Personal Statements question

[aer621]

Hey all,

I'm trying to include one of my research jobs (which was in language and emotion perception) into my personal statement, but I'm not sure if there's a way to connect it to the rest of my essay (which is about my interest in trauma. I've really tried connecting the two, but anything I've written sounds like a stretch. I volunteered at the lab for two year--should I just not write about it? Is there a way to incorporate it into my statement that I'm not thinking of? 

Also, I'm only applying to Psy.D. programs, so the research is less relevant, but it might still be important since it was two years of research experience.

Thank you in advance!!

[JoePianist]

Psy. D programs still expect some research experience from the top applicants, so you’d best mention your psychology-related lab experience!! 

[sassyyetclassy]

When you were doing literature reviews or work on language and emotion perception, did you find any studies on how either of those relate to trauma? I would try to frame it as "my work doing X in X research lab made me aware of these studies on trauma, which informs my decision to study...."

[Jay's Brain]

Rather than connect the dots at face value between emotions/perception and trauma (although I agree that you can browse through the literature like @sassyyetclassy suggested -- emotions and trauma are clearly well-linked), perhaps you can explain the skills you developed over the two years that you spent with that lab. Two years is not a short period of time, and hopefully you were able to build a strong background of knowledge and experiences from that role. Those skills, the populations that you may have worked with, and the theory that you used during your work, may be transferable to your current interests in trauma research.  

[aer621]

Thank you all for your input! You've all given great advice!