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Total Students: 762 |
Resident Students: 730 |
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Men: 59.1 percent |
Women: 40.9 percent |
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Multicultural: 11.4 percent |
International: 7.1 percent |
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Avg. SAT: 1144 |
Avg. GPA: 3.37 |
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Class Rank: Top 24 percent |
On Saturday, the remaining members of the Class of 2013 move into the residence halls in anticipation of beginning classes on Tuesday. Over the weekend, every first-year student will take part in the Bryant Experience designed to ease the the transition to college life.
Some of the first-year students will blog about their experiences saying good-bye to their parents, meeting their classmates, and preparing for their first college classes.
Here is what they had to say...
Sara Larrabee | Stacey Kalivas | Donald Mendenhall | Manie Morales
Sara Larrabee ’13 (Cranston, RI) Communications
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Waking up for another year of school at 6:30 this morning was not fun by any means, but it was special because it was the first day of school as a Bryant Bulldog student!
As I walked to class in the cold damp morning air, Bryant was full of life and everyone seemed to be in the same boat. I realized then, that this was what I pictured my college campus to look like; green and flowering walkways, beautiful flowers, brick walkways, great buildings, and hundreds of bustling students walking in every which direction. Now I that I am here at Bryant, I feel at home and extremely satisfied with my choice.
Classes went by surprisingly fast, the hallways were crowded, and yes there is homework to still be done, but I say the first day of school was a success. I am still meeting new people, classmates, and teachers, and getting to know everyone much better.
I love the new laptops, and I cannot wait for all the festivities that are coming this weekend, Welcome Weekend as it is called, and there is just so much to say about all the great things at Bryant. I must add that the food in Salmo (dining hall) has been pretty impressive and very, very delicious, especially their spaghetti and meatballs, yummm.
-SL
Monday, September 7
Well, today was a big day because every freshman received their new laptops!! Also, today is the first full day with all Bryant students on campus. Yesterday was yet another full day of move-ins and meeting all new people. I can't wait to start classes, although I’m not looking forward to the inevitable homework assignments.
The Bryant Bulldog Football team was victorious on Saturday in the very hot sunshine, but everyone was there to cheer them on. I look forward to many more athletic games and showing my Bulldog pride. The amount of pride that every student has here is truly inspiring and makes me feel very welcome to be part of the newest round of Bulldogs to get acquainted with the campus.
Members of the Class of 2013 settled into their residence halls over the weekend.
My newest friends and I are just hanging around my dorm room, and we might take the BTA bus into Lincoln mall to grab some food to stuff our fridge with for later, and to just take advantage of the services Bryant offers to its students. Also, we thought it might be a good idea to find our classrooms for tomorrow so we don't look like complete freshmen! I start bright and early at 8 a.m. tomorrow, so I certainly won't be out late tonight, but we'll see how it goes.
This weekend and this whole experience has already flown by. I can only imagine how fast the weeks and semesters and years are going to fly by. But hopefully I will make tons of friends and will have a good time while still concentrating on becoming a newscaster in the future.
I do miss my family, but they are close by if I ever do need them. I think everyone here is making the transition very well. Plus, if I ever needed anything, there are so many services and people who would be willing to help me. I love it here and I look forward to many more happy times!
-SL
Saturday, September 5
“Leaving home was more stressful and emotional than I had planned. The night before move-in, as I sat by the fire pit with my family getting bit by mosquitoes, it all hit me that I would be leaving the comfort of my home.
I cried, which made my mom cry, and at last my sister joined in the festivities. I really didn't think moving to college was going to affect me, but I guessed wrong. No matter what you think, there is no doubt that moving out is emotional.
“I didn't have a long trip this morning only coming from Cranston, RI. When I arrived, everyone was wide awake and cheery, just as I remembered back at the June Orientation. There were cones lining the driveways which made travel easier, way more organized, and, the whole process, much less stressful. It was actually fun to move in!! The football players were so helpful, especially number 84 (Elliott Sulkis ’13 (Wayland, MD)) who carried my whole trunk full of clothes right into my room.
It's a tradition at Bryant for President Machtley and First Lady Kati Machtley to help students on Move-In Weekend.
