Certificates

[MmmCoffee]

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I'm finishing a bachelor's of kinesiology next year, and I will be taking a year off before applying to PT schools. One option during this time is to take a few more classes at my university to get a certificate in fitness assessment/exercise physiology. The classes would be exercise therapy, fitness consulting, epidemiology and business skills.

I have read a few posts on here about certifications. Many people have said that they don't think personal training certifications (or other certs, such as athletic training) make any difference in PT applications, but I haven't seen any explanations why not. It surprises me that people are saying this, since having training experience shows knowledge of the body, interest in healthcare, and one-on-one experience in fitness assessment -- all aspects closely aligned with PT.

So my questions is: Could it be an advantage for applications? If not, why not? Because only GPA/GRE matter? Does personal training provide a flexible and decently job while in PT school? Could it be useful later on as a working PT?

Thank you!

 

[jblil]

Certificates in personal training could make a difference if an AdCom has to decide between two applicants who are equal in every other aspect. In real life, I think the chances of having identical applicants are quasi-zero. That's why such certificates are not that useful for applications to PT school. FWIW, a couple of my classmates went for the CSCS certificate in our last semester of PT school. They told me they didn't learn much, if anything, that wasn't already covered in our classes.

Does personal training provide a flexible & decent job while in PT school? In your first year, no. You won't have much free time. In subsequent years? May be, if you get the right mix of clients - i.e., private clients, and not those you get from working for a gym. The indeed.com website has a few forums on/about personal trainers: http://www.indeed.com/forum/job/Personal-Trainer.html

Edit: I just took a look at some of the discussions above... I'm not sure I want to work with many of the trainers who post there. Their grammar, syntax, and general knowledge leave a lot to be desired. Say what you want about the "D" in DPT, but I do believe that we come out better-educated than the majority of personal trainers.

 

[bap03]

It depends on the program (like everything else) in my experience. Unfortunately, there's really no way to figure out how an individual program will react to have a professional certification. I have my CSCS and it was specifically brought up by the program director at one of my interviews. They said they liked to see that type of validation that shows an applicant has advanced knowledge of the body.

No other programs made any mention of it in my interviews, so I don't know whether it was weighed heavily or not. I would think that more often than not it could possibly just be a tie-breaker like jblil said.

 

[epicpt89]

It depends on the program (like everything else) in my experience. Unfortunately, there's really no way to figure out how an individual program will react to have a professional certification. I have my CSCS and it was specifically brought up by the program director at one of my interviews. They said they liked to see that type of validation that shows an applicant has advanced knowledge of the body.

No other programs made any mention of it in my interviews, so I don't know whether it was weighed heavily or not. I would think that more often than not it could possibly just be a tie-breaker like jblil said.

well that is good to know because I was going for my CSCS and wanted to train a few people during my downtime before I started applying as well.

 

[starrsgirl]

My reservation with recommending a certificate of this type is that it seems like applicants get hooked on getting it as a way to strengthen a somewhat weak application. Getting a certificate in no way will make up for low pre req GPA, GRE scores, or PT observation hours. If you have a year off, there may be other areas that are more worth your time in making yourself competitive. Why are you taking a gap year? Do you need to retake classes? I wouldn't want a certification to take away from other things you need to do to strengthen your application.

In terms of practical experience, being a personal trainer really helps me in exercise design and experience working with patients of all types. But I didn't feel like it was a strong factor in my acceptance into school.

 

[MmmCoffee]

Thanks for the replies!

I have my CSCS and it was specifically brought up by the program director at one of my interviews. They said they liked to see that type of validation that shows an applicant has advanced knowledge of the body.

This is good to know. I'm glad to know that some AdComs see it this way.

My reservation with recommending a certificate of this type is that it seems like applicants get hooked on getting it as a way to strengthen a somewhat weak application. Getting a certificate in no way will make up for low pre req GPA, GRE scores, or PT observation hours.

I can see how some people might want to do that. In my case, it's not to make up for deficiencies. I just want to get more knowledge about fitness and exercise therapy. I'm taking a gap year because of the timing of when my grades will appear on my transcript, which is relevant to my application.

 

[MmmCoffee]

If you have a year off, there may be other areas that are more worth your time in making yourself competitive.

Could you give an example of other areas? I don't have to repeat any classes, and I don't have to take the GRE because I'm in Canada. I've exceeded the recommended number of volunteering hours.

My main concern with this option is appearing unfocused, because exercise physiology is more on the side of prevention rather than rehab. But two of the four courses I would have to take are related to disease and exercise therapy, so maybe it's not too far off. I just don't want to appear erratic on my application, as if I'm jumping from one plan to another. Mostly I just want to gain more knowledge. My bachelor's program is an accelerated 2-year thing because all my gen-ed classes were already done before I started. Adding this certificate program to my bachelor's would give me a third year of relevant studies on my transcript, and it's part time so I'd be able to work and pay back some of the student debt I've incurred thus far.

Again, thanks for sharing your experiences/advice.

 

[starrsgirl]

When are your classes finished? If you are finished after the summer term, there is plenty of time to apply this cycle and it sounds like you could be ready. Or if you are finishing next May, you can still apply this cycle (assuming you don't have too many pre reqs left). If you need to wait until next cycle to apply, you can apply as early as July. In that case, it really doesn't matter what you do in that year while you are applying....that stuff won't be part of your application as you will have already submitted. I don't think I"m understanding your time line very well. If you can apply earlier, I encourage you to do that and just get ready for school...save the money you would spend on these extra classes.