General Admissions & OTCAS OTD and research

[Sawyer95]

Hi! I am planning to apply to a few OTD programs this fall (Belmont, Washington University (STL), and Huntington). I have so many questions.

1. RESEARCH VS. VOLUNTEER/ EXTRA CURRICULAR: I am currently in an psychology undergrad with a minor in wellness. I have done a fair amount of volunteer work (with kids and older adults, etc.). However, my background is mostly in research.

How much should I emphasize my research experience in my personal statement? I am extremely passionate about research and teaching and hope to transition to academia eventually, but I understand that "hands-on" experience is also critical in a well-rounded applicant (and clinician ). Most of my research has been pretty related to the OT field (infant visual perception, exercise interventions for older adults, disability experience research, etc.), I am just not sure how much comparable weight those experiences hold.

2. RESEARCH EXPERIENCE: Also, has anyone else done a plethora of research prior to OTD school entry and found that to be (more or less) helpful in their program?

3. STATISTICS BACKGROUND: What kind of statistical software is typically used? I have SPSS competency (with syntax), but I have little experience in any other coding language and no experience in modeling or using data mining software. Should I familiarize myself with another program? Ought software skills be mentioned in the personal statement?

4. FACULTY MENTOR: How much of a role does the faculty play as a mentor? I know in traditional Ph.D programs prospective students are encouraged to contact faculty with aligned research interests to see if they are "taking students" this year. OT is challenging because there seems to be little access to faculty CVs or publications. Should I preemptively contact faculty?

Thanks to whoever read all that. Ha!

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[Sawyer95]

I truly believe that your research will set you apart especially due to the subject matter. If you are passionate about it I would say emphasize it. When the university reads your personal statement they want to feel your passion and see what you are going to be able to bring to the world of OT. Might I suggest doing a bit of research on the universities to which you are applying and see if a faculty member may have similar research interests to your own. If you find this to be the case it may be worth it to feature your experience in that area in your essay as it may catch their eye. But don't overshadow your other experiences as the more well versed you are the better. Also since you seem to have the research aspect down to a science might I suggest branching out and showing your versatility by getting some more hands on experience if you feel as though that may be an area you need to bulk up on. You never know maybe the OT you work with has a research project you could get involved in or you might be inspired with new ideas for a project while you are volunteering.
As far as contacting a faculty member, if the schools you are looking into have any sort of open house or information session it may benefit you to attend if possible. You may meet faculty who are conducting research while you are there and you could ask questions / share your research experience and make a great first impression. As far as software skills I can't be much help to you there. Best of luck in your endeavors!

Fantastic! That was very helpful.