Last updated September 12, 2023Last updated September 12, 2023
If you are looking for guidance on the UBC Sauder Commerce (BCom) application, including Personal Profile examples and video interview questions prep, then you’ve come to the right place.
This Application Prep guide is fully updated with the 2022/2023 application (i.e. for applicants planning on starting the program in Fall 2023).
Before you dive in, it’s important to understand that the admissions committee receives thousands of applications every year. To help set you apart from the crowd, you need to demonstrate a clear sense of self, strong life experience, and exemplary communication skills.
Our ‘full student’ coaching process does exactly that. If you’re not working with a coach, be sure to read the Self-Awareness, Goal-Setting, and Narrative Communication Skills Guides.
The Narrative Communication Approach™ is a particularly useful storytelling framework that helps you tell a clear and concise story, while creating an emotional connection with the reader. All UBC Sauder BCom essay examples and templates use this approach (access your UBC Sauder Commerce Personal Profile template here).
We’ve also created a comprehensive Interview Skills Guide that covers every step of the interview process so you can ace any question that comes your way. Check it out before getting started!
If you’re serious about getting into UBC Sauder School of Business and reaching your fullest post-secondary potential, read our UBC Commerce Program Guide and connect with a Youth Coach. It’s never too early to receive coaching.
Table of Contents
The UBC Sauder Application has 2 components (keep reading for a full breakdown of each part):
REMEMBER: The application for UBC Sauder BCom must be submitted by January 15, 2023 at 11:59pm PST (the deadline to be considered for most entrance awards is December 1, 2022).
The entire application must be submitted through a platform called EducationPlannerBC. You will find the place to put your Personal Profile Answers in the “Additional Information” tab of your EducationPlannerBC application. Simply write your answers to the questions in a separate doc (use our template here!) and then copy and paste your answers for each question.where you will write your Personal Profile.
The video responses are completed through a third-party site. Once you have recorded your responses, you will copy and paste the confirmation URL from this third-part site into your EducationPlannerBC application. Questions? We got you! Connect with a coach for support now.
The admissions committee evaluates your entire online application as well as your academic performance, using this breakdown:
Based on this evaluation, your Personal Profile and video interview account for 50% of your overall evaluation. That’s A LOT, making these app components the difference maker for your acceptance or rejection from the program.
Since your grades can only get you so far, you need to spend extra time thinking about and preparing your Personal Profile and video interview responses, and finding unique and memorable ways to showcase your experiences, interests, leadership potential, and suitability to the UBC Sauder BCom program. Think of these as your chance to make a great first impression.
This is exactly why we created this App Guide — to help you write the best essays and prepare you for your video interview so you can stand out from the crowd.
Keep reading for UBC Sauder Personal Profile examples and templates, as well as a breakdown of possible questions and tips to prepare the for video interview questions.
If you need help creating a unique and authentic application that will help you increase your chances of admission success, connect with a coach for 1-on-1 support.
Your Personal Profile is made up of short written essays with 6 questions (including an optional essay and your references). The essays are focused on your experiences, leadership opportunities, interests, and more.
As mentioned above, your Personal Profile counts for 30% of your overall evaluation.
COACH’S TIP: Write your essay responses BEFORE you start your online application, so that you have time to rewrite, edit, and polish your answers. When you sign in, you will have to upload your answers immediately. Use this template to keep track of all your answers.
We get a lot of questions about how the Personal Profile is evaluated.
Reviewers evaluate each essay in your Profile according to these 4 criteria:
Using specific examples, your answers should outline the activities, initiatives, causes, accomplishments, etc. that you’re most proud of and care most about, and the accomplishments you’ve had in those areas.
You should detail what you’ve learned because of these experiences, and how they’ve made you a better person both inside and outside the classroom.
Here are some things to think about to help you get started:
Using specific examples, your answers should discuss experiences/accomplishments where you became a stronger leader and developed leadership skills, like responsibility, reliability, resourcefulness, time management, accountability, and initiative.
Leadership can come in many forms, so don’t feel intimidated if you haven’t had much experience with it. It can be something as simple as a group project where you took the lead, or an extracurricular activity where you stepped up and went above and beyond the call of duty.
Leadership can also be individual, like managing your own time or setting a specific challenge/goal for yourself and making a plan to achieve it.