“My roommate and I are already like soul sisters, and we left our door open all morning and were both surprised when people kept popping their heads in and complimenting our room! Everyone here is just so friendly, and always willing to lend a hand or give a piece of advice.
“We don't get our laptops until Monday, so I have to write in the library, but the facilities are great and always accessible, so I think I will be using the library very often this year. Now I'm off to cheer the Bulldog Football team to victory, then socializing at the block party tonight, and off to sleep. So far so good here at Bryant University!”
-SL
Stacey Kalivas ’13 (Millis, MA) Communication
Monday, September 7
WE GOT OUR LAPTOPS TODAY!!!!!!! I am very happy to have my laptop! As much as I was dreading the information session we had to attend, it was actually really informative and helpful.
After the session, I had some down-time, so I went back to my room and played around with my laptop. I also called my mom, just to say hi and let her know how everything is going.
So far, I'm not homesick. I just feel so comfortable and safe here. I really do feel as I ended up at the right school for me, because if I hadn't, I think I'd be missing home and my family.
-SK
Sunday, September 6
Breakfast was so cool - I got to make my own Belgium waffle I love waffles! Then some upperclassman put on a skit called "When a Kiss Isn't Just a Kiss." I'm glad we saw a skit about unwanted sex and bad decisions. Plus, the skit was funny and so were some of the conversations which followed the skit in an open discussion.
Later on, the President and his wife hosted a dinner at their home for the Class of 2013. It was a little chilly outside, so a few of us left early.
Its sounds crazy, but I've meet a lot of really nice, cool people. A group of us have started to bond!
Members of the Class of 2013 spent the weekend getting to know each other.
The comedian was AMAZING! He was so funny. It’s nice to get a chance to just have fun and laugh before school starts. The comedian was followed by BINGO. What an INTENSE few rounds that was! We were playing for prizes like a Tiffany's necklace and a digital camera! A couple of times there were multiple BINGOs, which resulted in dance-offs. It was just such a fun night.
I'm really excited to start classes and meet more people.
-SK
Saturday, September 5
I was so nervous the whole week about today. But when I woke up, I felt fine and kind of excited! The drive down was easy, and once we arrived at Bryant, there were tons of signs and people explaining where to go and how to proceed with the moving-in process. Getting my stuff from the car to the room took a few trips but some of the upper classman and football players helped bring the heavier items up for us, which was really nice and helpful.
Not long after moving in on Saturday, members of the Class of 2013 cheered on the Bulldogs to a win in their season opener.
After I said bye to my mom, I headed off to the football game with my roommate and a few girls I had met at orientation and stayed in touch with. (Orientation was definitely worth attending! It was a nice way to get to know a few people before you actually move in.)
There were so many activities planned throughout the day, including a block party at night. The block party was my favorite event so far. There were so many fun activities planned out, including moon bounces, a dunk tank, and decorating flower pots. I felt comfortable and relaxed and got to know a lot of people.
-SK
Donald Mendenhall ’13 (North Andover, MA) International Business
Monday, September 7
Reality is finally setting in as we are on the eve of attending our first classes here at Bryant University. Tomorrow is going to be interesting for me not only because it's my first day of classes in college, but because I have five of them all pretty much grouped together.
It's exciting to finally get things rolling along and start to really experience why we are here at Bryant! I am looking forward to meeting all my new professors and experiencing all their different, distinct teaching styles.
I am nervous, but I also feel prepared. I attended a pretty strict and academically rigorous high school with lots of work, but I also had a fair amount of free time, which translates basically to life on a college campus. I feel my high school did prepare me well for college and I guess I'll find out tomorrow if that holds true as I enter into my Foundations for Learning class at 8:30 a.m.
-DM
Sunday, September 6
Now that my second day is complete at Bryant, I'm feeling a lot more acclimated to the campus. I know where more things are on campus, the times buildings and services are opened and closed, and I just feel more at home here.
Even though I'm more familiar with my surroundings, classes haven't started yet and because of that my first two days here feel like I'm at some camp and only have a couple days until I get picked up by my parents and go home to my routine life.
On Tuesday, members of the Class of 2013 take their first classes at Bryant.
