I see it's been a while for a post here. I'd like to share something that's been happening for the past week or so, and it's not about being accepted to medical school, but about what I have to deal with as a pre-med with an overprotective mother. That really sucks
I'd like to say that I do not like the way my mom reacts to my volunteering. She'll say "go volunteer in this" and "don't volunteer in that" and she'll assume that just because only a few pre-meds volunteer in hospice, that I can still apply to medical school without a hospice volunteer experience. In fact, she thinks that I'll hate volunteering for hospice.
Situation 1:
Me: "Hey mom, I got assigned a patient today."
Mom: "Oh, really, dear? Well, why can't you go volunteer at the hospital instead? You'll see patients there, too."
Me: "I'm doing that too, mom, but I'd like to see this from different perspectives."
Mom: "Well, you can still volunteer to teach people to read, or to do community service, or-"
Me: "I'm also doing that and planning to do that when it fits into my schedule."
Mom: "Fine, do whatever you like, dear, I won't bother you."
Situation 2:
(after calling my patient's primary caregiver to see when a good time would be to come over and stop by to meet the patient and the caregiver)
Me: "Ah, darn. The primary caregiver doesn't seem to want me to come over."
Mom: "Well, that's good! Now you won't have to go over to that house."
Me: "Mom, it sounds like you don't want me to do this kind of stuff."
Mom: "Well, there are so many other things you can do. Like volunteer to do paperwork, clerical work, etc. in an office."
Me: "Mom, I won't have patient contact or clinical experience doing THAT stuff."
Mom: "Well, if you are so worried about that, then go volunteer at the hospital."
Me: "Mom! You don't understand how hard it is to get into medical school-"
Mom: "Well then you can go talk to your auntie Chao (not her real name). She's a nurse after all, she'll know just what you should do to get into medical school."
Me: "Mom, why are you against my volunteering in hospice?"
Mom: "I'm not against it. You misinterpret me. What I am trying to imply is that since your patient doesn't know you, you are a complete stranger, and to allow you into her house, well, of course she would be afraid. Besides, not many pre-meds do this kind of stuff."
Me: "That's EXACTLY WHY I'M GOING TO DO IT!"
Mom: "What I am trying to say is that it is very difficult for a volunteer in this area to find a patient. But, do what you want, I won't bother you, dear."
Me (mumbling to myself): "Sure you won't."
(So, how y'all feelin' here? Here's how I'm feeling
)
Today, Situation number 3:
Mom: "Biodude, you forgot to inform your boss (volunteer coordinator) about what happened when you tried to make contact with your patient."
Me: "I'll do it Wednesday, mom."
Mom: "You know what you should do, dear, is to volunteer at the hospital."
Me (feeling like this
but showing this
on my face): "Mom, I'm going to do that, ok? Besides, I'm going to see my boss on Wednesday."
Mom: "How long will this meeting be, then?"
Me: "From 2 to 5 p.m."
Mom: "What! Why so long?"
Me: "Well, if I have time, I can stay back and help doing office tasks."
Mom: "Well, then, can you ask your boss to give you only office tasks to do for volunteer work at the hospice?"
Me (very mad now): "Mom, you sound so much like you are against my volunteering at hospice. Why, mom?"
Mom: "You don't have any experience doing any work whatsoever, that's why. I think that you will go in and do something that you aren't supposed to."
Me: "Mom, the hospice volunteers (including myself) are trained in not only providing care, but also in what we are allowed to do and what we are not allowed to do in the eyes of the law, so don't get worried about my accidentally doing something illegal!"
Mom: "You will hate talking care of a sick person, you know that? That's why you should go volunteer in doing something else. Also, I haven't seen that many pre-meds volunteering here. They usually volunteer at the hospital."
Me: "Mom, why do you think I want to volunteer in a hospice for? I will hate taking care of sick people? Then I think I'll just stop studying to become a doctor then, if it will make you happy!"
Mom: "What! Why are you giving up so easily? I just make some suggestions and I don't even push you, and you quit! You don't have the strength to resist other people's pushing! I am only making suggestions, not pushing you."
Me: "Mom, you don't understand what it takes -"
Mom: "I understand that you need to do very well in your classes."
Me: "Medical schools don't just look for intelligent people. They look for well-rounded people, people with interests outside of science, not just nerds. They want people who can socialize-"
Mom: "You can socialize by volunteering at an office. Besides, you don't HAVE to volunteer at a hospice and see terminally ill patients, you know."
Me: "Mom, you don't understand. Medical schools look for people who stand out from the rest of the crowd. I mean, think about it, are they going to choose a biology major with 3.8 GPA 32 MCAT and only hospital volunteering and basic research? Or are they going to choose the guy with an english major, 3.6 GPA 30 MCAT and a whole host of volunteering in addition to clinical and research experience?"
Mom: "Dear, you can still be an individual by volunteering in other things. Since you don't believe me, I'll let you experience it yourself. You'll see that you will hate doing it."
Me: "And what if I like it?"
Mom: "I don't know."
Me: "It's because of your 'suggestions' that I'm mad about this."
Mom: "Then I won't bother you anymore, dear."
Yeah, right
I'm just mad at my mom for pushing me and claiming not to. I'm also mad at the fact that she thinks that I should follow every other pre-med. How can I be an individual then? How can I stand out from the crowd then? My mom just doesn't understand.
I'll be surprised if she can keep quiet about this matter and not bother me about it for a month.
You people who've moved out of your homes to go to college are lucky! It really sucks to be 18 and still have an overprotective mother who worries too much about her "little" boy in the same house as you. I mean, sure, that shows that she loves me very much, but I hate the fact that my mom is SSSOOOOO overprotective of me. I'm 18 for crying out loud!
