AHCOTE

Review the Admission Requirements, Deadlines, and Application Samples

• Review AHCOTE Admission Requirements
• Review the application timeline and process as shown on the AHCOTE Application Instructions to make sure you will have all your materials together in time
• Review the AHCOTE Application Evaluation Process to understand how your application will be evalutated
  
• Review our PDP Application Samples to understand how to be successful at creating your own application. These examples are specifically designed for PDP applicants and as such, the educational backgrounds and work experience may differ. However, AHCOTE and PDP application components are very similar and you may find referring to the examples useful as you prepare your AHCOTE application.

Request Academic Transcripts

Due to the high volume of transcripts being received, the PPS Admissions cannot confirm receipt of transcripts. We will email you if your transcripts have not been received once you have submitted your application. It can take up to two weeks after submission for your file to be updated.

Submit an official transcript from every college and university that you've attended, including withdrawals, incomplete, failed, repeated studies and attendance as an exchange student.

We cannot review your application if any transcripts are missing.

• SFU students do not need to order their SFU transcripts, as we have access to those records
• The PPS Admissions office does not accept electronic (XML/EDI) transcripts as our computer system is not compatible with receiving electronic transcripts. SFU Undergraduate Admissions does accept electronic transcripts. Check the Student Services website for details.
• We will accept emailed transcripts sent directly from the post-secondary institutions to our office. Have them sent directly to pps_transcripts@sfu.ca from the institution.
• You must include original transcript(s) for College Board - Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), or any transfer credits (i.e. exchange program and college transfer) where applicable
• Order ALL transcript(s) to be sent directly from the issuing institution to both the PPS Admissions office and the SFU Undergraduate Admissions office to be received by JANUARY 31

Reminders:

• You must submit official transcripts from institutions where you are currently taking courses
• If your transcript does not show degree conferral, you must submit a letter from an academic advisor at your institution confirming your degree will be complete prior to the start of AHCOTE (August)

Do not drop documents off in-person. Transcripts should be mailed directly from the post-secondary institution to the PPS Admissions office at:

PPS Admissions, Faculty of Education
Education Building, Room EDB 8630
Simon Fraser University
8888 University Drive
Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6
778-782-4129

The deadline for your transcripts to arrive at the PPS Admissions Office is January 31.

Tip: If you are requesting transcripts from institutions outside of B.C., you should start this step as far in advance of the deadline as possible.

Create Your Resume

Your resume should include your contact information, education, work and volunteer experiences and any honours, awards, special talents, skills or training. It should:

• Be no longer than two single-sided pages
• Be detailed, but in an outline rather than a narrative form
• List the length of time you were in each position, the number of hours you worked or volunteered in the position, and your duties

We highly recommend that you spend time observing/volunteering in K-12 classroom(s) in British Columbia before applying. Such visits, along with a conversation with the teacher(s) afterwards, can help you decide if teaching is a profession you wish to pursue. It may also help you craft your resume to show how your experiences thus far will help you in the pursuit of a teaching career.

When evaluating resumes, we are looking for evidence of knowledge and experiences that will be useful to you if you were to become a teacher, including evidence of experience:

1. Working with children and/or youth (babysitting, tutoring, camp counselor, swim instructor, parenting, volunteering in a classroom, etc.)
2. Engaging in work or activities related to helping others learn (tutoring, coaching, Resident Assistant in student housing or an orientation leader for new university students, running workshops for children or adults, summer camp counselor, designing learning materials for children or adults, such as directions, handouts, training activities, etc.)
3. Collaborating and working with others
4. Showing leadership and/or initiative
5. Working independently
6. Demonstrating organization and time management skills
7. Engaging in novel situations and/or with a diverse range of individuals
8. Using skills or knowledge related to the subject(s) you wish to teach

You may not have experience in all the areas listed above, but it will be important to highlight the related experiences you do have.

You will upload your resume to the online application system in PDF format.

Write Your Essay

Choose one or two experiences from your resume and explain:

• What you learned from these experiences that will help you as a future educator
• What they show about your interest in and potential for a career in education
• What questions they raise for you related to teaching and learning
• Why you chose these examples

Your essay should be 500–1000 words and fit on two single-sided pages. Use 12-point font, single spacing and 1” margins on all sides.

If you refer to other people in your essay—especially children or youth with whom you have worked—change their names and describe your experience with them in such a way that you guard their right to privacy.

Proofread your paper carefully. It will be evaluated based on:

• The overall quality of the writing
• The evidence it shows of critical reflection upon your part
• How well you demonstrate your potential for and interest in education
• You will upload your essay to the online application system in PDF format.

