Doing a certificate before applying to OT

[Sasha111]

I'm a second year kinesiology student planning to do a masters in OT at either Western, UofT, or Queens. My grades are mediocre. To better my application and resume do you guys think doing a certificate related to OT can help with my application? I know the grades I get from my certificate won't count towards my GPA but would it make me stand out more? I'm thinking of either doing Certificate in Disability Management at University of Guelph or mental health/ addictions certificate at Ryerson (Both are taught online). Not sure which would be a better fit. 

Any advice would greatly be appreciated. 

Thanks

[MMZ]

15 hours ago, Sasha111 said:

I'm a second year kinesiology student planning to do a masters in OT at either Western, UofT, or Queens. My grades are mediocre. To better my application and resume do you guys think doing a certificate related to OT can help with my application? I know the grades I get from my certificate won't count towards my GPA but would it make me stand out more? I'm thinking of either doing Certificate in Disability Management at University of Guelph or mental health/ addictions certificate at Ryerson (Both are taught online). Not sure which would be a better fit. 

Any advice would greatly be appreciated. 

Thanks

In terms of the written portions of the application, you would write about your experiences that would help you become a successful OT. It wouldn't hurt to include that and relate how components of it mirror responsibilities of an OT, similar to how you would relate jobs and volunteer experiences to it. Ultimietly, I would use that certification to help you get these opportunities for experience.

 

My first two yers were bad too, but as long as you do well in your final two years of undergraduate studies and get some experience related (the certificate could help with finding related job/volunteer experiences), you could definitely get into a school.

[maybePT]

Do well in your last 60 credits, certificates won't really help your application if your grades are low. Real life experience, reference letters, and Casper scores do though. You still have time to improve. Keep doing classes until your gpa is where you want it to be.