Here are some things to think about to help you get started:
This guide is for you if you’re thinking about applying to the Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) program at the UBC… Read more
The evaluators want to see that EVERY example, detail, and learning outcome you write about in your answers has a purpose and is meaningful.
They want to see that you’ve really thought about your answers and taken the time to prepare them.
Uniqueness is a HUGE factor here — you don’t want your answers to be basic and the same as everyone else’s. They need to dig beyond the surface and give relevant and interesting insights that other students might not have thought of.
The evaluators also want to see that you’ve built self-awareness and have asked yourself big questions like who you are, what you value, where you want to go, and how you’ll apply the lessons you’ve learned to get there.
If you have filled out our Student Identity Blueprint then pulling out substance and deep personal insight in your essays will be a lot easier (if you haven’t filled out your Blueprint yet, click here to get started or connect with a coach).
The evaluators want to see that you can communicate your ideas in an authentic and memorable way, using storytelling, emotional connection, and character development.
They want to see your personality and voice jump off the page — NOT the same generic essay over and over.
This might seem obvious, but a lot of students don’t know how to articulate their ideas in a genuine way that showcases who they are and explains what makes them different.
Once your Profile has been evaluated according to these criteria, it is compared with other students’ Personal Profiles. Then this score is applied to your overall admission average as well as other admission criteria (e.g. video interview), if applicable.
The UBC Commerce application has 6 questions total, along with the video interview (which we will discuss more below).
Keep reading for a detailed breakdown of each, as well as examples and essay templates.
Explain how you responded to a problem and/or an unfamiliar situation. What did you do, what was the outcome, and what did you learn from the experience? (Maximum 1,500 characters)
As the first question in your Personal Profile, this is where you have the opportunity to make a strong first impression.
This question prompts you to discuss a meaningful experience, where you were required to address a challenge or uncomfortable situation. The important thing here isn’t so much what the situation was, but how you handled adversity and what you learned from it.
Maybe you learned a new strategy for being a leader, or you saw the benefits of getting outside of your comfort zone, or you learned something about yourself.
Go beyond the surface and try to think of a problem/unfamiliar situation that will allow you to provide deep insight and self-awareness. Be as unique as possible, drawing out a learning outcome that is unexpected and memorable.
COACH’S TIP: Paint a vivid and detailed picture as much as possible, showing who you were before this problem and/or unfamiliar situation happened, and then what your initial reaction was, and how you resolved it. Let your personality shine through, while taking the reader on the journey with you.
Choose only experiences where you have a clear learning outcome that has changed who you are and how you view the world. You want to make sure that your answer has substance.
The reviewers want to see that you’ve really thought about why this learning outcome is important and how it can be applied to your life today (and in the future). If you can do this, we guarantee that your essay will stand out from other applicants.
Not sure how to communicate your personal growth and learning in essays like these? Our Narrative Communication Guide is a great place to start, and you can also connect with a coach to take your essay response to the next level.
Get started on your template here (click File > Make a copy and save it to your computer).
REMEMBER: There is a 1,500 character limit for this answer.
Here’s an example of how to answer this question.
REMEMBER: This is an EXAMPLE ONLY and is NOT meant for you to copy. Why? First and foremost, this is plagiarism and is a serious offense. Plagiarizing these essays will result in immediate disqualification from the admissions process. This can be easily detected using technology and application reviewers are usually trained and/or able to spot when an application isn’t original and does not align with an applicant’s background, personality, values, etc.
We live in a global and diverse society. Explain how your community involvement prepares you for the future in this complex world. (Maximum 1500 characters)
Our society is by no means uniform — and that’s what makes it so amazing.
Whether you’re walking around downtown Toronto or taking a day trip to your favourite neighborhood in Vancouver, you’ll see people from all different backgrounds, cultures, religions, sexual orientations, economic standings, etc.
This is exactly what a ‘diverse society’, as outlined in this question, means. A diverse society is a society that’s made up of all types of people with different ethnicities, races, genders, languages, religions, etc., as well as in thought processes, opinions and ideas, life experiences, values, and more.
Diversity also extends far beyond your community or city.
When you scroll through Instagram or Tik Tok, you’ll see posts and videos of people from all around the world showcasing their unique culture, experiences, and interests. In this way, social media has created a ‘global society’ that connects us all. More than ever before, we have access to other ways of life, and this can help us learn, grow, and contribute to this connected society.
