In Myanmar education system, memorization and recitation are preferred to thoughtful analysis and understanding of the subject matter.

In essay classes, the topics are generic and clichd like Knowledge is Power and The importance of Perseverance . Also, anything against authority, whether it is Buddhism or Government is taboo. There is no right to question a teacher, and children are expected to respect their parents. Also, the emphasis the government puts on education is also very ridiculous. Some of the teachers are incompetent; I have met an English teacher who mispronounced determine and a Chemistry teacher who taught Oxygen is inflammable. As I came through primary school and middle school, my enthusiasm for learning was waning. When I reached high school, my passion for learning is almost completely killed. But I naturally love to learn (who isn t?), and I felt that I had to do something about that. I was yearning for the meaning of all the study stuff that I commit my time to. It was when I found my passion for mathematics through one inspiring teacher. With a friend, I went to that teacher s home every evening after school. We did math problems together from 4 till 6. Soon, the passion from mathematics became contagious to other academic subjects. In classroom, I and a group of like minded students discuss about other sciences and sometimes, even about the arts. And we students began to explain lessons to each other. Biology became more than a textbook to be memorized. Quite inspired by math Olympiad, I participated for the contest during the summer of my Grade 11 year. From March to May, 2010, I studied math theories not covered in the high school curriculum like Cauchy s inequality theorem and Ptolemy s theorem, and solved math Olympiad problems from British, Singapore, Malaysia, Asia and even International Mathematical Olympiads. Then I studied English at Sovereign Myanmar English Language Classes, which fosters discussion among students, which are open, friendly, and most important of all, insightful. I particularly liked AJ Hoge s Effortless English lessons. After participation in Math Olympiad, I yearned for more challenges and opportunities. I could not dwell any longer in a thought-free society. I could not think of studying in Medical School in Myanmar, like most outstanding Myanmar students do. Neither was I interested in medicine nor studying in a memorization model. From a friend I heard the opportunities to study in a college in the US. I left my family and came to Yangon to study and sit for the SAT and the TOEFL. In Yangon, I came to know the American Center, where I found a variety of clubs like Indian Student Association (ISA), Cultural Impact Studies Club (CISC), the American Center Music Organization (ACMO) and many other interesting clubs. I participated in many of those clubs and finally settled in the American Center Discussion Club (ACDC) where I was elected Public Relations Officer. I am quite happy that I did my best in search of opportunities and ideas.