I was very enthusiastic and active in academics until the last year of my middle school. In China middle school, students had to do a lot of hard work to prepare for the Senior High School Entrance Examination, the test that determines the quality of the high school that one could attend. The score of this one-time exam is the only factor in applying for high school and the only thing the schools use to assess applicants. No matter how much I might have excelled in the three years of middle school, I will go to a less prestigious high school if I don’t perform well on this significant exam. It made me feel like all the hard work I did for three years was less about learning than finishing the test. It became meaningless for …show more content…
My research led me to start thinking about if I should study abroad. I planed myself that I could start with a community college and then transfer to a 4 years university. Therefore, I can graduate two years before I should by escaping the rest of the middle school, with a degree from a university in the best-education country. However, when I excitingly told my idea to my mother, who always encourages me and supports my thoughts, she rejected it. “That is a horrible idea!” my mother said. She wanted me to wait until I was at least eighteen, when I would be “adult” enough to take care of myself without any supports by others. She was worried that I was being a rebellious teenager who wants to demonstrate their