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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at U Mass Amherst chapter.

At the beginning of my junior year, I wrote an article about my goals for the year ahead. Now, as my junior year has come to a close, I wanted to reflect on that article and see whether or not I reached those goals. My three goals were to learn how to grocery shop, improve my time management skills, and meet new people and try new things. Here’s how I did:

1. Learn how to grocery shop

I don’t think I’m a grocery-shopping professional just yet, but I have definitely improved a lot since the start of this year. Although I’ve always liked to cook, I used to dread grocery shopping. Everything about it was overwhelming to me. Not knowing the setups of stores, having to work my way through packed aisles, and trying to figure out a week’s worth of meals in one trip were difficult for me. However, as the weeks went on, I began to enjoy grocery shopping more and more. Now I know where everything I need is, and I come prepared with a list that will get me through the week. Grocery shopping is a task I look forward to doing now, and I never would have expected that. 

2. Improve my time management skills

Truthfully, I was never really bad with time management. I have always used planners extensively, and I was good at planning my schedule. However, I am still really glad I continued to work on it this year. Junior year was by far my busiest year of college yet. There were days when I had to come up with schedules down to the minute. Between school, clubs, work, and friends, I needed to become a pro at time management this year. I’m really proud of what I was able to accomplish and how I was able to stay on top of my schoolwork no matter how packed my schedule became. 

3. Meet new people and try new things

I definitely accomplished this goal. This year was by far my most eventful year of college so far. I got to travel to new countries, go to concerts (both local and in Boston and New York), and do so many different activities with friends. Although I went through some very hard times this year, I can still look back and say it was successful. I’m proud of myself for pushing through regardless and looking for the fun in things even when I wasn’t having a great day. 

Harry Styles Love On Tour Boston Show
Original photo by Elizabeth Tait

Overall, my junior year was transformative. I feel like I’m coming out of it a completely different person compared to who I was going into it. I’m thankful for this year, and I’m hoping that my senior year is even better!

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Brynn Geary

U Mass Amherst '24

Brynn is a senior and a communication and sociology major at UMass Amherst. Aside from writing, Brynn spends most of her time dancing, going to concerts and searching for the perfect iced oat milk latte.