Bryant University Top Questions

To say in a few words what my opinion of Bryant University is, I would have to call it home. While for some people the very small size would be on their “con” list, for me and many of my peers, the small size gives it an incredible community feel and easy to call home. The best thing about Bryant is how friendly and helpful the community is as a whole. Professors are approachable and always around for extra help. Facilities workers and all other employees at Bryant are also so friendly and helpful and make this school an amazing place to be. There’s no question that the reason for so many great attitudes on campus is the influence of an amazing leader, President Ron Machtley, who has undoubtedly made Bryant the well-known school it is today. While Bryant may not be well known to those who live outside the Northeast it is quickly becoming a nationally known school within the last few years. Bryant has reached the Top Ten list of best Business Schools in the country and has been gaining name recognition through the many titles athletics have been winning at the Division One level. When telling someone I attend Bryant the reaction is always one of being impressed. Most students’ main complaint about campus is the food. Being such a small campus there are limited food options but the school has made many improvements in the past year and they are continuing to do so.

Bryant is an easy school to love. For one, the campus is absolutely astonishing. The close vicinity of all the buildings make getting around the campus a breeze. Classes are smaller allowing for more individual attention, technology is abundant so students have a variety of resources for various projects and the faculty/staff always have a smile on their face.

Having been homeschooled K-12 and traveled my entire life, it took me a while to adjust to the Bryant “culture,” but as a senior looking back over the past four years, I can honestly say that in my experience the good has far outweighed the challenges. Some things I’ve always loved about Bryant include: the incredibly dedicated & supportive faculty/staff, the gorgeous campus, and the world-class International Business program, to name just a few. There are drawbacks to being a small, residential school – it can feel a little high school-ish and it’s easy to get cabin fever, for example – but all in all, I think it’s an important part of the Bryant experience (by senior year you feel like you know everyone; the sense of community is great). And despite the fact that Smithfield is sort of in the middle of nowhere, it is really easy to get to all of the major cities in the Northeast with public transportation (Providence is 20 minutes away from campus, Boston is 45 minutes away, and NYC is about 3-4 hours away), which is helpful when you need a change of scenery. I’d say that Bryant is fairly well-known in New England, but unless they know someone who went here, no one’s ever heard of it outside of the Northeast (I can’t count the number of times my friends have said, “Oh yeah, you go to school in New York, right?”). That being said, the school’s reputation and recognition is improving all the time, as is school pride. I recently heard and alumnus remark that when he first graduated from Bryant (10-15 years ago), he would mumble when anyone asked him where he went to school, but today he says it loud and proud. That statement really sums up the positive changes the school has made, and continues to make all the time.

Bryant as a whole is a great place to grow as an adult. Some of the best parts about the school are: the small size making the community a very close knit one expanding to relationships with professors and the president, and the overall drive for success by the entire community. These factors can also be taken negatively by some. If you prefer a big school, with highly attended sporting events, then you probably will not be satisfied with Bryant. While the students here have tremendous school pride, it is not a UCONN. The thing that makes Bryant stand apart from other Business Colleges is the International Business Program, which is in fact the reason I chose to study here. Bryant provides students with the option of getting a Bachelor of Science in International Business with concentrations in Accounting, Computer Information Systems, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Management or Marketing. Bryant is also unique in its requirement of having a degree in both the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Business. If you minor in one, you major in the other. This helps students to attain a well rounded education. All in all Bryant's mission statement of defining "The Character of Success" does a great job at defining the campus as a whole. No matter what your choice of studies, Bryant set's all students in the direction of attaining a successful future.