Help with College & Grad School Applications/Applying For College

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Expert: Keith Berman - 7/22/2009


Question
Dear Mr. Berman,
I am currently going to be a senior in High school. Right now it is summer and my parents wish for me to start applying for college. I have completed the ACT, but did not get a very high score. My question to you is, should I start applying now even though I have not done my SAT's and I am planning to re-do the ACT? Also, is it better to apply online, or with a hard copy in the mail? Or is it better to start applications when school starts?

Thanks for all your help.

Answer
Dear Jaz,

These are all good questions.  The answer to the first is that you should begin your application now, without a doubt.  It will allow you to show your guidance counselor your work as soon as you return to school (you should make an appointment for the first week of school, now if you can), and he/she will likely give you a more favorable report because of your organization (the Secondary School Report is a required part of many applications) as well as give you better feedback.  You can also show your completed application to your recommending teachers when you approach them for recommendations, which will convince those teachers you are college-ready.

Practically speaking, it is simply easier to work on applications during the summer -- there's no other homework!  It may feel like you are caving to your parents' request, but really, you are doing what's right for you by starting now, and you should always try to do what is right for you in this process, especially because, in the end, you don't get to make the admissions decision -- control the part of the application process that you can.  In other words, admit it, they have a good idea in starting now -- it happens sometimes!

So many students write one draft of their essay, right before the deadline, and hope it will work.  It never does -- it is incredibly easy to tell if an essay has been done at the last minute, beyond typos and errors -- the style is always stream-of-consciousness and reads like a journal entry instead of like an essay.  Colleges want an essay, a piece of writing that frames a story and is written in SWE (standard written English).

You should get your applications all set to go long before you get your new scores.  Your application will be considered in November at the earliest for most schools, regardless of when you take your exams, so tests are not a reason to wait.  The good you do yourself by being responsible in finishing your application now will be captured in your essay and three recommendations -- it is the way to go.

As a final note, you should apply online.  Most colleges prefer it (none prefer hard copy), and you can track your applications much more easily this way.  I suggest commonapp.org as the best place to start.

You should send everything after showing people in your school, but definitely start now!  Great questions; everyone who reads this will will benefit from your thoughtful ideas.

Sincerely,
Keith Berman, CEP

Help with College & Grad School Applications

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Keith 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

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