Few people I do know read the news for fun — and I even have loads of nerd friends. Perusing newspaper reports on Supreme Court decisions and congressional budgets is more of a painful exercise in patience and fortitude than a nice morning activity.
Enter the world of magazines: These publications run a mixture of commentary, profiles and what I wish to call news-adjacent stories — articles that cope with current things within the news cycle but with a fresh angle or a more in-depth take.
Magazine reporting tends to be written in a first-person perspective, which frequently means it’s funnier and more entertaining than reading more hard news-y journalism. Personally, I’m actually way more more likely to read during a 5,000-word magazine profile than a 1,500-word news story.
Here’s a fast list of a few of my favorite American magazines, and my thoughts on each; I’m judging these magazines specifically as a university student on the West Coast with a reasonably limited budget.
The classic alternative: The Latest Yorker
Ask any person on the road to call a magazine, and there’s a great probability their first answer might be The Latest Yorker — well, possibly after Sports Illustrated and Playboy.
But unlike the latter two, this Latest York-based weekly is widely considered the epitome of long-form journalism, and rightfully so. That is the publication that printed John Hersey’s landmark “Hiroshima,” Seymour M. Hersh’s investigation of the sadistic torture of Iraqi prisoners in U.S. captivity and Ronan Farrow’s sweeping exposé of sexual misconduct in Hollywood.
A number of the most consequential journalism of the century can call The Latest Yorker home.
That’s all well and good, but in all honesty, I’m undecided how much the typical USC student goes to enjoy this magazine. At times, it will probably feel slightly high brow, and there’s nothing particularly concise about this publication. Sitting all the way down to read The Latest Yorker is like sitting all the way down to read a book, and I’m not convinced that the typical college student is searching for that.
Now, I’m aware that that is kind of like a budding art student saying that the “Mona Lisa” is overrated, but I genuinely don’t think that that is the very best magazine for a West Coast university student to subscribe to, assuming that student only has the budget to subscribe to at least one or two magazines.
Personally, I quite enjoy reading The Latest Yorker, nevertheless it’s definitely certainly one of my less utilized subscriptions.
Another notes: The Latest Yorker’s humor section is unrivaled in its hilarity, and I appreciate the poetry and fiction sections. Its print layout is clean, minimal and undistracting, unlike most other magazines. You’ll also get a cool tote bag — that literally everybody else seems to have. The crosswords are too hard for me.
The present student rate is $49.99 for annual digital-only access, and $89.99 (with no student discount) for annual print and digital access. Three-month subscriptions are also offered.
The news-y alternative: The Atlantic
For those who meet the next criteria, you’ll probably enjoy The Atlantic: (1) You already somewhat often read The Latest York Times, (2) you don’t wish to read pieces which are so long as The Latest Yorker’s and (3) you’re a liberal.
This magazine is pretty heavy on those “news-adjacent” stories and commentary, which are sometimes long enough that you simply’re actually learning something, but short enough that you can read one during your lunch break in between classes.
The Atlantic’s suite of newsletters is the very best of all of the magazines on the list, although the publication only mails print copies ten times a yr if that makes any difference to you.
That said, I’ve definitely read more bad — like, really bad — pieces on this publication than I even have in any of the opposite magazines on this list. At its best, The Atlantic publishes thoughtful and balanced commentary. At its worst, it will probably feel like liberals screaming into the void or simply plain silly.
Still, the more concise and news-y format of The Atlantic serves as a great bridge for any regular newspaper reader trying to get into magazines. Just know that in the event you’re not all that into politics, this probably isn’t where your money is best spent — its culture and tech sections aren’t quite as robust as many others on this list.
The present student rate is $34.99 for annual digital access, and $39.99 for annual print and digital access. No monthly subscription is obtainable.
The in-between alternative: Latest York
If I could only read one magazine ever again, it could probably be Latest York — to not be confused with The Latest Yorker or The Latest York Times. The magazine is split into six different publications: Intelligencer, The Cut, Vulture, The Strategist, Curbed and Grub Street.
Each covers its own topic area — politics, style, culture, food, etc. — a system which I find somewhat confusing, but am willing to stomach because I just like the content.
I’ve found Intelligencer’s political coverage to be the suitable mix between The Atlantic and The Latest Yorker when it comes to length, voice and angle. Truthfully, The Strategist is the one other section I read from, and that’s only when I need to meticulously fret over, say, the 13 best wool socks to purchase or the very best gifts to purchase for each dad at every price point.
Style, culture and food reporting don’t particularly interest me, but I even have a sneaking suspicion that loads of college students will appreciate the broad range of topics in Latest York.
This magazine prints bi-weekly which is an ideal time interval for me, though I do the majority of my reading online through its so-so suite of newsletters. The hilarious “Approval Matrix” alone is likely to be a great reason to subscribe, and the crossword is my favorite of all these magazines — though it will probably sometimes feel very specific to Latest York, a city and state which I’ve never stepped foot in.
As a side note, my Latest York tote bag is my favorite amongst all these magazines.
The present rate is $50 for annual digital access, and $70 for annual print and digital access. No student discount is obtainable, though monthly digital subscriptions are.
The nerdy alternative: WIRED
Perhaps politics and culture don’t particularly interest you, or possibly you’re just really into tech and science. Either way, WIRED is the method to go.
The magazine is kind of like a print version of the tech YouTubers I used to religiously watch in my freshman yr of highschool, and is certainly one of my most-read subscriptions — second only to Latest York.
WIRED offers a solid range of newsletters, and I often find myself reading its particularly clever coverage of artificial intelligence technologies. The magazine also has a great range of product reviews akin to The Strategist, which I appreciate on occasion.
If I could only ever read from one magazine again, it probably wouldn’t be WIRED, but its typically shorter pieces on more novel topics are an admittedly nice break from the politics and profiles of more “serious” magazines.
The publication prints 10 times a yr, though I truthfully wouldn’t trouble with a print subscription — it looks nice, nevertheless it’s quite ad-heavy and the content tends to be shorter, so I don’t mind reading even the long(er) stuff online.
The present student rate is $5 for each annual digital-only and annual print and digital access.
The *different* (or Texas) alternative: Texas Monthly
Here’s the curveball read: I’ve never even flown over the Lone Star State, nor do I plan to any time within the near future. But Texas Monthly produces a few of the very best journalism I’ve read.
The magazine publishes the identical type of thorough profiles that The Latest Yorker does alongside political commentary just like The Atlantic. The one difference is that just about all its journalism is inside the context of Texas, unlike the opposite general-interest magazines on this list which often write with a national slant — though, granted, those are likely to skew East Coast when it comes to general worldview.
Still, Texas is the second-most populous state within the U.S. behind California, and stories inside the state might be harbingers of broader national trends.
Texas Monthly tends to feel more down-to-earth than the East Coast publications, and it also seems like it’s meant for an audience barely broader than the narrow spectrum of college-educated readers that the majority other magazines cater to; it’s great journalism.
I should note that I’m not particularly keen on the very ad-heavy monthly print copies, but your student email address should find a way to get you a print and digital subscription for a similar price as a digital-only pass which doesn’t have a student discount option.
The present rate is $15 for annual digital-only access, but students can get an annual print and digital subscription for a similar price. Monthly digital subscriptions are offered.