Find three recommenders

When submitting your online AHCOTE application form, you will be asked to submit three email addresses for individuals who are willing to complete a recommendation for you. The system will then automatically send these individuals an email requesting they fill out an online recommendation form. Recommendations may only be submitted via the online system.

Paper recommendations are no longer accepted. Download the PPS Recommendation Form Questions to review most of the questions they will be asked.

Depending on how your recommenders know you (e.g. a former employer, a professor for one of your classes, or someone in whose classroom you volunteered) they may not be able to answer all the questions in the form. That’s okay. But you may want to consider whether between them, the individuals you have asked for letters of recommendation can answer most of the questions. For example, one may know a lot about how well you work with children, while another may know more about your organizational skills.

When considering who to ask, keep in mind that:

• We reserve the right to contact recommenders to verify the information they provide
• Recommendations must be professional in nature
• Recommendations from friends or relatives are not acceptable, even if those friends or relatives are educators
• Inappropriate recommendations will make the application ineligible for consideration

Examples of inappropriate recommenders, include:

• Family members, including in-law, step-family, etc.
• Friends and co-workers

If the individual you ask is willing to complete a recommendation, ask them for an email address you can submit to the application system and explain how the system will send them an email request to complete the form. Inform them of the due date for their recommendation.

Tip: Provide your recommenders with a copy of your resume. They may find it useful for writing the recommendation.

Instructions for Students New to SFU

• New students to SFU must apply online through EducationPlannerBC. The SFU Undergraduate Admissions deadline is January 31. NOTE: AHCOTE is an “external PDP” program – select PDP for Fall on the EducationPlannerBC application.
  
• Students accepted to the AHCOTE who do not submit an application to SFU Undergraduate Admissions by the deadline will not be able to start the AHCOTE.  Therefore, all applicants MUST submit their application to the SFU Undergraduate Admissions office BEFORE the application deadline. If you do not submit an application to the SFU Undergraduate Admissions office, your application may be cancelled.
• SFU Undergraduate admissions requires a different application with a different set of admissions requirements, including a separate set of supporting documents, sent to a separate address. Unfortunately, the PPS Admissions office and the SFU Admissions office are not able to share documents. Review SFU Admissions requirements and make certain you are prepared to meet them.

Instructions for SFU Alumni and Current SFU Students

If you were previously an SFU student, you must apply for readmission OR reactivation. Check with SFU Undergraduate Admissions to be certain which one applies to you.

The deadline to apply for readmission is January 31 for a September start.

The deadline to apply for reactivation can be found on the Student Services webpage. Former SFU students that attend another university/college after attending SFU must apply through EducationPlannerBC, they are not eligible for reactivation.

If you are a current SFU student and will be an active student in the semester preceding the start of AHCOTE, you don’t need to apply for reactivation.

If you are a current SFU student and will not be an active student in the semester preceding the start of AHCOTE, you should follow the instructions for readmission or reactivation. Check with SFU Undergraduate Admissions to be certain which one applies to you.

SFU Undergraduate Admissions Questions

The PPS Admissions office does not handle SFU Undergraduate applications. For more information regarding admission to SFU, contact SFU Student Services:

Phone: 778-782-6930
Email: reginfo@sfu.ca
Website: sfu.ca/students/admission-requirements

Apply to AHCOTE Online Here

The same application system is used for a number of teacher education programs at SFU. You will need to do the following to complete your online application:

1. Create an account
2. Confirm the account (you will receive a confirmation email)
3. Select 'AHCOTE' as the program you are applying to
4. Complete the online application form
5. Upload your resume and essay
6. Enter the names and email addresses of your 3 recommenders (the system will contact these people)
7. Pay the non-refundable application fee $60 CAD using PayPal (PayPal will accept a credit card of an Interac/Visa card if you don not have a PayPal account). We do not accept e-transfers.
8. Submit your application (only possible after all three of your recommendations have been received)

Note: You may start your application early and work on it over time. You may review, edit or change your application at any time until you click the final submit button. After that time, you cannot change your application or any of your submitted materials. Your application form, resume, essay, and recommendation forms must all be complete before you can press the final "submit" button.

For students that have not completed EDUC 220 and EDUC 252 at NLC apply to NLC via EducationPlannerBC, using the instructions found on the Apply Now webpage of the NLC website.

Questions regarding NLC Admissions

The PPS Admissions office does not handle NLC applications. For more information regarding admission to NLC, contact NLC Admissions:

Main Switchboard: 250-782-5251
Toll Free: 1-866-463-6652
Email: study@nlc.bc.ca
Website: https://www.nlc.bc.ca/apply-now/