Alright, here is the complete break down of Bryant based on my 3 semesters of experience there before I transferred out. I'll try and organize topic by topic so here it goes:Food: Meals are so-so in the Salmo cafeteria. Basically your typical average college type food although I have ate and heard of much worse at other schools. They tend to serve the same meals pretty much everyday and considering that the quality isn't that good--it becomes to get very monotonous and boring. With that in mind, you have the option of going to the Bryant Center which has a couple of places to eat--mainly just one deli/grill that sells salads and very greasy burgers and things of that nature. There is also a pizza store in one of the main halls called Ronzios which is alright for the first couple of times but to a person coming from the NY/Jersey area like myself, its certainly nothing to rave about especially the prices which get to be very ridiculous after some time. Just a warning this IS a "bubble" school, meaning unless you don't have a car accessible to you there is no way you will be able to walk anywhere within a reasonable distance to get food.
Academics: Throughout my time as an Accounting major, all I can say is, it is 50/50 concerning the quality of teachers and the education they provide. Being that I only attended for 3 semesters, I can't really say much about any core classes since all I was taking at the time were my Gen Ed requirements. A plus: It's a small school so it was more likely than not that the teachers seemed to be pretty approachable/accessible, friendly, and helpful in that regard. I'd say the course load is average--nothing too easy yet definitely manageable. Bryant has somewhat of a reputable name among employers as students/Bryant claims they get jobs right after graduating but I cannot, at the very least, refer to anything about its academics as being something of exceptional quality.
Dorm Life/Living: As far as this area goes, I was for the most part impressed. This school is partially run on a suite-style system with each suite containing about 3-4,
2-person rooms. The suite also comes with a common room where you can hang out as well as a decent sized bathroom with usually 2 toilets and 1 shower. Some other halls are your more common type dorm rooms, particularly for freshmen,
where they have 3-4 people per room except I must say they were very spacious. For seniors, all of the senior housing is located on campus which are also nice. The campus is small so walking to and from class even from a senior housing apt is not a problem.
Social Life: Alright, here we go, I'll try not get too biased since this was one of the primary reasons why I left Bryant, but it can get ugly. To put it simply, Bryant's social life flat-out BLOWS. Disregarding "Around the World" during the opening weekend of school and "Spring Weekend" during one of the last few weeks of school (which both in my opinion were nothing to brag about but I guess in comparison to the rest of the year I can see how it could be good to some students), there is absolutely nothing to do on campus. Unless you have a fake or are 21 and older then going into providence is an option, and surprisingly there is a random bar within reasonable walking distance right outside of Bryant although I heard it gets very crowded during prime times, but if you are underage and are stuck on campus, which most likely you will be considering it's a "bubble school," then shit will be boring as hell. Every weekend will be the same lame bullshit for practically all year long with nothing fun to do besides drinking with a bunch of dudes/your roommates and jerking each other off in the suite. The senior housing or "town houses" as they call it are just about deserted every weekend and are usually invite only but they suck anyway so even if you got in it wouldn't make much of a difference in terms of good partying and having fun. Frats/Sororities consist of a bunch of d-bag jocks and chubby, skanky cunts throwing the same lame ass parties in their "frat houses" (really townhouses) as the rest. Invite only and if u do happen to get in--they're beat anyhow. Overall, Greek Life is very lame and is so small that it is almost non-existent at this school. If paying for friends and popularity is your thing then by all means go join. It wouldn't be right to totally shun away the Greek life though because maybe it's just something to do in this god awful hell hole of a social scene Bryant has to offer. I mention the word lame a lot because quite honestly there is no better word to describe how it is.
Student Body: I don't know if it was a series of coincidences but it seemed like every class I took--the guy:girl ratio was disturbingly unproportionate. There seriously was always 20+ guys in the classroom with only 4 girls, which I don't understand why that is. Last time I checked, the guy:girl ratio statistic didn't seem to match up correctly. Now, being that this school is very small, it can get pretty clique-ey very fast. If you go as a freshman, try and make friends with other students asap or else if you wait too long, it'll slowly become harder and harder to fit yourself into an already established clique--making you feel like an outsider and just a person who is more or less an "acquaintance." That is the down side to the suite system--cliques are formed more tightly because of this, due to the option of rooming with the members in your clique for the rest of your college career. It literally seems like high school all over again, and if you are looking for a genuine college atmosphere then surely Bryant is not for you. I found a minority of the people here to be friendly and open whereas the majority to be the complete opposite--just cold people.
Sports: D1 school except hardly anybody goes to the games. School spirit is lacking for the most part. Most students could care less about this school, which is very understandable.
**FYI: Although this isn't considered a commuter or "backpack school," I find it very common for many students to go home on the weekends--probably because there is nothing do around here. A majority of the student body lives within the surrounding areas of the school, also in MA and CT, which makes it easy for them to go home. If you are a far out-of-stater and don't have the option of going home, then be forewarned of the desertedness you will come across on the weekends. The feeling of isolation can be profound at times so don't say I never told you so.
**If you don't have a car to get around, Bryant does offer their own convenient and reliable transportation service which takes you to a nearby shopping outlet that has a grocery store. There is also the RIPTA, the state's bus service, which takes you to other, more distant places such as providence and those areas. Additionally, you can take a taxi service wherever you wish although they are pricey.
So here you have it. Of course this is only subjective to my past experience here and it could without a doubt be totally different for those of you who decide to come to Bryant. I feel like I can write an essay on Bryant alone but it would be too long as I don't have the patience to do so. Best of luck with your college decisions!
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