<p>Perhaps especially for UR Admissions ...</p>
<p>If a student is interested in allied health professions, is there any special type of counseling to guide those students? Speech, occupational, physical therapy? Who's done this? How many? When? Where did they go? Is there ability to design own major? If so, lend a reality check on how difficult, cumbersome this can be to do at Richmond? How many graduated in 07 and 08 with such?</p>
<p>Who could advise about specific track record in any/each of these areas?</p>
<p>Aside from those going on to Ph.D., JD, DMD, MD type tracks, I confess that the old liberal arts line of "yea, but in 10 years they'll all be working for that philosophy major from Swarthmore" has less and less credibility. Sounds good, is chronically used. But little compelling evidence of validity. The new one is ... "well, we'll all have 27 jobs and 8 different careers" ... is of course true, but aside from start point, and credits accumulated that count when we return for retreading, well sorta the same old tune.</p>
<p>Can you help specifically on the vocational pre-therapy questions, now that I feel better? ;)</p>
<p>I can't help with your questions regarding health and pre-med, but I can give you a little bit of insight into the interdisciplinary major that Richmond offers (the design your own).</p>
<p>There was an article in the student paper last spring about how many interdisciplinary majors graduated last year, and I think it was in the twenties, but I'm not positive. If it's something that you're considering, you have to be very proactive about it. It is recommended that you start talking to potential advisers and the chair of the program early during your sophomore year. There's both a major and a minor available, and you, along with your advisers, have to put together your curriculum, your purpose, a potential thesis topic, etc.--all before you propose it and actually declare it. Both of my roommates are interdisciplinary majors. One is caught up with having to declare it--and thus proposing her research topic--before the study abroad deadline in February, and the other declared at the end of her freshman year. There are a couple of departments that are inherently interdisciplinary, International Studies and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies being two of them. I believe there is also a Cognitive Science IDST major already developed, and there are others that I'm not familiar with. </p>
<p>In terms of how possible it is... It appears to be very possible, but the student has to be responsible about it and passionate about their area of choice. The professors that I know, and the professors that my roommates have worked with, have all been very willing to help them plan and execute their majors, but there is a major emphasis on the planning. </p>
<p>Andddd I they apparently just redesigned the IDST website, which is here: University</a> of Richmond Arts & Sciences: Interdisciplinary Studies
You'll be able to find a lot more information there than I can give you :)</p>
<p>Hi Whistle--</p>
<p>Richmond has a strong Pre-Health Professions program. I've just e-mailed the director (who is a full-time, dedicated to this effort, Ph.D) to ask him for more information for you. Whether or not he's answering e-mail at this stage of the game, I'm not sure, but when I hear from him, I will respond to the specifics of the question. You can read more about the Pre-Health Professions program at: University</a> of Richmond: Health Professions. </p>
<p>And maybe I'm just bleary from reading too many applications at the moment, but I confess not to understand the paragraph of your post about philosophy at Swarthmore. . . if you want to clarify I can try to comment. </p>
<p>I hope you get a little break over the holidays. I'm going to probably sign off this forum until after January 2 and try to focus on the season and my family for a bit. But I'll be back after that!</p>
<p>UR Admissions</p>
<p>Here's what our Director of Pre-Health Professions had to say about Whistle Pig's Question</p>
<p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Most of our pre-allied health students are looking at becoming physical therapists, pharmacists, or physician assistants. We haven't had anyone go into an occupational therapy program in several years. We have had students go into speech therapy graduate programs, though. I think the Department of Rhetoric and Communication Studies keeps track of these students. </p>
<p>I, of course, would work with any student considering occupational or physical therapy for a career. Unlike med/vet/dent, the allied health programs usually vary quite a bit from school to school in terms of their prerequisites. Pre-OT student should be able to pick up all of the prerequisites for OT school while at UR. This also applies for most PT programs with the exception of human anatomy/physiology. The bottom line, though, is that it is possible. During the past two years we have had 3 graduates go on to DPT programs (at Univ. of Miami, Univ. of Delaware, and Emory Univ.).</p>
<p>~~~~~~~~~~~~~</p>
<p>Let me know if I can further clarify any of this!</p>
<p>UR Admissions</p>
<p>Just more illustration of why this UR site is so terrific! :) You guys absolutely blow me away with the amazing effort you make to give it to inquiring minds straight skinny and in such an nice, timely way.</p>
