, New Scientist, Time, USA Today, Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post.

Flipboard
Flipboard is an extremely aesthetic, social media based news app. Similar to other news apps, you can customize your feed based on your interests. But in Flipboard, your favorite articles appear on your profile, and you can share articles with your family and friends. Think of Flipboard as an Instagram for the news. A bonus of Flipboard is that the cover photos for the articles are all SUPER attractive.

Pocket
Pocket allows you to save articles when you don’t have the time to read them. The best part about Pocket is that you can “pocket” articles and read them (or view them if they’re videos) later without the need for any wifi. This is great for those of us who don’t have data to spare, and fall victim to IMSA’s one-product-with-Wifi policy.

Clover Letter
Ever want to read legitimate click-bait stories? Clover is a great app for that. Clover provides a cute and “inspirational” layout and chooses articles that are interesting and easy to read. Additionally, Clover includes several stories about wellness, career advice, and balancing family + work.

Nuzzel
Nuzzel is another social media news app, and it takes its inspiration from Facebook and Twitter. With Nuzzel, you can see what all your friends are reading and share articles that you really enjoyed.

Smart news
Smart News has a similar UI to Apple News, but what makes it stand out is that it has a wonderful feature called “Smart view.” On any article that you come across, there is a “web view” and “smart view” option. The “Smart view” option essentially allows you to read a short and sweet version of the original article that is compiled for you by the editors of Smart News. This is the ultimate solution for staying well-informed even if you are taking eight classes, are the President of five clubs, and have housekeeping that week.

Podcasts, NPR, TED
If you don’t like reading, podcasts, NPR’s radio talks, and TED talks are the news outlets for you. These apps work the same way other news apps do, in that you can customize your feeds to your favorite news outlets. Whether you’re running outside or in the shower or on way back home from IMSA, sit back, plug in some ear buds and tune in to the rest of the world.