IB/M Application Written Components

All IB/M applicants will submit two components for their application: (1) a list and description of your Relevant Experiences, and (2) a brief Reflective Essay. Below, please find the prompts and requirements for each application component.

Relevant Experiences

Please list and describe any experiences or aspects of your background that have had an impact or influence on your life and informed your decision to pursue a career in education. Remember that experiences can span a broad array: education, extracurricular activities, work with children, volunteer work, employment opportunities, travel, or other more personal aspects.

Requirements for Writing:

  • Include at least one experience where you interacted with children, either inside or outside of an educational setting. Think about what experiences developed your ability to listen to others and be responsible.
  • Below each experience, use bullet points or a short paragraph to help readers understand what you did and how the experience might prepare you for teaching.
  • Format your Relevant Experiences in the following way:
    • Include no more than 1-2 pages.
    • Use double-spacing and 12-point font.
    • Save your file as a Word document or in PDF format.
    • Use the following format for the file name: LastName-FirstName-Experiences where the LastName and FirstName are your last and first name, respectively

Reflective Essay

Prompt

Please write a short reflective essay that responds to the following prompt:

Teachers today live in complex worlds full of diverse people and situations. When you think about your own classroom in the future:

  • What are some of the issues of equity and/or justice that you are excited to approach in your role as a teacher?
  • What understandings and/or skills do you want to develop in order to address this issue of equity and/or justice?
  • Tell your story of how you came to these particular understandings and skills as important to your own growth and your future students’ learning.

Requirements for Writing:

Format your Reflective Essay in the following way:

  • Copy/paste this statement at the beginning of your essay. By including it, you are attesting to your academic honesty and integrity, as required by UConn Policy.
    • I, ___________ (type your name here), attest that, in preparing this essay and application, I have neither plagiarized nor used generative AI to write my essay. This is my original work.
  • Write no more than 2 pages.
  • Use double-spacing and 12-point font.
  • Save your file as a Word document or in PDF format.
  • Use the following format for the file name: LastName-FirstName-Essay where the LastName and FirstName are your last and first name, respectively

Scoring

Your essay will be evaluated using these criteria:

Content of essay

  • Relevance to the questions asked: a narrative that shows awareness of audience and teaches the reader about your specific concerns, goals, and the connections between them.
  • Clarity
  • Degree of self-reflection and critical thinking expressed in the essay

Effectiveness of written communication skills

  • Voice or individuality in expression
  • Organization that is clear, logical, and flowing
  • Effective use of sentences, phrases, and vocabulary to convey ideas
  • Accurate conventions, grammar, and mechanics