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 hi, i was wondering whether this essay topic is good:
how i chose to go to a specialized public high school, when i could have continued my education at the (bad) private school i was already attending
or is this too far back?
Answer Dear Sander,
This topic might work, but you would definitely want to make the essay about more than just admission to your high school. You would have to give a specific example of how that choice benefited you, and how your high school helped you grow through at least one experience.
I also highly suggest that you not talk about your previous school in a negative fashion. It may not have been a fit for you, but colleges probably have had students from that school who were very happy, so you should not discuss a place where you left early on. It will ultimately force you to talk about other students, teachers, or situations you were not fond of, and cannot possibly highlight your positive qualities.
This is actually a cardinal rule of both essays and interviews, and I am very glad you brought it up. There are so many things that you can and have done well and happily, there is really no need to emphasize anything besides that. Thank you for an excellent question.
