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Instructions from the Expert:

There is nothing harder than having a student show you an essay who does not take your suggestions, and then watching him/her send it anyway and get rejected.  There ARE right and wrong answers to most of this process.  Please ask a question only if you are willing to consider the answer -- it may be a better essay than you thought, or it may not be right.  Unfortunately, I may not agree with what your friends or family says about your writing, but understand that my only goal is to help you get in and be effective, as derived from experience and practice.  There is very little ambiguity in this process -- an essay that doesn't work simply won't work.
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Volunteer

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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