CBTE Application Tip: Personal Statement

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The Competency-Based Theology Education (CBTE) Minor application requires a personal statement. The goal of this personal statement is to learn a bit more about you and your interest in studying at MLC.

For your personal statement, we ask that you frame your response around a very important question:

What does “Christian Educator” mean to you?

 

The personal statement is your opportunity to share with us how you define the term and what it means to you to join the WELS public ministry as a Christian Educator.

The intention of the personal statement is not to eliminate learners from our program. Instead, the intention is to better prepare you for the course of study you are about to begin.

We genuinely want to know your thoughts about the term “Christian Educator” because it is a phrase we will return to throughout your course of study. We want you to be able to look back on your experiences in our program and see the development of your teaching philosophy as a Christian Educator. The personal statement, then, is the first time you will express what “Christian Educator” means to you.

We also want to get to know you better. You are embarking on a call, not a career. And you will become a member of the WELS teacher community. Sharing your ideas in your preferred medium allows us to learn about your strengths in sharing information with others, a skill you will continue to develop as you move through our course of study, and a little bit more about you.

As a personal statement, we are not limiting your expression to an essay. You have several options to consider as you craft your explanation of the phrase “Christian Educator.”

You can certainly write and frame your personal statement as a short essay. Short essays should be no more than 750 words and include at least three paragraphs, an introduction, a body paragraph, and a conclusion.

You could craft your personal response as a letter. Perhaps you would like to imagine what you might say to your future students, or you would like to write a letter to a specific individual who influenced your decision to become a Christian Educator. Perhaps you want to write a letter to your future self or your future principal. Your letter should be 750 words or less. It does not need to follow a formal message format that requires an introduction, body paragraph, and conclusion.

If you prefer to express yourself creatively, consider submitting a short story or a poem. Creative works do not need to adhere to a word limit; however, the connection to the prompt should be clear. You may find that you need or want to provide a brief, written explication of the connection to the prompt to make sure that your idea is clearly conveyed.

If you prefer to express yourself verbally, you can record and submit a brief (5-10 minute) speech defining “Christian Educator”. You do not need to include visual aids to share your idea, nor do you need to record your image while presenting your speech. If you elect to submit a speech for your personal statement, it is best if you record and upload your video to YouTube as a private video so that only those with the link can access it. Please provide the link in the submission field for the Personal Statement.

If you prefer to directly submit the recording, please contact the Director of Nontraditional Education prior to uploading the mP4 into the Application.

If you find that your best means of expressing yourself is through music, you can share a recording of a musical composition (5 minutes or less) with a brief explanation of its significance in relation to understanding the term “Christian Educator.” Ideally, the musical composition should be your own creation or arrangement of another musician’s/musical group’s work. You will need to include a written explication (about a paragraph) of your musical selection to ensure that your intended meaning is clearly conveyed.

To submit a personal statement that relies on music, please use the space for the personal statement to share your written explication and the link to your recording. If you elect to submit a musical work for your personal statement, it is best if you record and upload your video to YouTube as a private video so that only those with the link can access it. Please provide the link in the submission field of the Personal Statement with your written explication.

If you prefer to directly submit the recording, please contact the Director of Nontraditional Education prior to uploading the mP4 into the Application.

If you find that your best means of expressing yourself is through the visual arts, you can share a digital portfolio of your own artwork with a brief explanation of each piece’s significance in relation to understanding the term “Christian Educator.”

To submit a personal statement that relies on the visual arts, please use the space for the personal statement to share your written explication and the link to your digital portfolio. If you elect to submit a digital portfolio, it is best if you collect your artwork and each piece’s explication in a shareable digital file, e.g. Google Drive or Dropbox. Please provide the link to your digital portfolio in the submission field of the Personal Statement.

 

Please note: MLC recognizes that creative works are copyright-protected. We respect the rights of authors and artists to protect the distribution of their creative works. All statements and creative works submitted as part of the application process will only be shared internally with the Director of the Nontraditional Education Program and the Admissions Committee. MLC will never publicly distribute your creative work or personal statement essay without your express permission. If you enroll in the program, you are welcome to use the personal statement as part of your final portfolio.