In our Fall 2011 edition of Bertram Directions, we highlight Cammie Bertram and Audrey Ludemann's recent trip to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore and their insights into the educational and cultural realities there, especially for ex-patriots. We also highlight two recent blog posts: one by Deborah Grabfield on the annual U.S. News and World Report featuring college rankings and another by Audrey Ludemann on why parents and their children might consider a single sex school. In addition Holly Treat recently wrote an article for parents on finding the right independent secondary school for their children, to which we provide a link directly to the article. We've also combed various publications to highlight trends in admissions, health issues with teens and an interesting take on children's use of video games. As always, we provide insight into the latest developments in environmentally friendly products and services and give you a calendar of standardized testing to help you schedule these important tests for your child.
We hope you enjoy this issue and, as always, if you have any questions please contact us. Enjoy the Fall!... read full issue
Our summer newsletter recognizes that families are in a vacation state of mind, yet the reality is always there for parents and their children trying to get an edge on the school application and admissions process. This issue presents a discussion of the influx of international students into US schools and the effect on admissions. We also give some pointers on how parents should view the status of their son or daughter being on a college wait list and how they can move into the college of their choice. Cammie also provides a list of tell-tale signs that a child might be troubled and for whom some sort of professional help might be in order. Holly Treat gives some very timely advice on summer programs with the observation that it's not too late to think about these opportunities. We highlight an interesting company that recycles graduation caps and gowns and alert our readers to Cammie's trip to Asia this September and her presentation at TABS (in conjunction with Campus Outreach Services) on Managing Risk at Boarding Schools. Keeping things on a light note, we present articles that discuss the "worth" of various majors as well as useful iPhone apps for college students and conclude our newsletter with a discussion of the new generation of computer science majors.
We hope you will enjoy it and have a glorious summer!... read full issue
Our first 2011 edition highlights Bertram's sponsorship of the Green Cup Challenge, an initiative of the Green Schools Alliance. Our proud sponsorship of this important activity is consistent with our goal to be the premier educational consultant supporting all things "green." We also reference a recent contribution to our blog, From the Quad, from Holly Treat, who discusses two recent media pieces discussing the scheduling and pressure affecting our children. Holly makes some interesting points about the film Race to Nowhere and the book Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother. As always we've been on the lookout for interesting articles on educational trends and highlight a New York Times article on how college students are finding new ways to improve the environment. We link our readers to a new book, Teenage as a Second Language, which provides parents insights into how to communicate better with your teenager. As always we provide a calendar of important dates for parents to note in planning their child's testing schedule and summer activities. In addition to other links and tidbits of timely information, we provide our readers with a discussion of depression in teenagers and how to identify possible signs.... read full issue
Our fall 2010 edition introduces two new faces to the Bertram team, Bobbi Krein (College Advisory Services) and Ellie Powers (Director of Operations). We also discuss the recent U.S. News & World Report’s list of the Best Colleges of 2010, and give a perspective on how these lists should be interpreted. We highlight our recent invitation from Campus Outreach Services to join experts in college and secondary school admissions in their webinar series, Getting In. Several members of the Bertram advisory team will provide their insights on college admissions, independent day and boarding school options and programs that help teens in crisis. The series begins this fall and continues through spring, 2011. Finally, we remind you of important testing dates for both college and independent school admissions and note some interesting articles on college life, green colleges, how technology is affecting students’ use of textbooks, and the effect a roommate can have on those critical first weeks away from home.... read full issue
This issue continues the series of articles about the changing education landscape, contains advice on how to deal with the stress of school applications and visits, and provides ideas for your child’s summer activities. In The Savvy Guide section Mike Fontana, LMFT, has written a piece on launching your teen and gives some tips on how to make the move from home to a new venue as stress-free as possible. Jeremy McGeorge is introduced as the leader of our new Sustainable Education division, and the newsletter also has a link to the new Yale recruiting video and asks you to vote on whether you liked it or not. As always we provide you with important dates for parents and students to keep in mind during the spring, and it also contains the Sierra Club’s annual list of schools which are leaders in establishing and maintaining sustainability practices.... read full issue
