CATS Boston students Dima and Htoo received exciting news in the final days of the fall semester. Both will be heading to Ivy League universities in Fall 2024.
Dima has been accepted into University of Pennsylvania (commonly called UPenn), which is ranked sixth in the US college rankings and twelfth in the world university rankings.*
Htoo will be joining Brown University, which is ranked ninth in the US college rankings and is known for its strong science and technology programs.*
Both students have been accepted through Early Decision plans. Unique to the US college system, the Early Decision plan allows students to have their college application considered ahead of the regular admission cycle. Students select their preferred university destinations and submit an early application for consideration. Through Early Decision, strong applicants can secure their top university choice as early as December and January in the annual admissions cycle.
Academically high achieving students, Dima and Htoo have also taken advantage of the extracurricular opportunities on offer at CATS Boston. Both joined the 2023 Congressional App Challenge, a national computer science competition organised by the US Congress, which challenges high school students to create an original app in any programming language. They are also members of the CATS Boston Student Government and founded three student clubs between them: the CATS Eastern European Club, the CATS Robotic Team and Rocket Club. Dima and Htoo are also participants in the School’s Scholars Program and the National Honors Program. These programs provide additional opportunities for academic development for high achieving students.
Check out these impressive students’ profiles:
Name: Dima
Destination: University of Pennsylvania (UPenn)
Country: Ukraine
Program: High School Diploma: 4.0 GPA
Potential Major: Economics
Honors courses: Precalculus, Physics, World History and Chemistry
Advanced Placement (AP) courses: Calculus AB, Economics, Statistics, Multivariable Calculus, US History, Literature, and World History
An academically high achieving student, Dima further demonstrated his interest in Economics by attending the Harvard Pre-College Program in Summer 2023, taking two courses: International Trade and Economics of Emerging Markets. He currently intends to major in Economics, taking undergraduate classes at UPenn’s prestigious business school The Wharton School. Alongside planned studies in Economics, Dima hopes to minor in a new language and is considering Japanese or Arabic.
College counselor, Jeremy Adams, explained that he introduced Dima to UPenn “given his interest in economics”. Jeremy also encourage Dima to apply via Early Decision as this processes “strongly increases a student’s chances of being accepted. We were also able to secure him a large financial aid package that met 100% of his demonstrated need through grant/scholarship funding and work-study.”
An active CATS Boston community member, Dima is co-president of the Student Government and Founder of the CATS Eastern European Club. Balancing his academic activities, he has contributed creative writing to the School’s literary magazine, The Griffen Review and played on the Ultimate Frisbee Team.
Name: Htoo
Country: Myanmar
Program: High School Diploma: 4.0 GPA
Destination: Brown University
Potential Major: Mechanical Engineering/Aerospace Engineering
Honours courses: World History
Advanced Placement (AP) courses: Calculus AB, Statistics, Multivariable Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, Computer Science, US History and Literature.
Htoo is a very dedicated student, working hard on the essential high school courses and college admissions testing requirements but also engaging in varied independent study project, research activities and engineering challenges. He earned a 1550 score on the SAT, which places him in the top 1% of SAT test takers worldwide. In addition to maintaining an impressive 4.0 GPA and studying 8 AP courses, Htoo has also participated in the CATS Boston dual enrollment partnership with Quincy College, earning himself college-credit in Computer Programming.
Interested in mechanical and aerospace engineering, Htoo has demonstrated his interest through relevant extracurricular activities and projects. In 2023, he completed an independent study project in e-commerce, the full-stack development of an e-commerce website. Htoo built a functioning e-commerce website using multiple tools and technologies; this full-stack development is particularly impressive as most professional companies employ multiple software engineers to achieve the same goal. Further, Htoo is the Founder and current President of the CATS Robotic Team and Rocket Club and participated in the American Rocketry Challenge (2022).
Htoo’s college counselor, Courtney Whalen states that “Htoo truly embodies what it means to be a CATS Boston Griffin. His hard work, persistence, and passion did not go unnoticed this past Fall. I witnessed Htoo go above and beyond daily to fulfill his dream of attending Brown University – a school that would challenge and ignite his lifelong journey as a changemaker. Brown University not only offered his academic interest but is also a school that would meet 100% of his demonstrated financial need.”
At CATS Boston, we are delighted with Dima and Htoo’s achievements. Their exciting news is a fantastic way to finish the calendar year. We look forward to sharing further success stories from our Class of 2024.
Interested in pursuing high school education in the United States? Explore our High School Diploma Program.
*According to US News Best Colleges Ranking and the QS World University Rankings 2024.