A key part of diversity is also inclusion, or accepting everyone’s differences and making an effort to ensure that each person is valued and respected for who they are.
Now that you have a good understanding of what this question means by a global and diverse society, try to think about some ways that you’ve seen diversity (and inclusion) in action.
During your extracurricular involvement in your community, you’ve undoubtedly come across all types of people with difference backgrounds, perspectives, experiences, culture, ideas, language, sexual orientations, etc. And you’ve probably had the chance to share yours as well.
When writing this essay, we recommend choosing one extracurricular experience you had in your community within the last couple of years, when you worked or interacted with a diverse group of people. Maybe it was a fundraiser where you had to work as part of a team or an initiative you joined to help a part of your community that was in need.
You also want to choose one that was particularly meaningful — it should be one that initiated personal growth and changed your view of the world and the people living in it.
Maybe you realized that diverse perspectives actually make a team stronger because they open up various avenues of interpretation when dealing with setbacks and conflict. Or, perhaps you were part of a community project that initiated meaningful dialogue about an important issue or equipped you with the tools you needed to become a responsible global citizen.
Pick an experience where you challenged your views of yourself, and one that taught you something about the world you live in.
The key here is to think about how your community involvement has opened your eyes to new perspectives and will inform your views on diversity going forward. Focus on 1-2 key takeaways (or themes) that you can use as tools in the future to help you become a better person, global citizen, and leader.
Need some help figuring out which community involvement experience to choose? Connect with a coach for support.
REMEMBER: There is a 1,500 character limit for this answer.
Here’s an example for this UBC Sauder Personal Profile question.
REMEMBER: This is an EXAMPLE ONLY and is NOT meant for you to copy. Why? First and foremost, this is plagiarism and is a serious offense. Plagiarizing these essays will result in immediate disqualification from the admissions process. This can be easily detected using technology and application reviewers are usually trained and/or able to spot when an application isn’t original and does not align with an applicant’s background, personality, values, etc.
“List up to five activities or accomplishments in one or more of the following areas:
UBC Sauder wants to see a broad range of activities in your Personal Profile, both inside and outside of school.
Choose extracurricular activities, like volunteer work or being a President of your school’s debate club, hobbies, like learning a new language, interests, like competitive swimming at your local community center, and/or even general activities you enjoy doing with your family, friends, or members of your community, like playing tennis.
COACH’S TIP: As mentioned above, the evaluators DON’T want you to simply list a bunch of activities you have done. Instead, they want you to talk about activities and experiences that have created learning outcomes that have profoundly shaped who you are as a person, while communicating these lessons in a unique, authentic, and memorable way (this will be especially important for the next question, which we will discuss more below).
Choose up to 5 activities that will show the depth and breadth of your experiences. We call this the T Model (learn more about it here).
Here, you have 1-2 big activities that you’ve put a lot of time and effort into (this is the depth, or the vertical part of the ‘T’). For example, this could be a non-profit you started in your community, a fundraising event you organized to help address homelessness in your community, or giving a TEDx talk on an issue you are passionate about. These are BIG accomplishments that you’re super proud of. These should be the first ones in your Personal Profile, so you can wow the committee from the beginning. 🙂
Next, you’ll have 2-3 activities that take less time and effort, but are still super important for helping shape who you are (this is the breadth, or the horizontal part of the ‘T’). For example, these could be an online course you took that ignited your interest in finance management or a summer internship you did that helped you develop your communication and leadership skills.
Structuring your activities in this way will show the evaluators that you have well-rounded experience in many areas.
COACH’S TIP: UBC Sauder receives thousands of applications per year, so creating a unique Personal Profile can be tough. We recommend choosing activities that demonstrate your initiative, teamwork, commitment, and achievement. If you are having trouble, connect with a coach and they will help you out.
We know that identifying (and participating in) activities like this can be difficult, especially if you don’t know where to start. But don’t worry, we’ve got your back. Our unique approach will help you and your coach identify and execute audacious and authentic goals (we call these AYA goals) that are perfectly aligned with your interests and passions, so you can accomplish what you want (and have amazing experiences to talk about on your application). Connect with a coach to get started and check out our Goal-Setting Guide now.
Get started on your template here (click File > Make a copy and save it to your computer).
REMEMBER: There is a maximum of 300 characters per activity.
For this question, you will be asked for the following information:
COACH’S TIP: When you’re applying, you will have to add each activity individually (see the image below for what it looks like). Our template will ensure that you have all the correct information beforehand so you can have everything prepared and proofread.
