AboutKeith Berman Expertise I can answer questions regarding any part of the college and graduate school application process, such as:
1.) What are colleges looking for in an essay? If I wrote on [a given topic], would that help or hurt me?
2.) Should I include a portfolio of music in an application? How should I do it?
3.) Does applying for financial aid affect my chances of admission?
4.) Should I get a recommendation from a sophomore year teacher as opposed to a junior year teacher? Why?
5.) How much does the SAT/ACT matter in the admissions process at [a given school]?
6.) What are my chances at [a given school]?
Experience 2005 - Present, President, Options for College, Inc. (www.optionsforcollege.com), New York, NY
- Have worked with approximately 500 families and students on the college and graduate school admissions process
- Have trained over 200 guidance counselors in NY, California, and India
- Quoted in US News and World Report's America's Best Colleges: 2009, Boston Magazine, Boston Globe, Yale Daily News, Harvard Crimson, Columbia Spectator, and others
- Have published various articles on topics related to college admissions
2004-5, Interviewer, Harvard Undergraduate Admissions Office
2001-3, New York City Teaching Fellow
2001, American Institutes for Research
- worked on issues related to developing the Voluntary National Test
2000, Interviewer, Yale Undergraduate Admissions Office
Organizations AICEP, NACAC, IECA
Publications Publication list available upon request. Most common sources are US Department of Education and Education Update.
Education/Credentials 2007 - Present, Certified Educational Planner, AICEP
2006 - Present, NACAC, Voting Member
2006 - Present, IECA, Voting Member
2006, C.A.S., Harvard Graduate School of Education
2005, Ed.M., Harvard Graduate School of Education
2003, M.S.Ed., Bank Street College of
2000, B.A., Yale University
Awards and Honors Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Grant (2006-7)
Received award/stipend for project entitled An Experimental Intervention: Assessing the Value of Personalized College Counseling for Low Income, High Merit Students. Award covers tuition. Project also received Mellon Foundation support.
Roy E. Larsen Award (2003-2004)
Received award that provides full tuition and fees plus a stipend to first-year doctoral students at Harvard Graduate School of Education in the field of research. Also received identical HGSE grant of same amount for the 2004-2005 school year.
New York City Teaching Fellowship (June 2001 - May 2003)
Selected participant in alternative certification and teacher recruitment program. Awarded $3,000 stipend and full tuition for an M.S.Ed. at Bank Street College of Education.
AmeriCorps (2002 and 2003)
Received two annual $4,725 educational awards for completing national service in education.
Past/Present Clients Yeshiva University HS for Boys, Rudolf Steiner School, Christian Unified Schools of San Diego, Merrill Lynch, NYU Family Life Center, Princeton Review ACS - India
Question My academic performance during my undergrad years was average at best. I was unconcerned with education, but inexplicably felt compelled to continue. Eventually, I dropped out (4 credits shy of graduation).
However, over the last few years, I have discovered an extremely powerful desire to continue my education at the highest level possible. I am currently perusing an associate’s and considering the completion of my bachelors in order to get into a good grad program.
My question is this: Do you have any advice on effectively erasing my undergraduate performance and giving myself a leg up on acceptance into an top tier grad program?
I should also mention that I’m turning 30 in a few months.
Answer Dear Josh,
If your record in your associate's program is very strong, you will have many options for a transfer -- essentially, that is the way to "effectively erase" performance you are not proud of, by proving you can do much more.
Getting straight A's at a four-year school should be a tremendous prerogative in shaping up your Bachelor's application. Many people think it is good strategy to report all your grades from all institutions, regardless of performance, whether or not you need to, but that is a grave error -- if you don't need to say something negative about who you are, don't! Report only those grades you are using for credit (that is, your current associate's plus where you transfer).
This is a little bit vague in that I do not know specifically what kind of graduate degree you are getting. If it is an academic program, your grades play a larger role. If it is an MBA program, get cracking on the GMAT right away, as that will be another way to attenuate the effect of your earlier performance.