<p>I don't care what those other guys from W&M say ... you're the best!!;)</p>
<p>Thanks for helping!! And may we all remember that the Season's Reason has nothing to do with Hannukah, Kwanza, Festivus or any other add-ons. :confused: Merry Christmas to all ... :cool:</p>
<p>Is W&M bad-mouthing us? I'll give them a piece of my mind! (They're just jealous!). </p>
<p>Best--</p>
<p>UR Admissions</p>
<p>I'm curious--is there a reason why you haven't had very many of your pre-allied health students go into Occupational Therapy? This is the career my daughter is interested in. She's a junior in h.s.</p>
<p>I know your post is old, so I may not see a reply, but I thought I would ask, anyway.</p>
<p>I have to say I don't know why we don't see much activity for things such as OT. Perhaps students who are interested in such fields as early as 11th grade may not consider a liberal arts college experience but instead be drawn to the more comprehensive universities where the major offerings seem to link up in a more linear way to the career they hope to pursue? That would be my guess. Just from a point-of-view standpoint, we (at the pre-admission stage) don't often spend a lot of time doing career prep--but instead have a much more broad, critical inquiry education prep--kind of outlook, so perhaps that is not appealing to students who are already so focused on a specific career. Maybe it would be worth contacting an OT admission office and talking about the differences in preparation that their students bring to the professional program from liberal arts colleges vs. comprehensive universities. That might shed some light. </p>
<p>I hope that helps!</p>
<p>I have to say I don't know why we don't see much activity for things such as OT. Perhaps students who are interested in such fields as early as 11th grade may not consider a liberal arts college experience but instead be drawn to the more comprehensive universities where the major offerings seem to link up in a more linear way to the career they hope to pursue? That would be my guess. Just from a point-of-view standpoint, we (at the pre-admission stage) don't often spend a lot of time doing career prep--but instead have a much more broad, critical inquiry education prep--kind of outlook, so perhaps that is not appealing to students who are already so focused on a specific career. Maybe it would be worth contacting an OT admission office and talking about the differences in preparation that their students bring to the professional program from liberal arts colleges vs. comprehensive universities. That might shed some light. </p>
<p>I hope that helps!</p>
<p>Thank you! Yes, it did help. And, I understand exactly what you're saying. In fact, this is why my daughter is more interested in a school such as USC (University of Southern CA) or Boston U where both offer a 5 year BS/MS in OT. Some of these schools will call it a Health Science degree. Others will simply say Pre-OT or a BS in OT. Either way, a Masters is now needed to practice as an Occupational Therapist, regardless. It does seem practical to get started right away in the field one is interested in. Even more so if they are guaranteed admission to the Grad program. Or at least made easier.</p>
<p>I was just thinking that if she doesn't get accepted to any of these schools with this undergraduate-to-graduate degree program, it would be nice to find a school that might offer a health science major for pre-allied health professions. Or Human Development. Some schools even offer a Kinesiology degree with an emphasis on the medical aspect. </p>
<p>OT grad programs don't require that the undergraduate degree needs to be science or health related. In fact, many of them prefer that their grad students have a well-rounded liberal education. But it also makes sense to major in something somewhat closely related to what a student plans to get their advanced degree in later, in my opinion.</p>
<p>Thanks once again for taking the time to reply! I'm a bit late with my own reply.</p>
<hr>
<p>URAdmissions replied:</p>
<p>I have to say I don't know why we don't see much activity for things such as OT. Perhaps students who are interested in such fields as early as 11th grade may not consider a liberal arts college experience but instead be drawn to the more comprehensive universities where the major offerings seem to link up in a more linear way to the career they hope to pursue? That would be my guess. Just from a point-of-view standpoint, we (at the pre-admission stage) don't often spend a lot of time doing career prep--but instead have a much more broad, critical inquiry education prep--kind of outlook, so perhaps that is not appealing to students who are already so focused on a specific career. Maybe it would be worth contacting an OT admission office and talking about the differences in preparation that their students bring to the professional program from liberal arts colleges vs. comprehensive universities. That might shed some light. </p>
<p>I hope that helps!</p>
<p>UR admissions:
I think I read somewhere on a facebook thread that if you get a high enough score on your SAT IIs in spanish you can pass out.
Can i still take this test as a senior and have it count for credit (I took spanish 5 regular instead of AP) or is there some sort of testing out option later on... ????</p>