Here’s an example of a list of activities for this question:
UBC BCom Grad
Youth Coach™
Tell us more about ONE or TWO activities listed above that are most important to you. Please explain the role you played and what you learned in the process. You will be asked for a reference who can speak to your response. (Maximum 2100 characters)
This question gives you the chance to discuss further insight into the impact your experiences have had on you and how they’ve shaped who you are.
We recommend choosing 1 activity to write your essay on so that you can provide enough detail and create a memorable and unique story.
However, if you have two activities that both helped you discover a similar learning outcome, then you can write about 2.
For example, if you volunteered to help organize a fundraising event for Alzeheimer’s research and awareness, you could talk about why you took on this role, and then the leadership skills, time management, team work, and problem solving skills you developed along the way. Talking about this one activity using the template below is perfectly fine. However, let’s say you with the help of your Youth Coach you took your goals to the next level and started your own non-profit to continue the journey to fund research for this disease. This would be a great opportunity to discuss two activities because it shows your dedication and your evolving leadership and interest in entrepreneurship and business.
It’s also important to choose an activity that you genuinely care about, so that you can convey your passion to the admissions committee. Your experiences make up what you value and what you care about. If you completed your Student Identity Blueprint™, it will be really easy to choose activities that align to your Nurtured Values and communicate these values in your Personal Profile. If you haven’t filled out your Blueprint, connect with a coach to get started.
COACH’S TIP: Make sure you give your reference a heads up that UBC Sauder might contact them. Discuss the activity you were involved in, as well as your role, responsibilities, and what you learned as a result of that experience. You can even email some talking points for them to use when Sauder gets in touch with them. You don’t want your essay to give one learning outcome and then your reference to give another, so take the time to make sure the messaging is aligned.
Finally, when discussing what you learned in the process, make sure you really focus on the qualities that Sauder looks for in its students, like leadership, community involvement, team work, and a passion for business.
If you need help deciding which activity to choose, connect with a coach for support. They can help you write an authentic and memorable response that will help you stand out from other applicants and increase your chances of admission success.
Get started on your template here (click File > Make a copy and save it to your computer).
Your essay should have these five components:
Here’s an example from the list of activities in Question 3, from a student who was the President of their school’s economics club.
REMEMBER: Please note that all of the examples in this guide are EXAMPLES ONLY and are NOT meant for you to copy.
Additional Information (Optional): You may wish to use the space below to provide UBC with more information on your academic history to date and/or your future academic plans. For example: How did you choose your courses in secondary school? Are there life circumstances that have affected your academic decisions to date? What have you done to prepare yourself specifically for your intended area of study at UBC? (maximum 600 characters)
So far in your Personal Profile, you’ve given the admissions committee some insight into your experiences and achievements inside and outside of the classroom with volunteer opportunities, extracurriculars, and various other activities.
All of these questions show how you undertake responsibilities, deal with setbacks when they arise, and have grown as a person along the way. Think of this as the development of your interests and passions through the activities you are involved in.
Question 7, on the other hand, focuses less on extracurriculars and other activities, and looks inside the classroom. Here, the reviewers want to know how your academic journey has developed your interest in business and led to you applying to UBC Sauder.
This question is very open-ended so that you can focus on any area that has impacted your academic choices and performance. This is a great place for you to provide more context about any irregularities in your transcripts, like a course you didn’t do the best in or explaining a gap year you took.
If you aren’t sure what to write here (if anything at all), have a look at your Student Identity Blueprint™ to help you identify why your interest in business began, your achievements thus far, and the skills/values that helped shape this interest (and who you are more generally). If you haven’t already completed your Blueprint, connect with a coach to get started on one.
The most important thing to focus on for this question is how your courses in high school helped you develop your interest in business, which you are then continuing to explore at UBC Sauder.
You can discuss a gradual development over time or a specific event that changed academic choices/plans.
Focus on business courses as much as you can here, like Business Studies, Accounting, or Entrepreneurship. Think about such questions as:
COACH’S TIP: Use specific details and talk about the emotions you experienced as much as you can. This will help create an emotional connection with the reader and transport them into exactly what you felt during the situation/experience you are talking about.
If you are unsure how to approach this question, connect with a coach to find an authentic angle that will connect with the reviewers while communicating your unique journey.
