As a college student, you can use Twitter to access a great deal of information quickly. This information will help you stay informed about what is going on around your campus, in your hometown and throughout the world. It can also help you prepare for your future career.

Twitter is a social networking website that allows users to post short bits of information. The term “tweet” is used both to describe the act of posting the information and posting itself. You can follow other users to have easy access to their tweets. A listing of the tweets of the users you follow will appear in your Twitter feed. Because tweets are always short (Tweets cannot contain more than 140 characters), you can scan a long list quickly and glean information from those who you follow. Many tweets contain an embedded Web link where you can read additional information about that particular tweet.

There are specific types of organizations and people who college students should consider following. Below is a list of types of users to consider following:

Your College

Show your school spirit and learn about what’s happening at your college by following an official Twitter account for your college.

Your College’s Student Newspaper

Discover the latest news about your college and fellow students by following the student paper.

Local Newspapers

Keep up with latest news in your hometown while you are away by following the town’s local newspaper. For additional information about your college and current area, follow the local newspaper of the town where you college is located. Also, if you have a place in mind you would like to move to after graduation, follow a newspaper in that area as well to keep up with what is happening in that town. Not only will this give you information about the place you intend to live, but it will also give you something to discuss during your job interviews there.

National News Organization

Stay informed about important events going on in your country and around the world by following a national news organization, such as CNN. In addition, if you want even more information about different areas of the world, you may also want to follow an international news organization.

Professional Organization

Keep up to date with your intended profession by following a professional organization in your field. For example, if you are an aspiring physical therapist, you may want to follow the American Physical Therapy Association. In addition, you may want to follow prominent professionals or companies in your career field, your academic department, and your professors.

Career Advice Site

If your career services office uses Twitter, follow it to get advice you will need to prepare for your future job search and to stay informed about events being held by the office, such as workshops or job fairs. If your career services office does not use Twitter, it may be helpful to follow another college’s career services office, such as the University of Pennsylvania’s Career Service Office or a job search website, such as CareerBuilder to get advice that will help you be ready to apply for jobs when the time comes.

Educational Information

Follow a site tweeting educational information that will help you in the future or that you find interesting. There are many organizations that will help you learn a lot of interesting and helpful bits of information. For example, you may want to follow a science site, such as Scientific American to keep informed about the latest scientific research. Or to improve your vocabulary, you may want to find a group that tweets words and their definitions, such as Merriam Webster. Find the site that is right for you.


Twitter can be a great learning tool for you as a college student. Use the suggestions above to find useful information to stay informed about the latest news and prepare for your future career.