About OFC

General description
Three stages of the OFC Approach
Our Team (general information)
Keith Berman, CEP, President and Founder of Options for College
Amy Herzog, Senior Counselor
Mattie Brickman, Counselor and Project Analyst
Vikram Bhalla, Director of Projects
Abby Kelly, Project Manager
Dr. Pascale Teysseire, Scholarship and Merit-Based Financial Aid
Rallou Malliarakis Hamshaw, Art Advisor

General description

Options for College is a full-service college counseling and consulting company located in the Chelsea region of Manhattan. Keith Berman began OFC on the heels of his graduate school work at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, MA in 2005. Within its first year in Cambridge, OFC was featured as one of Boston's premium services in Boston Magazine's Wicked Good Fun edition after a first year that saw 100% of its students accepted to their respective first-choice colleges.

From there, OFC has expanded to encompass school and business consulting projects, seminars and workshops, and a growing, diverse group of students and families looking to find wonderful experiences in college and graduate school. In late 2006, OFC moved its offices to New York on the heels of Mr. Berman's certification as a Certified Educational Planner from the AICEP. In 2007, OFC took on four major consultation projects that built on its three-stage approach to the admissions process.

Options for College provides comprehensive guidance through the college application process.  The biggest testament to our approach is not only that students receive wonderful acceptance from "reach" colleges, but that they are much more self-aware and prepared when they arrive, ready to contribute and be a part of college life (please read our testimonials).

For students who are sophomores and juniors, Options for College helps work with you to find opportunities that both expand your interests, and give you experiences and credentials that will be important to you as a college student and applicant.  This comprehensive approach, which incorporates academic, admissions, and practical knowledge, occurs in three stages.

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Three stages of the Options for College approach

Collection: In this stage, your family and you work with the counselor to discuss your accomplishments, your aspirations, and your hopes in order to form a clear idea of who you are, who you want to be, and what you have to contribute to a college community.  Students take six or more classes, play a sport/instrument, participate in extracurriculars, and meet all family commitments, and yet often still are not confident that they have done anything extraordinary.  This stage is about being your own advocate, about realizing that you are unique and have something to contribute that no one else does.  Practice interviews, collecting transcripts/scores, looking at summer activities, and creating resumes and activity sheets are typical activities in this stage, the focus of the first three sessions.

Selection: Once your counselor and you form a clear idea of who you are as an applicant, you then work together to select colleges and universities that will help you reach your academic/professional aspirations, that match your strengths, and give you a community in which you can best grow.  The counselor will create comparison lists with you, complete with profiles of each school.  Schools on the list tend to provide mostly challenging and exciting colleges that provide you with practical and personal opportunities; while these are sometimes called “reach” schools, really what they present is additional resources and a stronger community that not only match who you are, but who you want to be.  You will also receive advice on how to best visit and interview with colleges. OFC students have applied to business colleges, art programs, music conservatories, and liberal arts colleges successfully.  Selection is usually the focus of session four .

Application: By this stage, your counselor and you will already know what your strengths are, what experiences have been significant for you, and where you are interested in applying.  This is the stage in which these ideas are put onto paper.  You will work with your counselor through each step of the application process, writing personal, clear statements that adhere to the standard of the best application possible.  It is a testament to the pride our students take in their written work that nearly all of our 2006 students agreed to share their materials in the sample writing book we compile each year, standing behind the strong statement they made about who they are. This stage may include getting an expert to help you compile your art portfolio, advice on from whom you should get recommendations, and/or a professional musician listening to your latest piece for your recital.  This stage not only encompasses sessions 5-10, but also the phone and e-mail support you receive; typically, the counselor commitment to you ranges from about 50-100 hours, meaning whatever needs to be done is done thoroughly.

It is difficult to imagine, in the adult world, taking eight classes, practicing your favorite sport five days a week, holding down a job, and working in a community service project, yet so many students do all these things as a matter of course and do not necessarily feel that they are accomplishing great things.  The Options for College approach helps students reflect on who they are and what they have accomplished, so that admissions officers can understand why they are valuable people in a college community. 

In the end, families and students in the end not only have a wonderful set of options for college, but also an understanding of how they earned them and how they might go about continuing to make contributions to the world around them in college.  When student takes a personal inventory of who they are, and writes a strong application that reflects on their experiences and personality, the student is more prepared for college, and a much more successful applicant.  It is this idea that is at the heart of the success of the Options for College approach.

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Our Team and their Background

Education

All counselors have a B.A. from Yale, Princeton, or Harvard University; graduate degrees include Ed.M. from Harvard University, M.F.A. from Yale University, M.S.Ed. from Bank Street

Highlights of publications and quotes

US News and World Report, America’s Best Colleges: 2009, 2010, Berman, K. Maximum Access: A Guide to College Admissions Counseling.  Haykel Group, 2010, Boston Magazine: Guilty Pleasures, Yale Daily News, Harvard Crimson, Columbia Spectator, Education Update. Many websites including allexperts.com, k12genie.com, and others.

