I would definitely recommend Bryan to everyone. Everyone.
-Rashonda Plant, Graduate
Rashonda Plant never quite felt like she was a part of a degree program she could finish. She’d always start a program and never finish it. She’d start a program, but then tell herself: “I don’t really feel like this is for me.” So she’d drift off to something else or just end up leaving school all together.
Enter Bryan University.
When Rashonda first looked into personal training, she remembered doing a Google search and Bryan University was the first result that popped up, so she clicked the link to get more information, and later got a phone call. The admissions representative she spoke to was “so awesome” in Rashonda’s words. She said he was excited, and he wasn’t trying to force her into school. He focused on trying to figure out what her career goal was, and how he could help her reach that goal.
The more they talked, the more she felt like group fitness was something for her, and the representative told her that the program offered exactly what she was looking for. She remembers hanging up the phone and thinking, “Wow, I feel like this is the school for me.” They later did a virtual walk-through on camera where the representative introduced himself. She states, “Yeah, you were going to school online, but you weren’t online. You were physically looking at people, you were talking to people, you were interacting with people. It wasn’t just you typing on a computer all day.” This just fit her. In her words, “it was just perfect.”
So, what else set Bryan apart from the rest of the schools she researched? The biggest thing she liked about Bryan was that she got a degree as well as a fitness certification. She said that a lot of places gave a certification in personal training, or group fitness, but the thing that stood out the most for her was that Bryan told her she was going to get a degree, and that the certification is like the cherry on the top. She loved the fact that she was actually going to walk away with a degree in exercise science.
The best part about the “Bryan Experience” for her was that the faculty were not just teaching her about her career, but also how to own her career. She wasn’t just coming in to be a personal trainer to go to work in a gym, or make everybody else hundreds of thousands of dollars, she was coming in and learning how to successfully run her own business. That’s exactly what she has been doing since she enrolled in Bryan. She has now been in business for herself for the past five years, and Bryan has taught her every single step. She knows how to function as a business, and if not for the lessons learned at Bryan, she claims, “I’d already be crushed.”
Her educational journey did not come without a few challenges. The biggest challenge that she faced in school was time management. She said that there are a lot of outside influences that come up, and you can never really be completely prepared. That was her biggest challenge – balancing out personal obstacles and staying focused on school at the same time.
She then cited an example of how she used the time management skills she learned at Bryan to fight through a crisis the year that she was getting ready to graduate. She had about six months left in the program when her sister became terminally ill with cancer, and subsequently passed away. It became very difficult to stay focused and grounded in school.
Through the tough times, she said the instructors were so patient, and so understanding. “I remember that Alison was the first teacher that I told when my sister passed away. Alison’s response was, ‘What are you doing here? Why are you in class today?'” She said. “Everybody was always just so supportive and so understanding and patient, and they were just willing to work with me to get everything done.” She was grateful for the amount of flexibility and prodding she received as support. Her instructors pushed deadlines, did whatever they could, and went above and beyond to make sure that she was able to finish her courses and get through the program. She recalls fondly how they’d offer encouragement and told her she was going to get through this, and that they were there with her.
She can’t believe that it took her five years to start her educational and career journey. She laments that she probably should have been doing this twenty years ago, but is very glad that she did start, and can’t imagine doing anything else.
When asked why someone should go to Bryan University, her words are emphatic and matter of fact: “You should go to Bryan because they just teach you everything, and I would never consider a different school, honestly, and I’m coming back for my bachelor’s degree at some point, once I get my situation all together.” She continues, “I would definitely recommend Bryan to everyone. Everyone.”
If you are not a student, but are thinking of a career in personal training and fitness, what are you waiting for? Contact us and set up a time to speak with one of our admissions representatives. Or, check out program options at Bryan University:
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