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No self-respecting student would walk out the door without the requisite iPod. Put yourself in the right frame of mind for the walk to class with these local podcasts that educate and entertain.

Bad at Sports, a favorite among TOC staffers, is one of the more professional, enjoyable ’casts in town. Hosts Amanda Browder, Richard Holland and Duncan MacKenzie cover Chicago’s art scene from a clever, informed perspective that’s never too insidery or too grumpy. Expect to hear about major art festivals, installations and scandals, plus get interviews, news and reviews.

BaS spin-off The Parlor is a literature-oriented affair focused on local and emerging authors. The monthly show is recorded in front of an audience, so loyal fans can go to the readings in person.

If you prefer your art talk from more official sources (and by the way, lighten up), the Art Institute’s Musecast comes out every six weeks and is full of nutritious info about galleries and exhibitions.

But man and woman cannot live on art alone—you’d get hungry. Chicago Bites offers fun, casual reviews, and Hungry Mag gets the dish (har har) on local chefs.

For the word on the street, enter Outside the Loop Radio, a newsmagazine series that covers offbeat, provocative and otherwise ignored stories from the area. Hosts Andy Hermann and Mike Stephen deliver a smart, informative weekly show.

When we’re really craving long-form, thoughtful global coverage, Jerome McDonnell’s Worldview, from WBEZ, is our one-stop shop. It does get a bit dry occasionally, which is why we prefer the podcast (where we can fast-forward) over the broadcast (where we languish).

Just as well made is Windy City Queercast, hosted by Amy Matheny. New episodes are broadcast a few times a week, and most clock in at close to an hour. Consider your queer-news needs met.

The quickest way to make Chicago feel like home—and to trick anyone you meet into thinking you’re a local—is to dedicate yourself to local sports. The Chicago Sportscast Network, a family of fan-friendly podcasts, has you covered with Soxcast, Cubscast, Hawkscast, Bearscast and Bullscast (all accessible at chicagosportscasts.com). New episodes are posted pretty much constantly during the season (three times a week for the Cubs, twice a week for everyone else) and surprisingly regularly during the off-season, so you’ll never be without small-talk topics. If you want to spice up your knowledge with some sass, The Heckler’s supershort sports briefs—about 20 seconds each—are as sharp and funny as you wish you were.