HE scored four As and two S-paper distinctions, but failed to get into the top US universities.

The experience initially 'devastated' him, said former Nanyang Junior College student Donovan Lee.

But it also left him determined to prove himself.

So he decided to wage a campaign on the Internet and filmed himself solving maths problems.

His clips, available on video-sharing website YouTube, have won him almost 300'fans' including a few overseas maths professors.

One of them, Professor CJ Goh from the University of Western Australia, wrote to him, saying: 'You are much more fortunate (and likely more talented) than me as your website indicates a mathematical maturity much deeper than what I was when I just came out of A level.'

The clips have also become popular among maths students, some of them from overseas.

In each clip, about 10 minutes long, Mr Lee, 22, now a maths student at the National University of Singapore, gives a step-by-step guide to solving problems by writing on a whiteboard in his bedroom at his family's HDB flat in Bishan.

He said: 'I (wanted) to show these top schools that I am capable of being one of their students.'

In the last six months, he has posted more than 160clips on YouTube.

His website, which is mentioned on his YouTube videos, gets almost 100,000hits a month.

DISAPPOINTMENT

Mr Lee started his show-and-tell 'campaign' in March last year, after he was rejected by five universities he had applied to: Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of Pennsylvania, the California Institute of Technology, and the University of Columbia.

Mr Lee, who had four As and distinctions for S papers in physics and mathematics, said: 'There was a period during which I was distressed and needed to recuperate.

'I always thought I was destined to go to those top schools, especially since I worked so hard during JC.'

He got an SAT score of 2080, out of a maximum of 2400. He had 650 points for reading, 630 points for writing, and a full 800points for maths.

But after reading college guidebooks, he discovered he needed more than just perfect grades.

'Getting four As and two S-papers were not enough,' he said.

'After I found out what it takes to get in, I was no longer surprised at my rejection.

'I realised that they were justified in rejecting me. Their students were so much better.'

Professors The New Paper spoke to said most schools would require applicants to 'distinguish' themselves through extra-curricular activities too.

Said Dr Mark Cenite, assistant chair of the division of Communication Research at Nanyang Technological University's Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, who has also taught in US universities: 'Schools will look at your grades, but at most schools, you would be required to distinguish yourself through extra-curricular activities.'

He added that school admission officers would also conduct interviews and look at the full resume of students before making their decisions.

Mr Lee, who played basketball for his school, still hopes to get into a top US college.

He is applying to all five of them again this September.

To give himself extra value, he first thought of writing a book or an article for a scientific publication.

Then he hit upon his novel idea.

'There were many websites with articles about mathematics, but none engaged their viewers through videos,' he said.

'That was when I decided to set up Gaussian Math, a website where people could learn mathematics in a cohesive method through structured modules.'

Would that be enough to get him into his dream school?

'There is no for-sure solution. But my focus is not merely on grades any more,' he said.

His effort has won him admirers from around the world.

Mr Shahrouz Zolfaghari, a student at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, who is doing his master's degree in complex adaptive systems, told The New Paper in an e-mail interview: 'I think his video lectures are great because he has this energy and explains things with such passion, the explanations come across in an interesting way.'

Those ways include wearing a hat and cracking jokes.

'FANS'

Mr Woo Shu Chuen, 29, a remote sensing analyst with Malaysian company Astronautic Technology, agreed: 'His presentation style is fantastic for someone aged 22.'

Josh Niemeyer, 18, from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, in an e-mail to The New Paper, said: 'I welcomed his teaching style and I think it helps introduce children and teenagers to a world where math is enjoyable.'

Mr Lee speaks confidently in the videos, running through explanations at a brisk pace.

'I try to entertain them, as though I am doing a comedy act or as though I am the lead singer in a band,' he said.

'But I am also serious and make sure that my message gets across. I won't compromise on that.'

His topics include Mobius function, Kepler's laws and fluid mechanics.

Aside from uplodaing video clips of himself lecturing, Mr Lee also puts his lecture notes online. The notes are also available in PDF files that can be downloaded.

Mr Lee took three weeks to set up his website and spent $2,000 on a camera, whiteboard, website and reference books.

Mr Leong Chong Ming, his maths tutor in JC, was so impressed with his work he has invited him to give monthly talks in his alma mater.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Feb 09, 2008.