My eldest daughter has always been a leader. I guess being born into a family with female amazonas, she can’t help but also be one. 😛 From my maternal grandma who was widowed early & had to take care of her 8 children & fend on her own, to my mom who was separated early in her marriage & ran a business on top of a household & took care of her 2 kids, to.. well, me. 🙂

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Granny, Mommy, the brilliant baby, and me. Pardon the perm. I was young & foolish! 😛

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I have seen this trait in her even when she was young. Alongside, I also saw how intelligent she was, and simply brilliant. I know most mothers think this of their child, but in my case, I can honestly say that from the time I put her in school until now, she has never given me a below average mark in school. Even when I haven’t shown indication at all that I demand perfect grades. I’ve always been lax in that aspect but I’m just naturally lucky that all my kids are self-driven.

As early as 1.5 years old, she took to puzzles instead of dolls for toys. And she solved them too! She liked building activities that used hand-eye coordination & shunned useless toys like barbie.

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Her 4th year of high school, while all her classmates took tutorial lessons to prepare them for National College Entrance Examinations (NCEE) and had to pay hefty fees for that, she said she’d rather save me the money & review on her own. But she never did. And I never questioned her because I believed in her. Even though she had doubts of her capabilities, my faith in her never waned. <3

And like I predicted, she passed her entrance exams with flying colors.

Last year, she asked me if she should take a REVIEW CLASS for the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) as all her classmates were doing it. For 10k. I balked at the amount but then I said whatever she thought was best, I will fully support her. After careful consideration, she said she will just save me the money & review on her own. Again she never did.

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The National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) is a nationwide examination required for the entrance to any medical school in the Philippines.

The test consists of Part I & Part II. Part I is a 200-item test with four subdivisions, which are on Verbal, Inductive Reasoning, Quantitative and Perceptual Acuity Skills and is a three-hour exam. Part II is a two-hour-30-minute test in the field of Basic Sciences such as, Biology, Physics, Social Sciences and Chemistry, all of which form 200 items. Qualified test takers are graduates and graduating students of degree programs.

It is conducted twice a year – March/April and November/December. It is also advisable to take it on your third year of Pre-med because Med school applications during the fourth year are usually just a week after the NMAT. Test results are released 15 days after taking the test.

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On the day of the exam, she was a bundle of nerves. I told her pointblank that if it isn’t God’s will for her to continue on to Medicine, then we will sit & take stock of the situation. It is not the end of the world. She will ALWAYS have choices. But in my heart of hearts, I KNEW she would make it. I just knew it.

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List of Medical Schools in the Philippines

Universities offering medicine as a course will have different takes on what NMAT score is considered the “passing” rate. Some universities will consider an NMAT percentile score of 65 as adequate. Others will consider applicants with a lower score of 50. If you want to get accepted into medical school, find out what the “passing” NMAT score is for every university you are eyeing.

You can take NMAT as many times as you want. But ALL your NMAT scores will appear on the masterlist of test scores that will be sent to all Philippine medical schools, Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Higher Education Regional Offices (HERO), and the office of the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges (APMC).

So if you get a high point on your first try & say get lower points on the next 2, the averaging system will be used which may prove disadvantageous to you.

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The other day while she was at some sorta bootcamp with new & equally fitness-crazy friends, she called me crying heavily & heaving. I panicked, as I always do whenever I think they are in peril. I couldn’t make out what she was saying but I heard the word NMAT. So I assumed she failed because why in God’s name will she cry like that right? So I pacified her the best I can from afar, and when she had settled quite a bit. She said.. Mom, I got 97% on my NMAT.

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The above photo belongs to PINOY FITNESS.

This photo belongs to Ate‘s pretty friend, KIMA. <3

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Then, I cried. I cried out of relief because I can’t ever bear to have her unhappy. I cried for joy because I know that this what what she was expecting. I cried because I was so proud, I was blessed with a daughter who valued education & family instead of partying the days away. I am such a lucky mommah. Except for a kiss from a seal, she remains virtuous & pure -worthy of a good & godly man. She always sets a goal & she makes sure that at the end of the day, she gets it done. What more can I ask for?

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It’s the same with maintaining her weight. She was pudgy as a child but has since bloomed into a lovely swan. You cannot imagine the discipline she puts into her body with exercise & food. And if only in that aspect alone as my gauge that she will be successful in life, I am 97% convinced. Not 100% because of course, God has the final say.

Ate, I know I always tell you this that you must be so sick of hearing it time & again, but I am so overwhelmingly proud of you. I am SO BLESSED that out of all the wonderful moms God could have assigned you to, He chose ME. I love you, and I will always be here for you. In good & in bad. In everything, I got you. And you got me! :-*

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Always a leader. She is determined. She is disciplined. She is brilliant. And she is my daughter.

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PS: I owe you a “Congratulations” gift. It’s coming, you know it! 😉