Get started on your template here (click File > Make a copy and save it to your computer).
REMEMBER: There is a 600 character limit for this answer.
If you choose to answer this question, your response should have these components that are in line with our Narrative Communication Approach™:
Here’s an example of an answer to this question:
REMEMBER: Please note that all of the examples in this guide are EXAMPLES ONLY and are NOT meant for you to copy.
Please submit the names of two referees who know you well and can comment on your preparedness for study at UBC. Examples of referees include an employer, a community member, a coach, a teacher/instructor, or anyone who knows you well. One of the referees you select MUST be able to speak to one of the activities / experiences described in one of your long-answer responses above. For applicants who are currently attending a high school, one of your referees MUST be a school official (e.g. grade 12 or senior year counsellor, teacher, or IB Coordinator). Neither referee should be a friend, family member, or paid agent.
The purpose of this question is so that UBC Sauder can verify the activities, experiences, and learning outcomes you discussed in the previous questions.
Before listing the names and contact information for your references, make sure that you ask them for permission first, so that if they get a call or email from UBC Sauder then they’re not surprised.
You will need the following information:
Here an example of the information for this section:
If you’re looking for UBC Personal Profile questions, examples, and prep tips, then you’ve come to the right place. We… Read more
The video interview is the second major component of your UBC Commerce application.
Here’s a quick snapshot of what to expect:
As mentioned above, the video interview is worth 20% of your overall admission evaluation. That’s a lot, so you want to make sure you’re hitting this component out of the park. 🙂
UBC Commerce is looking for students who are articulate, passionate, and dedicated. They learned a bit about you in your Personal Profile, but now they can get even more insight into who you are, what you’ve experienced, what your interests are, and why you want to be a UBC Sauder student.
The admissions committee also wants to see that you can work well under pressure, have the drive to succeed in the program, and can think critically and solve problems.
We know video interviews are super scary, but trust us — feeling prepared will give you a TON of confidence so you can do a great job on the interview.
That’s why we created this guide to give you possible questions, tips to prepare, and more, so you can let your personality and confident self shine!
We know that interviews are super scary! We’ve analyzed thousands of questions and come up with a unique way to prepare for the most common types of interview questions, so you can ace any questions that comes your way. To learn more, check out our Interview Prep Skills Guide here. It’s full of useful templates and prep tips to help you feel more confident going into the interview. If you want to take your interview prep to the next level, connect with a coach for 1-on-1 support. 🙂
Here are some examples of the types of questions you can expect for your video interview:
You’ll notice that most of these questions are personal questions, meaning they’re all about you — like who you are, what you value, what you would do in a certain situation, your interests, and the experiences you have had working on your own and with others.
These questions are meant to gauge how you react to situations and how you apply key skills like leadership, problem solving, organization, and time management, in all areas of your life.
COACH’S TIP: Don’t waste your valuable time coming up with different answers to every single practice question. We’ve identified 10 common themes that personal questions fall into and broken each theme down, and provided templates and examples of each type so you’ll be prepared to answer any question that comes your way. Check out the themes and much more in our Interview Skills Guide.
The admissions committee also wants to see that you have self-awareness. This means that they want to make sure you know what your skills are (and what you need to improve on), what you value, and how you plan to make a difference in the world.
It may seem obvious and you’re probably thinking, “Duh.. of course I know what I’m good at and what I care about.”
This might surprise you, but very few students actually focus on self-awareness. You might think you have it all figured out, but it’s probably more surface-level than you think.
That’s why we have a whole phase in our coaching methodology (the Discovery phase) where we use a Student Identity Blueprint™ to help you figure out who you are and what makes you tick. Then, when questions like these are asked during the interview, you’ll know EXACTLY how to respond.
If you haven’t already, connect with a coach to get started on your Student Identity Blueprint™.
When preparing for this section of the UBC Sauder BCom application, practice is key.
Open up your camera and choose a few questions from the section above. Record yourself and practice answering the questions as best you can. Trust us, after a little while you’ll get better and then you’ll have the confidence to do a great interview. You can also work 1-on-1 with your coach and do mock interviews (if you haven’t already, connect with a coach)!
To help get you started, one of our Youth Coaches has recorded two video question examples.
Here’s an example for the video question: “Is it better to submit average quality work, on time; or high quality work, but late? Explain.”
