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 QUESTION: I'm not sure if you can answer my question but you seem to know a LOT about
college applications so I'm going to ask anyway... :-)
I'm still a freshman in high school so I don't know much about transcripts and
apps but how would I write about my volunteering experiences? would I have to
prove them that I've actually volunteered? If so, how?
ANSWER: Dear Liz,
Your question is a good one. You would only write an essay about your volunteer work if it grew into a significant leadership opportunity for you (for instance, some students start charities, lead local fundraising efforts, etc.). In general, you write essays about your strongest, deepest commitments. The strongest applicants develop themselves as community leaders in that regard.
You would pair that essay with an extra letter of recommendation from a third party that explains your commitment. This is one of the top ten factors in admission (grades, course choice, and scores are the top three, so extracurriculars never substitute for achievement), a letter that, as you suggest, essentially proves that your biggest extracurricular commitment was indeed a big deal.
You should feel very good about your committing to community service as a freshman. I am sure that you are off to a good start in the application process.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks! That was very helpful.
So... if I volunteer at a local organization (not started by me) who would write the letter of recommendation?
Answer Dear Liz,
You should get a recommendation from either your boss or the head of the organization, depending on how well each knows you. If the head of the organization is familiar with your work, that would be preferable.
