April update

April 15th, 2009

Hello!

Happy Tax Day! I guess happy probably isn't the right word, but at least we've made it to another April 15. As the old saying goes about the certainty of taxes, in admissions, April is certain to be busy! With the May 1 deposit deadline for high school seniors looming, April is the perfect opportunity to visit all of the schools you've been accepted to and make your final decision. At Bryant, we have lots of ways to do that. Saturday, April 4 was our Admitted Student Open House, and was once again a hugely successful event. For the first time in a few years, the rain held off! Students had the opportunity to attend a simulated Business 101 class, speak with faculty about our academic programs, tour the campus, meet current students, and eat in the dining hall. The theme for the event, and for all of our April events, is "The Right Fit." Choosing a college is all about finding the right fit for you as a student, academically and socially. The more we thought about it, the more we realized that choosing a college or university is a lot like finding the perfect pair of jeans. We all have those - the pair that you would live in if you could, that fits perfectly everywhere, that you wash and wear until they are thread bare before you part with them!

For students who couldn't join us for Open House, we are hosting Admitted Student Days for two weeks. They began last week and will continue through Friday, April 17. This provides another great opportunity to take a look at Bryant's campus, inside and out. Even if you can't make it this week, we will still be offering our regularly scheduled tours and information sessions next week when many students are on school vacation. Whenever works best for you to come and take another look at us, we'll be here!

Keeping with our theme, the admission office sponsored a 30-second video contest in which current students were asked to submit videos explaining why Bryant is "the Right Fit" for them. Check out the winners at http://www.youtube.com/BryantUniv.

Next weekend marks our annual Spring Weekend, one of the highlights of spring semester on campus. There is a HUGE Bingo game, carnivals, and other activities, culminating with a concert. This year, we welcome Fabolous and MIMS to campus. Last night, Bryant held a Battle of the Bands to determine who will open the show for MIMS.

Last week the "Raise Your Voice Committee" sponsored "Going Green" week. One of the activities that got the most attention was going trayless at Salmanson (Dining Hall). Salmo is all you can eat, buffet style, and students usually walk through the lines and pile their plates and trays high with food, some of which they won't eat and will waste. For one day, trays were removed, so students had to carry what they wanted to eat. Overall, the students were really receptive to the idea, and it gave them a chance to really get a sense of how much they eat/waste on a daily basis. While some students definitely missed their trays, many others thought it would be a good idea to go trayless every day in Salmanson!

Tonight, Bryant welcomes speaker Ishmael Beah to campus. Beah is the New York Times bestselling author of "A Long Way Gone: Memories of a Boy Soldier," and will speak about his experiences.

Congratulations to our Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) organization. For the seventh time in eight years, they won the regional SIFE competition and will be heading off to the national competition.

That's all for now. Good luck to all the high school seniors out there as you make your final decisions about which college or university is the Right Fit for you!

Beth