Here’s another example for the question: “Who has been a role model for you? What have they taught you about responsibility and respect?”.
Many students ask us for tips for preparing for the UBC Sauder video interview component of their application.
Here are the ones we think will help you the most for your video interview:
It seems silly, but it is common to get off track and later realize you didn’t answer the question. Break down each part of the question into smaller components, and address each one as you move through your answer.
Sometimes when you know you have a limited amount of time you might speed through everything like a mad race against the clock. As you answer the question, remember to take a breath and pause between your sentences to allow the reviewer time to process what you said. Focus on speaking clearly and slowly.
Remember that every answer you give should tell the interviewer something about you that boosts your application, even if the question isn’t about you.
Highlight your skills and experiences, show that you have thought about goals, and use the questions to help the admissions committee learn more about you (and want to have you as a part of the program).
Your answers should be clear and to the point, leaving out unnecessary information. During the interview, don’t ramble — get to the point and be clear. It is better to have a short, concise answer than a convoluted answer that is redundant and possibly unfocused.
When preparing for your video questions make sure that you come across as a young professional with something special to offer the program. How can you do this?
While it’s important to be professional, it’s also important to have fun with these questions. The admissions committee wants to admit unique people who have a shining personality and the experiences to match. Show them who you are and be yourself.
The admissions committee reviews thousands of applications. You’ll never stand out if your answers are the same as everyone else’s, so come up with answers that are unique.
For example, if there’s a question that asks “Describe a time when you had to adapt” don’t simply talk about how COVID made everything more difficult. Instead, you can talk about a leadership experience where you took on a challenge and tried something that hadn’t been done before. Then, shift the question into talking about your successes and what you learned from the experience.
Trying to come up with a different approach is important and you should only resort to these easy answers if you get stuck. Using storytelling to create an emotional connection with the reviewers can also make a huge difference in creating a unique, authentic, and memorable application. Check out this blog about our Narrative Communication Approach™ to learn more.
If you would like more tips to help you prepare, as well as the chance to up your game and do some mock interviews, connect with a coach today. Our coaches have helped hundreds of students do great interviews and achieve admissions success!
Even though you’ll do dozens of interviews during the course of your academic and professional career, you’ve probably had no… Read more
Even though you might not know exactly what questions you’re going to be asked, it will help to think generally about a few themes and ideas that you can use across various types of questions.
Here are some themes you can draw upon as you’re thinking about your answers.
It is very likely that there may be a question around leadership. To prepare for this, make sure you know a few examples of how you have shown leadership in the past. It is important to not just explain what the leadership role you had, but actually how you demonstrated that leadership (being the President of a club doesn’t necessarily mean you are a good leader).
UBC Sauder wants students who are actively involved in the community (you’ll also notice a question about it on your Personal Profile). Community involvement shows commitment, selflessness, and passion, but also because it highlights time management. Make sure you have 1 or 2 examples of how you have been involved in your community. As much as possible, quantify the impact you had.
There is often a question about how you have dealt with conflict. This is mainly around how you have dealt with conflict in a team setting or a potential inflammatory situation. Remember to not just focus on the problem, but more so the resolution or lessons learned.
In addition to conflict in team settings, a lot of the time there are questions about how you have worked in a team effectively. Once again, make sure you can clearly define how you succeed in the team, and not just the team’s success.
There are questions that are really just structured around seeing how you handle pressure and manage your time. Be sure to really explain why the example you are giving is a good example of how you can manage your time and operate under stressful situations.
This is an opportunity for you to discuss something you have achieved. For this, try to think of something that is differentiated and you can really explain how you achieved it, and why that achievement will help you at UBC Sauder.
In short, you need to know why you want to study business, and how it will lead to a future career. Be specific and think ambitiously.
Similarly, you need to be able to concisely communicate why you want to attend UBC Sauder. Make sure to do lots of research and use it in your answer. The more depth to your research, the more differentiated your answer will be. In all of your answers, make sure you have a statement (or a ‘pitch’) at the end of each answer that shows exactly why you are the perfect fit for the program and how you would add value to their program as a student.
If you want to learn how you can align these themes to your unique interests and experiences, check out our Interview Skills Guide and connect with a coach now.
The UBC Sauder Application is made up of two parts (see below for how each is evaluated):
REMEMBER: The Online Application for UBC Sauder BCom (including the Personal Profile, Interview, and all required documents) must be submitted by January 15, 2023 at 11:59pm PST.
