My professional aspirations are to work with children and youth who struggle with mental illness. Since the opportunities for an OT professional are so vast, it is difficult for me to foresee precisely where this would take me. I want to be in a career that involves a substantial amount of face-to-face interaction and presents me with novel challenges that will help me to grow professionally.
I want to serve as an advocate for people with mental illness and in the education of the general population about mental illness. In time, after completing a master's degree at ____ and gaining additional professional experience, I would like to pursue a Ph.D. in OT and teach at the college or university level. The common theme that I want to incorporate in my own professional career, as well as with those whom I have the privilege of assisting, is the importance of contributing to society in some meaningful way.
____ is my first choice for graduate study because I moved to Halifax in January of 2007 to live with family, and I depend upon their support to make the most of graduate school. My fiancé also lives here, and I intend to stay in the city for a long time. ____ is the only school nearby with an OT Program. Most of all, however, I am attracted to ____’s excellent academic reputation throughout Canada. In addition, I was introduced to a professor in the Occupational Therapy department through family and I have had the honor of working with Drs. XXXX and XXXX, both in the department. I was most impressed by their outstanding knowledge and winning personalities. It would indeed be a most exciting privilege for me to become their student.
While working in the OT department at ____, I have been impressed by everyone’s friendliness and good cheer and I am convinced that I would thrive in this environment. Throughout my undergraduate education, I have prepared myself for graduate study in an OT Program, taking many Psychology, Religion, and Bioethics courses that have given me a solid grasp of the Social Sciences. I took a course in “Statistics for the Natural Sciences” and have also used statistical analysis in a research project that I did concerning animal behavior. My current employment as a Market Research Associate also involves some statistical work. I did not get a good grade in the statistics course because I was sick at that time, but I excel with numbers. I also see the work that I have done under Dr. ____ in her Family Food Study as constituting important social science experience.
Finishing my B.Sc. in Biopharmaceutical Science with Honours, with a Concentration in Genomics (2006), in addition to molecular biology, I also studied statistics, physics, calculus, chemistry, and pharmaceuticals. My honors project involved the study of the link between genetic recombination/mutation and evolution in plants and I conducted various cloning and radioactivity experiments, choosing to work with plants rather than animals because of my Buddhist background. My undergraduate studies took me 6 years to complete because I was plagued by a severe illness that has taken me 8 years to completely overcome. I now feel strong enough to resume full-time study.
I was raised by my father in a divided household. Both my father and my younger brother are affected by Asperger's Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a form of Autism, although my father has not been officially diagnosed. People with ASD tend to live very intellectual lives. Emotions are not their strong point. Thus, I was raised to believe that intellectual success was all important. Enjoying problem-solving and science I sought a Science degree at the University of Ottawa (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada). Although I enjoyed the challenges the degree posed, I was left with a fundamental dissatisfaction. As I had the opportunity to mature spiritually and emotionally and restore my physical health, I came to realize that I was missing the heart and soul component in my life and that working in a laboratory setting would not provide that missing part.
Now, therefore, I want so very much to attend your program because it represents precisely what my heart most craves, a career that continuously provides problem-solving challenges but also has that other intangible aspect of human compassion. During my healing process, I attended a Day Treatment program at the Ottawa Hospital (2007). There I had my first encounter with an Occupational Therapist. She was highly intelligent, caring, giving, and very compassionate. I credit her with much of my success in healing and she has inspired me to pursue a career in Occupational Therapy. Giving my all to your lovely academic community would be a profound honor and I thank you for consideration of my application.
OT Occupational Therapy Master's Personal Statement