1. I wouldn't say that we get "major" experience, but we do get significantly more clinical time as 1st and 2nd year goes on. We work in the OMT clinic a couple times a semester and practice writing our notes for those patients, and we have mandatory primary care and specialty shadowing days a few times a semester 2nd year as well. I have performed procedures on patients during these days.
2. I won't lie and say that there is research for everyone, because there isn't. But there are 5 or 6 projects that you can apply to work on at any given time. Only about half of those are basic science research. I have friends who have gotten to do case reviews for doctors they have worked with shadowing that they will be authors on though.
3. Right now emergency medicine, but I can also see myself being happy with family medicine if the merger ends up hurting DO specialty chances.