The entire application must be submitted through a platform called EducationPlannerBC, where you will write your Personal Profile. The video responses are completed through a third-party site called Vidcruiter. Once you have recorded your responses, you will copy and paste the confirmation URL from Vidcruiter into your EducationPlannerBC application.
The 2021/2022 UBC Commerce Personal Profile has short written essays with 6 questions that are focused on your experiences, leadership opportunities, interests, and more. This part of the application counts for 30% of the overall evaluation.
As mentioned above, your Personal Profile counts for 30% of your overall evaluation.
REMEMBER: Check out this template we created to help you write unique and memorable essays (keep reading for breakdowns and examples for each question).
“Explain how you responded to a problem and/or an unfamiliar situation. What did you do, what was the outcome, and what did you learn from the experience?” (Maximum 1,500 characters)
As the first question in your Personal Profile, this is where you have the opportunity to make a strong first impression.
This question prompts you to discuss a meaningful experience, where you were required to address a challenge or uncomfortable situation. The important thing here isn’t so much what the situation was, but how you handled adversity and what you learned from it.
Maybe you learned a new strategy for being a leader, or you saw the benefits of getting outside of your comfort zone, or you learned something about yourself.
Go beyond the surface and try to think of a problem/unfamiliar situation that will allow you to provide deep insight and self-awareness. Be as unique as possible, drawing out a learning outcome that is unexpected and memorable.
COACH’S TIP: Paint a vivid and detailed picture as much as possible, showing who you were before this problem and/or unfamiliar situation happened, and then what your initial reaction was, and how you resolved it. Let your personality shine through, while taking the reader on the journey with you.
Choose only experiences where you have a clear learning outcome that has changed who you are and how you view the world. You want to make sure that your answer has substance.
The reviewers want to see that you’ve really thought about why this learning outcome is important and how it can be applied to your life today (and in the future). If you can do this, we guarantee that your essay will stand out from other applicants.
Not sure how to communicate your personal growth and learning in essay questions like these? Our Narrative Communication Guide is a great place to start, and you can also connect with a coach to take your essay response to the next level.
Get started on your template here (click File > Make a copy and save it to your computer).
REMEMBER: There is a 1,500 character limit for this answer.
Here’s an example of how to answer this question.
REMEMBER: These examples are examples ONLY and are not meant for you to copy.
“Give us an example of how the pandemic has changed your involvement in the community or group most important to you. What have you learned from this experience? (Maximum 1500 characters)”
This question is similar to Question 1 because it again asks you to discuss your ability to adapt and learn during difficult situations. Think of the pandemic here as similar to the problem/unfamiliar situation you talked about in Question 1.
Then, take it one step further and give insight into who you are by describing the causes, activities, and community initiatives you care most about.
Even though we know that COVID was super stressful for everyone, don’t be overly negative in your answer. Instead, draw out 1-2 positive opportunities and experiences it has provided to you as a leader, like pivoting your perspective or driving personal growth and change, teaching you something you didn’t know about yourself, evolving your skills, etc.
Similar to Question 1, you should provide deep personal insight and learning outcomes, while using your chosen experience to highlight your passion, dedication, and commitment. Be as unique as possible. Go beyond simply saying “The pandemic was hard because everything closed.” Instead, paint the picture of your involvement in your community/group before COVID (‘before’) and then talk about how you faced this challenge and came out better in the end (‘after’). Take the reader on a journey with you, while describing your emotions and showcasing your personality.
For example, if you volunteer as Vice President Events and Fundraising at your local Salvation Army, you could use this experience as an example to talk about your how your interest in helping the underprivileged population of your community started because your parents immigrated to Canada when you were young and you saw how hard it was for them to make ends meet. This valuable context will help you establish a strong emotional connection with the reader (and it will make your answer more memorable). Then, you could move into the COVID-19 portion of the question, where you discuss how your involvement shifted and what you learned from that.
The most important thing here is to write an authentic and memorable story that articulates who you are as well as your growth, learning, and change over time. To make this process easier for you, we’ve developed the Narrative Communication Approach™ so you can create memorable essays using storytelling. Read more about it here or connect with a coach to learn how to use it in your Personal Profile responses.
Get started on your template here (click File > Make a copy and save it to your computer).
Your essay should have these five components:
Here’s an example of how to answer this question:
