Bryant featured in 2010 edition of Princeton Review’s “The Best 371 Colleges”

Students cite Bryant’s ‘excellent’ career center, ‘always available’ professors, and ‘beautiful’ campus.

Bryant is one of the nation’s best institutions for undergraduate education, according to the 2010 edition of the Princeton Review’s “The Best 371 Colleges.” Only about 15 percent of America’s 2,500 four-year colleges and two Canadian colleges are profiled in the annual publication. (Read Bryant's profile.)

The rankings are based on the Princeton Review’s survey of 122,000 students – an average of 325 per campus – attending the schools featured in the book. The 80-question survey asks students to rate their schools on a variety of topics from professors and administrators to financial aid and campus food.

In the survey Bryant students wrote, ‘great library,’ ‘school is well run,’ and ‘the campus feels safe,’ and The Princeton Review lauded Bryant’s academic programs.

“Students attending Bryant will receive a strong education that integrates business and the arts and sciences.”

Bryant’s inclusion in “The Best 371 Colleges” is one of the recent accolades for the University. In the spring, Bryant was ranked among the top schools by BusinessWeek in the magazine’s 2009 rankings of the top undergraduate business programs in the country. In January, the University was also reaccredited by AACSB International – a distinction earned by fewer than five percent of business schools worldwide.

Bryant experience

The two-page Princeton Review profile notes Bryant’s academic programs have earned the University a reputation as an institution where academics meet the real world. All students take part in a service learning project in which they work with local and international nonprofit organizations to help them run more efficiently and effectively.

In January, a group of students attended the historic inauguration of President Barack Obama. This summer, Chris Brida ’12 (Southampton, MA) spent a week learning about global social issues at the Oxfam America CHANGE Conference.

Bryant students, say their classmates share ‘similar goals and objectives’ and are ‘hardworking and diligent,’ the profile says.

Chairman of the Bryant Board of Trustees Mike Fisher, Bryant President Ron Machtley, and representatives from Target congratulate the winning team of the Spring 2009 Target Case Competition.

Students also take part in programs where they pitch ideas to business executives including the Target Case Competition, the B-School Business Case Competition, and the Elevator Pitch Competition.

As evidence of their commitment to academic excellence, Bryant seniors majoring in business placed in the 83rd percentile of the standardized Major Field Test in Business, which measures functional areas such as management, finance, and information systems.

Outside of the classroom, students are ‘very involved’ in ‘massive amounts of extracurriculars’, the profile says. More than 56 percent of students are involved in 80 student clubs. Groups such as Students in Free Enterprise and the Collegiate Entrepreneurs’ Organization have been recognized as top chapters in the country.

Creating opportunities

Students say professors are ‘always available,’ ‘obsessed with their jobs,’ and ‘good at teaching but even better at providing real working knowledge and examples.’ Bryant’s professors are noted experts in their field.

Bryant finance professors Cary Collins and Peter Nigro, both former executives with the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, have led programs this year discussing the volatile financial markets. Trustee Professor of Management Mike Roberto, a best-selling author, is a much sought after consultant.

Sandra Enos, associate professor of sociology, is a leading expert on child welfare and the history of orphanages in Rhode Island. Communications Professor Stanley Baran is the author of the leading textbook on communication theory.

Students also said that Bryant’s administrators are ‘very friendly’ and ‘approachable.’

Each year hundred of Bryant students have the opportunity to interact with employers at the Career Fair sponsored by the Amica Center for Career Education.

Students praised the work of the Amica Center for Career Education. The ‘excellent’ career center offers ‘a ton of personalized services,’ the profile said. “During the interview session, I had interviews every day, which led to second interviews, which led to multiple job offers,” wrote an accounting major.

Internship and job placement are ‘very high,’ thanks to a loyal alumni base, the profile continued. “You will benefit from the precious connections in the corporate world offered through Bryant’s career services,” the Princeton Review wrote.

Students also raved about Bryant’s cutting-edge campus technologies. Each first-year student receives a laptop when he or she arrives on campus. Finance students can simulate the Wall Street experience by working in the C.V. Starr Financial Markets Center, and communication students have access to the equipment that professionals use in the Communications Complex.