Project work and clients

Center for Talented Youth, Johns Hopkins University, Rochester City School District, Princeton Review – India Academic Counseling Services, Simply College, LLC, Archdiocese of Newark

Teaching experience

Yale University, Bryn Mawr College, CTY Johns Hopkins, Choate, Co-Op High School, YU High School for Boys, Rudolf Steiner School, NYC Public Schools

Seminars and workshops

Young Presidents’ Organization, NYU Center for Family Life, Merrill Lynch Parent Network

Admissions Office Work

Harvard University, Yale University (interviewers and on-campus recruitment)

Affiliations

Bank Street College of Education Alumni Advisory Board, New York City Teaching Fellows, NACAC, IECA, AICEP

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Keith Berman, CEP, Founder and President

Mr. Berman is a Certified Education Planner (CEP) by the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners. He has served as the creator and instructor of Johns Hopkins University's CTY College Prep course, worked as the staff trainer in the Rochester City Public Schools (NY), and the staff trainer for The Princeton Review -- India. His in-school positions include being Interim Director of College Guidance at the Rudolf Steiner School, the staff consultant at the Yeshiva University High School for Boys, and a New York City Teaching Fellow in the New York City Public Schools. Mr. Berman founded Options for College in March 2005 in Cambridge, MA.

Mr. Berman is a Roy E. Larsen Award recipient from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and has held several admissions positions at Ivy League institutions. He worked for Yale University as a Senior Interviewer, and a three-year member of the Undergraduate Recruitment Office.  He also held an Interviewer position at the Harvard College Admissions Office, where he interviewed prospective students and participated in undergraduate admissions committee meetings. He has won awards from Harvard University, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, AmeriCorps, and the New York City Teaching Fellowship. He is a member of the Bank Street College Alumni Association Advisory Board.

Mr. Berman has helped students domestically and from seven countries worldwide, find the right college and make the most effective application possible.  He is a member of the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), and the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), as well as the American Institute of Certified Educational Planners (AICEP).

Mr. Berman was quoted numerous times on issues related to school selection in US News & World Report's American's Best Colleges: 2009 and US News & World Report's American's Best Colleges: 2010. His article entitled Putting the “counseling” back in college counseling, illuminating the Options for College approach to college counseling, was published in the January 2006 edition of Education Update (in which he also wrote an article on the college interview process, Preparing for the college interview: an insider’s view, in the February issue, and The good news about college admissions in June).  He was quoted in the March issue of Boston Magazine, which listed Options for College as the premier option for parents with college-bound children.  He has also been quoted in the Boston Globe, the Harvard Crimson, and the Columbia Spectator.

Mr. Berman gives frequent group presentations.  He has presented on the role of the SAT on college admissions at the Newton Public Library, given a presentation to British students from Hurtwood House and Eton College on the role of the A-levels, GCSE, and other aspects of the British school system as they are translated into an American college admissions file, and has conducted talks at the Yale Club of New York City, the NYU Center for Family Life, and the Parents Network at Merrill Lynch, among others.

He earned his B.A. as a double major at Yale University and his M.Ed. from Harvard Graduate School of Education. His other experiences include being a school teacher in the New York City public school system, earning an M.S.Ed. at Bank Street College, and being a researcher at a Washington, D.C. education think tank, developing a national testing project and working on technology and special education issues of national importance.  He also organized and executed recruitment efforts for the American Institutes for Research at Yale. Mr. Berman grew up in Irvington, NY (Westchester County), and has lived in Washington, DC, Cambridge, MA, and New Haven, CT. He currently lives with his wife and daughter in New York.

Contact Mr. Berman directly at: kberman@optionsforcollege.com.

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Amy Herzog, Senior Counselor

Amy Herzog is a Lecturer in the Creative Writing Department at Bryn Mawr College. She has also taught Playwriting or Creative Writing at Yale University, the Choate Summer Arts Conservatory, The Emma Willard School (GirlSummer program), and the Bronxwood Elementary School in Baychester. She has led master classes at the Williamstown Theatre Festival and Williams College, and she has tutored writing students at Co-op High School in New Haven and Choate Rosemary Hall. Amy has many years of experience working as a tutor in all academic subjects for families in New York City.

Amy's work with Options for College specifically focuses on counseling students. She has counseled students from India, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and all over the United States as a counseling professional. She was named Senior Counselor in 2009.

Amy is also a professional writer. She received the 2008 Helen Merrill Award for Aspiring Playwrights. Her plays have been produced at Ensemble Studio Theater, American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, The Williamstown Theater Festival, The Actors Theatre of Louisville and the Yale School of Drama; she has had readings and workshops at Manhattan Theater Club, New York Stage and Film, Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., The Black Dahlia in Los Angeles, Ars Nova, and The Rattlestick Playwrights Theatre, among others. She recently completed commissions for the Yale Repertory Theatre and the Williamstown Theatre Festival.

Amy holds an M.F.A. in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama (Audrey Wood Scholarship) and a B.A. in English from Yale University (Magna Cum Laude; Henry H. Strong Prize in American Literature).

