How PRLab Prepares Students for Agency Life

By: Jiangzhou Shi, Account Supervisor

If I had to describe PRLab in one sentence, it’s probably the closest thing to real agency life you can experience while still being a student. Before joining, I thought PR was mostly about writing and creativity. However, PRLab showed me that it’s also about structure, problem-solving, and learning how to work with real clients who don’t always operate on a perfect timeline.

Learning to communicate with real clients

One of the biggest ways PRLab prepares you for agency life is through real client communication. You’re not just working on hypothetical campaigns; Instead, you’re emailing real clients, leading meetings, and presenting actual deliverables. That means you quickly learn how to write in a professional manner, follow up without sounding pushy, and adjust your tone depending on the situation. Sometimes a client responds immediately, and sometimes they don’t reply at all. Learning how to navigate both situations is something no textbook really teaches you, but PRLab forces you to figure it out.

Time Management is the key

Another major aspect is time management. When working in PRLab, you’re usually balancing multiple responsibilities at once, such as internal meetings, client meetings, deliverables, and sometimes even last-minute requests. Deadlines are real, and they really matter. For example, things like agenda emails, recap emails, and activity reports all have to be sent on time, often before a specific hour. It sounds simple, but consistently meeting these expectations builds a level of discipline that directly translates to agency work.

Learning how to work in a team

Teamwork is also a huge part of the experience. At PRLab, you’re part of a team with different roles, like Account Executives and Account Supervisors, and everyone depends on each other. You learn how to divide tasks efficiently, give feedback, and step in when something isn’t getting done. At the same time, you also learn that not everyone works at the same pace or style, so communication becomes key. Figuring out how to keep everyone aligned without micromanaging is something I didn’t expect to learn so early, but it’s incredibly valuable.

Thinking beyond just creativity

PRLab also teaches you how to think strategically, not just creatively. It’s easy to come up with “fun ideas,” but in PRLab, every idea has to tie back to a goal, such as increasing engagement, building brand awareness, or securing media coverage. For example, you’re constantly measuring how each piece of content contributes to an objective using metrics such as engagement rates, conversions, or donation amounts. That shift from just making content to thinking about impact is a big step toward agency-level thinking.

Getting comfortable with uncertainty

Another thing that stands out is how PRLab exposes you to unpredictability. Sometimes, the scope of work changes, clients reschedule, feedback gets delayed, and you have to pivot quickly. It can be frustrating, but it also prepares you for working in an agency. Learning how to stay flexible while still moving your work forward is one of the most practical skills you can gain.

Overall, at PRLab, you will learn by doing, by making mistakes, and by figuring things out in real time. By the time you leave PRLab, you’re not just familiar with agency life; Instead, you’ve already experienced a version of it.

---

About the Author:

My name is Jiangzhou Shi. This is my third year at Boston University, majoring in PR, and I will be graduating this summer. I’m an account supervisor for Aaron’s Presents and Tadpole at PRLab, and I previously worked as an account executive for Aaron’s Presents. In my free time, I enjoy photography and reading.