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
I'm currently a full-time mom to two wonderful kids in NYC. I would like to reenter work force mostly due to our financial situation.
Before my kids were born I worked for four years in computer programming though I didn't have a college degree in this field (I took classes, passed certificates, and read lots of books :).
I received bachelor degree in art in fashion design major from
Fashion Institute of Technology over 10 years ago.
After considering my commitment to very involved style of parenting, my skills, the need of a stable income, and my love of art and children I decided that being an art teacher in elementary school would be the perfect career for me.
(I forgot to mention that I received my bachelor degree summa cum laude and with honors. I've also continuously created art through out my life, and did lots of art project with my kids as well as at their schools.)
And here come my two questions:
1. Does it matter what college I receive the teaching degree from? Is it easier to get a job after graduating from certain schools and do some are better than others in helping finding jobs?
2. I can attend full-time program only if I receive substantial scholarship so I wouldn't have to pursue freelancing and doing odd jobs like mural painting, or face painting at parties to supplement my husband income.
How should I go about applying for a scholarship in my particular case and what are my chances in receiving one?
I greatly appreciate you taking the time to answer my questions.
Thank you.
Answer Dear Basia,
These are excellent questions, and thank you for providing some of the context of your decision. Let me start with the question about a teaching degree, as there are more options than you listed here. There is nothing preventing you from applying for art teaching positions right now at art schools, charter schools, and even low-performing public high schools right away, even without teaching certification and a teaching degree. I would suggest doing so to test the waters. Private school teachers have all sorts of backgrounds -- your life experience may very well count for a great deal if you are an accomplished artist.
I would also apply to be a New York City Teaching Fellow, which will provide you (if accepted) with a full-time teaching job, and financial support in getting your teaching certification. NYCTF is one of many "alternate certification" programs that try to bring talented career-changers and people of all sorts -- you might search for alternate certification programs.
This is not to diminish the value of a teaching degree. My own program at Bank Street College was incredibly significant in shaping my ideas of pedagogy and what makes an educational professional. The type of graduate program is significant in terms of its reputation, but more in terms of what you actually learn -- it is easy to hire teachers who talk knowledgeably about the field, can write curriculum, know how to find grant money, and can develop significant art programs for students. You could befriend some art teachers in schools that have good art programs and ask their suggestions on where to go. Of course, the stronger the reputation and program of a college of education, the better the placement rate, because the graduates are more qualified -- USNews and some other magazines have reliable statistics on these types of questions for future art teachers.
You should go about applying for a scholarship by making a high-quality resume, and being prepared to both visit and interview everywhere you are applying. Most education schools do not give scholarships to people they have never met, which is not a terrible policy in my estimation. Too few people treat the grad school admissions process like applying for a job they really want, one where impressing your boss will get you more money. I would also search all available websites for scholarships that you qualify for.
