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• Overview
• Personal Information
  • Transcripts
  • Resume
• Essay Responses
  • Goals
  • Structure
    • Suggested Outline
  • Phrases to Avoid
• References
  • Timing
  • Materials
  • Followup
• Other Important Information
  • University vs. Program Application
  • ApplyTexas

If you have any questions about your university and/or program application(s), reach out to a TEACH for Houston coach or admissions staff for support. We’re here for you.

To apply to an educator preparation program, you will need to submit one or more applications. (Surprised? No, we didn’t think so.) Your application is how admissions officers review your fit for their program.

Many applications include personal information (background and academic history), a resume, essay responses (personal statement) and references (letters of recommendation).

First Things First: Get to Know the Program

Before starting your application, make sure you understand the program’s mission and purpose. This will help you determine if they are the right program for you, and vice versa.

You will be best prepared to start your application if you know the following:

• What is the mission or purpose of the program?
• What types of teachers do they produce? Do they have a specialty? For example, some programs might only place teachers in low-income school districts and others might be known for their elementary education programs.
• Who thrives in their program? EPPs are looking for strong, diverse candidates who will be successful graduates of their program. Some EPPs provide information about what they are looking for in an ideal candidate, such as prior work or volunteer experience with children, or demonstrated leadership.

In your application, you will be required to enter background information. This section commonly includes fields for your name, address, email, phone number, social security number, academic history (GPA, degrees and certain test scores), pre-teaching experience and more.

We know you’re diligent, responsible and capable. ? But rockstar qualities aside, double-check your application form to make sure that there is no missing information. Failing to fill out certain fields could jeopardize the timing or possibility of your acceptance.

Transcripts

When requested, provide your academic transcript(s) as part of your application to an educator preparation program.

You will need to formally request your official transcripts. Contact the Transcript Office (or equivalent) of the school that has access to the academic record you need to share. Budget at least three to five days for processing. Some schools will send transcripts via mail; others have electronic copies.

In your request, be sure to specify:

• Your name and/or student ID number.
• How many copies of your transcript you need.
• Where the transcript should be delivered (usually a school mailing address or email)
• Your signature.

Submitting unofficial transcripts or hard-to-read scanned transcripts can send the wrong message to the admissions team about your personal organization and timeliness. Make sure to budget at least three to five business days for processing, and even longer if your alma mater will send the transcript via mail.

Resume

Some programs require a resume that  includes a brief overview of your education, leadership, and professional experiences.  

If you are a high school student, college student or recent college graduate, spend a few minutes listing out all of the work, leadership and extracurricular experiences you’ve had. Then think about which experiences are going to be most relevant to showcasing your achievements and general leadership. 

Below are some tips and tricks to help your resume stand out.

General Organization and Structure

• Play it safe with fonts and colors. Keep it to black and white and avoid non-standard fonts. 
• Make sure your transcript can be scanned easily. Use bullets and organize different job titles and experiences in bold, italics and underlines. 
• Structure a clear visual path for the reviewer. Consider using reverse-chronological order to list the most relevant and recent information first.
• Keep your resume to one page. Your reviewers, who might look at hundreds of resumes a week, will appreciate your ability to be concise!

Content

• Use active verbs. Most bullet points on resumes start with the same verbs like “managed”, “led”, and “responsible for”. Get creative (while still being clear!) and describe how you “advanced” a project or “designed” a new system or solution.
• Share leadership experience. Because all teachers are leaders, programs will want to hear about your experiences leading others. This can be highlighted through volunteer experience, work experience or other extracurricular activities. 
  • Pro tip: When you think about leadership, think about what you and your teammates accomplished rather than your roles and responsibilities. Reviewers are looking for the type of impact you could have in the classroom.
• When possible, amplify your achievements by including data. This can sound like:
  •  “Doubled the participation in X organization from 20 to 40 students.”
  • “Tutored ten students, 90% of whom raised their reading levels from below grade-level to above grade-level.”

Your essay response—aka personal essay, statement of purpose, statement of intent, or some combination thereof—is your unique opportunity to tell admissions staff exactly why you are the perfect fit for their educator preparation program.

Before writing your essay, take a breath. Get up, grab your phone, and call a friend or family member. Explain to them why you’re applying to a teacher preparation program.

Better at brainstorming alone? Make a bulleted list of all the reasons you want to be a professional educator. More of an artist? Draw your feelings around the subject. No joke.

The goal here is to hone your thoughts and feelings around teaching. Once you’re clear on “why,” writing an essay becomes a straightforward task that you can spend time perfecting (rather than stressing over). 

Some questions to think about as you’re brainstorming:

• Why do you want to teach?
• What do you believe is the purpose of an education? 
• What do you believe about kids?

When it’s time to submit references, aka letters of recommendation, choose your recommenders wisely. Your references have the power to give your application a major boost. (You know how the best compliment is the one you overhear? This is like that, but staged, eloquent, and directly tied to your academic and professional ambitions.)

You will typically need two to three references from people can who can attest to your skill sets, strengths and fit for a career in education. Common types of recommenders include employers, supervisors, teachers and professors.

In Houston, multiple programs use ApplyTexas.org to make the process simpler for applicants. For example, this applies to you if your checklist is for Sam Houston State University, University of Houston or Texas Southern University.

University vs. Program Application

Some educator preparation programs are housed by universities, others have university partners, and some stand alone as independent schools or programs. What does this have to do with your application? You may have to complete two applications (for the university and its program) or just one (directly to the program).

Application Type by Program

In some cases, you will need to apply and be accepted to a university before gaining admission to its educator preparation program. This is often true for undergraduate programs, where you often apply to the university first, and then to the program later in your sophomore or junior year. For graduate programs, you often apply directly for a program via the university application. 

The following table indicates which programs require a university application in addition to, or as part of, their program application:

ApplyTexas

In Houston, multiple programs use ApplyTexas.org to make the process simpler for applicants. This applies to you if your checklist is for Sam Houston State University, University of Houston Clear Lake, University of Houston Central or Texas Southern University. 

To get started, head over to the ApplyTexas website and select Create your account now.

Configure Your Application

ApplyTexas is divided into four sections:

• My Profile
• My Applications
• My Essays
• My Transcripts

You must first complete the My Profile section before adding program applications.