This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.
Meet Brittaney Lynch–former President of Her Campus at UMass Amherst. Brittaney graduated last year and has since moved far away with her best friend and landed an incredible job (so you can see why we wanted to pick her brain). We asked Brittaney about her time at UMass and what post-grad life is really like.
HC: Can you tell us a bit about what you’re doing in the big bad adult world?
BL: The transition from college to real life has been quite the wild ride! Since graduating last May, I moved from my hometown in Massachusetts to explore the big city of Chicago. About a month into moving here (yes, I moved without already having a job. Scariest thing I’ve ever done!) I landed a job as a Marketing & Sales Coordinator at Ragan Communications, a publisher and event company well known in the corporate communications industry. I am living with my best friend (a dream we’ve had since we were in high school together!). Overall, I am just enjoying being able to explore and learn more about Chicago. I’m happy to say that I’ve met some amazing people, seen some very cool things and I continue to learn something new almost every day! Definitely not all fun though! My most recent learning experiences: insurance and taxes. I have a headache just thinking about it.
HC: What’s one thing you wish you had known in college?
BL: I wish I had known how simple it actually was at the time. I remember thinking that I had a lot on my plate but I didn’t actually really know what busy was until now. I’m sure I’ll be saying the same thing 10 years from now about my life currently, but let’s just say that I should have appreciated that one class I had on Friday at 8:00AM senior year more than I did!
HC: What do you miss most about UMass?
BL: I miss the predictability. I went from having a set plan for 22 years, knowing what my next step was 6 months from where I was, or even where I’d be that Friday night, to barely knowing what the future holds at all. It became a little nerve wracking. I miss the accessibility of my friends and just being part of a community that shares a similar, relatable stage in life.
HC: Have you been able to apply any of the skills you learned in Her Campus to postgraduate life?
BL: With Her Campus, I was juggling multiple things at once. I went from planning important talking points for a meeting to running downtown to secure an event space. It taught me how to prioritize my time with a lot going on–a skill that has been essential in my role at Ragan. At Ragan, I’ll be reviewing editorial content one minute and then the next I’ll be focused on the checklist of a totally separate conference coming up.
HC: Any advice for seniors as they head into their last semester?
BL: Don’t panic. It’s easier said than done, and trust me, my roommates will agree when I say that I had a couple emotional breakdowns when it got closer to graduation. The next life step works out differently for everyone, but it works out. My friends and I all went in different directions but those directions have worked out for each of us uniquely. And it is okay to take time to reflect on yourself and what you want. I actually think that it’s necessary to take time to figure this out, otherwise you get wrapped up in the work lifestyle and you forget to do things that you enjoy, the things that make you, you.
HC: If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
BL: I am starting to learn that it’s not about where I live but who I’m with and what family or friends live close to me. I could be living in a penthouse in New York and have my dream job, but if I am by myself without easy access to some sort of support system, I might as well be living in a shack somewhere. That’s why I’m thankful to currently be living with my best friend!
All photos courtesy of Brittaney Lynch