Personal Profile

The Personal Profile is your opportunity to share, in your own words, the experiences and attributes you bring as a prospective teacher candidate in the UBC Bachelor of Education program. What you tell us in your Personal Profile will help the Faculty of Education determine whether you will flourish in the program. What you write will be taken into consideration along with your grades, personal experience and reference reports.

The information you provide must be truthful. Take some time beforehand to brainstorm ideas and think about examples and details you can share that would reflect an honest picture of your motivations to become a teacher, your aspirations, inspirations, or thoughts about the profession of teaching and education. This isn’t a list of accomplishments, but rather, an opportunity to reflect on what you’ve learned, and how you envision yourself as an educator.

Please remember to proofread and edit your answers carefully before hitting submit.


Personal Profile Essay Questions

  1. Why do you want to become a teacher?
  2. Describe the kind of teacher you want to be. Give examples.
  3. Give an example from your experience which illustrates your suitability for the teaching profession. For example, share a story of how you overcame a challenging situation, solved a problem in a professional manner, or learned from your mistake(s), etc. DO NOT REPEAT information already stated.

Preparing for the Personal Profile

  • For each question, brainstorm what you want to say in 1500 characters. 1-2 sentence answers will not fulfill the requirements.
  • Avoid providing a list of accomplishments. Instead, reflect on what you have learned from each experience.
  • Be specific. Share examples that reveal who you are and why you want to be an educator.
  • Be authentic. We are interested in your unique perspective and voice. Avoid providing answers you think UBC wants to hear.

Ask Yourself Before You Begin Writing

  • What are the qualities you think make for a successful teacher?
  • How have you demonstrated such qualities in the past?
  • What kinds of experiences are relevant to this teacher education program? What have you learned from these experiences? Include examples (if any) of working with special needs children or youth.
  • When have you taken on a teacher role?
  • What do you enjoy learning in your volunteer or work experiences?
  • What will have an influence on the kind of teacher you want to be?
  • How do you envision your future classroom?
  • Think about two or three adjectives that best describe you in relation to teaching. Provide evidence.
  • Think about additional information you can provide that describes you in relation to teaching.

How UBC Evaluates Your Personal Profile for Teacher Education

UBC looks at each prospective student as a whole person: a combination of talents, interests, and passions. Whatever your background, experiences, and skills, the Personal Profile is your chance to help us learn more about you.

Our trained readers will read and evaluate your Personal Profile and compare it with the profiles written by other UBC Bachelor of Education applicants. Your Personal Profile assessment will be used with your academic profile assessment to determine your UBC Bachelor of Education admission decision.