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Mattie Brickman, Counselor and Project Analyst

Mattie Brickman holds an M.F.A. in Playwriting from the Yale School of Drama (Eugene O’Neill Scholarship) and a B.A. from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Mattie was a teaching assistant for Advanced and Intermediate Playwriting at Yale.  She has mentored writing students at New Haven Cooperative Arts High School and art students at the Ridley Tree Education Center in Santa Barbara, California. 
                                                                                   
Mattie’s play, American Catnip, was produced in May 2009 as part of the Carlotta Festival of New Plays.  Other productions include The Imaginary Audience, If Found Please Return to Charles Darwin, Civil War, and Max Out Loud, a children’s musical adapted from books by Maira Kalman. Mattie has been the playwright-in-residence at New York Stage & Film and at the O’Neill at Yale Studio Retreat in Provincetown, Massachusetts.  Her work has also been developed at The Lark. 

Prior to playwriting, Mattie pursued journalism.  She wrote for Money magazine and The Santa Barbara Independent and maintained a column in The Montecito Journal.  She also did research and story development for Greystone Television. 

Mattie trained in ballet for 16 years and modern dance for 10.  She was the Artistic Director of Expressions Dance Company at Princeton.

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Vikram Bhalla, Director of Projects

Vikram Bhalla is Director of Projects at Options for College. After completing a degree in Economics with honors at Delhi University, he continued his education at Lancaster University in the UK, specializing in general management and marketing and graduating with a Masters in Management. His dissertation on the link between education and employment in the Indian job market set against the backdrop of India’s growing economy was an unprecedented study for the Management School, based on primary research for the University’s Career Service where he interned in the summer.

Vikram has worked in research and education management. As Vice President of the Admissions Counseling Service at The Princeton Review in India (Manya Education), Vikram created one of the largest counseling operations in India. He led a team of over 60 educators and managers that counseled 1500 applicants to international universities last year.   Spearheading business development, he directly managed all key international relationships for the company. Vikram worked closely with several education fair partners, jointly marketing their events to students in India’s major cities.

Vikram manages Lancaster University’s India Alumni Group of over 125 graduates in India. The Alumni Group maintains an active social network and helps returning graduates transition into careers in India.

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Abby Kelly, Project Manager

Abby Kelly studied fine arts and writing at Bard College before completing a degree in Industrial Design at Pratt Institute (which means she's gone through the college application process twice - once as a first-year applicant to a liberal arts college, and once as a transfer into art school). She has designed websites, kitchen appliances, toys, housewares, graphics, and more.

In addition to her work with Options for College, Abby works for RePlayGround, a design company specializing in recycling-based products and projects. She designs products, packaging, and craft projects, and contributes to RePlayGround's blog on green design. She teaches hands-on workshops to people of all ages, and assisted with the writing and illustration of RePlayGround's first book, due to be published in 2011.

At Options for College, Abby assists families with scheduling and contributes her design, writing, and editing skills to a variety of projects.

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Dr. Pascale Teysseire, Scholarship and Merit-Based Aid

Ms. Teysseire earned her Ph.D. in ancient history at Yale University, and her Master’s degree in Library and Information Science at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Sciences de l’Information et des Bibliothèques, France’s top school in the field of library and information science.

Ms. Teysseire has extensive professional experience in the fields of information retrieval and information management. As an editorial manager for a California-based Internet company, she conducted market research on the search patterns of targeted end-users, and successfully engineered the creation and development of a generalist Internet directory based on her findings.

Ms. Teysseire has consulted with the Yahoo Search Technology group, and with Searchme.com, where she performed relevance testing designed to assess the quality and authoritativeness of search results and web page content; she has also consulted on a Google project, evaluating the relevance of sponsored ads in relation to user queries, as well as the quality of web page content. Ms. Teysseire’s experience includes working at the United Nations in New York, where she created an evaluation framework for a program implemented at the UN Library. She also developed a bibliographic database with custom user interface for the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York.

Ms. Teysseire combines an in-depth knowledge of the world of academia with her extensive experience as an information retrieval expert. Her ability to locate hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships, grants, awards, and other sources of financial aid gives students the potential to fund their own college education and avoid incurring onerous loans.

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Rallou Malliarakis Hamshaw, Art Advisor

Rallou Malliarakis Hamshaw is a New York-based independent artist. She is also Director of Membership of an artist-run gallery in Chelsea where she has had numerous solo exhibitions.

Ms. Hamshaw was an art director for Doubleday and Company, Inc. for twelve years before turning her attention to teaching. She attended Parsons School of Design in New York City where she majored in Graphic Design and Painting. Directly after Parsons she received a Max Beckmann Memorial Grant in Painting at the Brooklyn Museum School of Art. She has been a faculty member of the Rudolf Steiner School in Manhattan since 1991 where she teaches painting, drawing, and art history in the High School, as well as seventh grade watercolor painting. In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Ms. Hamshaw is an administrator and the Speaker for the College of Teachers of the Rudolf Steiner School.

An active component of Ms. Hamshaw’s work with students in the studio is her assistance with the preparation of their art portfolios during the college/art school process. Ms. Hamshaw has also given drawing workshops for parents and teachers at the Rudolf Steiner School.

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General Contact

You can get general information at: info@optionsforcollege.com, or by calling 646-378-7863.