In a small group session today we played a game where a student said he was from Rhode Island and if you were as well, you had to move to a different group. No one moved because no one grew up in Rhode Island. Our group leader Rachael (Rachael Karpman ’11 (Hampton, NH)) hit us with a reality check and told us everyone in this room lives in Rhode Island now. At that point, everyone looked at each other realizing that we are at Bryant University living in Rhode Island.
Overall, day two of our first weekend was great, and I can't wait for more life changing experiences to come.
-DM
Saturday, September 5
“So far this whole experience, from when I woke up this morning at 6 a.m. to saying goodbye to my mom around five this afternoon, has been surreal. I have been waiting for this moment for awhile and I'm surprised it came so quickly.
This week, members of the Class of 2013 begin their Bryant careers by moving into the the residence halls.
“My high school career was over May 1, and I have been so anxious for this day to finally arrive. It's definitely going to be an adjustment for me from my home life and familiar territory to Bryant University, which offers a whole new setting and way of life. My favorite part so far has to be going to my first college football game.
“It still hasn't hit me that I'm actually in college but I'm sure it will as the year starts to roll on and the workload piles up. Bryant University is a completely new experience and I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead.”
-DM
Manie Morales '13 (Oceanside, CA) International Business
Wednesday, September 2
"After having a pretty calm first day, I was pretty excited to actually get into the swing of things. Although, apparently I’d had too much fun the night before because I ended up sleeping in a little bit too late (but my other new friends slept in late too, so it was OK).
"We ended up coming to breakfast super late and only had a few minutes to scarf down our meals before a session about Stress & Balance started. It was pretty interesting because I found out (via a test) that I’m actually more stressed out than I thought. I need to relax more but I don’t really see that happening.
"The next session were conversations by gender, where we got to learn about where people came from and a little bit about their past. Then lunch, and after that we had a session with PricewaterhouseCoopers, which I had never heard of before. Not much of it applied to me since I’m not an accounting concentrator, but I did learn about an internship program that applies to more concentrations than accounting that I might want to pursue. After that session, I’m definitely going to try hunting for internships sooner rather than later because it seems it will be super competitive.
"The ropes course came next. We all went off campus and it was pretty fun playing the games and talking to people I hadn’t met yet, but I was not a fan of the mosquitos out in the woods.
"Around six we came back to Bryant and had dinner, which was very good. Later on there was an ice cream social, but I skipped it to keep my neighbor company who wasn’t feeling well. I was kind of disappointed because they had Cold Stone ice cream, but I’ll have more time for socializing later!"
-MM
Tuesday, September 1
"When I got to Bryant on my first morning, I was a little tired, achy, and hungry from the last leg of my journey from California. I’d been on planes (or sitting in airports) with my mom since 10 p.m. on Monday night and I was dying to crawl into bed and get some sleep.
We were picked up at the airport by my peer mentor and another 4MILE leader and my mom got to learn a little bit more about Bryant. (She had never seen the school before.) When we got to campus, I had a chance to unpack all of my suitcases and move-in. I also met some of the other 4MILE participants, who were moving in at the same time.
The first person I met was my next door neighbor, who nearly knocked me over with her enthusiastic hello. I didn’t get a real chance to socialize, though, until my mom left after a farewell ceremony put on by the school. At first I thought the farewell ceremony was going to be a bit of a drag but it turned out to be very informative. President Machtley spoke about taking advantage of all the resources and ensuring our studies were our first priority. A couple faculty members were also introduced, and there was really good food.
More than 100 international and multicultural students in the Class of 2013 arrived on campus this week to get acclimated with the Bryant community and take part in team-building activities to meet their fellow classmates.
Afterwards, my mom and I finished unpacking and she left to return home. (I barely cried, which was awesome.) Then I went to hang out with more people from my floor. I ended up going to dinner with the girl I met from next door and another girl from down the hall. We ended up meeting up with two girls from the other first-year student residence hall.
Dinner was pizza, which was pretty good, and afterwards we all went to Hall 16, where one of the girls had a suite, and hung out for a few hours. Around 11, we all headed back to our rooms to finally go to sleep. All in all I’d say it was a pretty good first day.
-MM
