Commencement will take place at 7:00 tonight at Severance Hall. Below is the list of post-secondary decisions, as reported to the guidance office as of May 7. Scroll down for Q&As with seniors discussing their choices.

The Beachcomber interviewed six seniors for more insight on their college decisions.

Q: What influenced you to choose Tennessee State University?

I visited TSU freshman year with MAC scholars and saw the environment and what programs they have to offer such as their medical biology program, which has a new building and new staff. I also liked Nashville– the city and campus are pretty, and it’s an HBCU. It is very diverse and has a lot of extracurriculars that I’m in now and can continue.

Q: What influenced you to choose your major?

I knew I wanted to go into medicine and didn’t know what I wanted to do. My doctor introduced me to the field of pediatric genetics. Basically if there was a child with physical deformities and disease that would have to be traced back, I would study their genealogy and find what’s wrong with them and become their physician.

Q: How do you feel Beachwood has prepared you for college?

Beachwood prepared me and gave me an extensive amount of homework – encouraged students to involve themselves in many extracurricular activities such as sports and clubs, which gave me the time management skills I will need for college. Beachwood also gave me the workload and experiences to prepare for college

Q: What are you going to miss most about High School? 

I will miss being around people that live in the same vicinity as me and experience the same things as me. I will miss my family, since TSU is 7.5hrs away. I will also miss having someone to always be there for me, not a phone call away but literally there for me.

Q: What are you looking forward to most about college?

I am looking forward to social experiences such as joining my mom’s sorority and  the cheer team. I am also looking forward to experiencing the family nature and joy of an HBCU.

Q: What advice would you give to your freshman year self?

I would tell myself to put in as much effort as possible, even if it is easy. It is easier to get an A as an underclassmen than it is to get an A as an upperclassmen.

Q: What advice would you give to next year’s seniors?

Manage your time wisely, take opportunities, involve yourself in extracurricular activities, build a good resume with as much detail as possible, keep your grades up and do community service because it can help you earn scholarship money. 

Q: What influenced you to choose UPENN?

The academic reputation and location. Also, the fact that it was the one school that was the best fit for me.

Q: What influenced you to choose your major?

I want to be a pre-med major, and that’s the most common major for the pre-med track, though I’m not super set on my major.

Q: How do you feel Beachwood has prepared you for college?

Beachwood has surrounded me in a competitive environment so I can strive for being at the top.

What are you going to miss most about High School?

I am going to miss my good friends who won’t be at college.

Q: What are you looking forward to most about college?

I am looking forward to getting away from here and surrounding myself with new people and a new environment.

Q: What advice would you give to your freshman year self?

Don’t get wrapped up in what other people think, do what’s best for yourself, and don’t put other people before you because at the end of the day the only person looking out for you is yourself.

Q: What advice would you give to next year’s seniors?

Enjoy it, don’t lose focus on the task at hand and stay true to yourself.

Q: What influenced you to choose Indiana Technical University?

Well in the beginning of 2022, I had a baseball showcase for the school.  At the time, I didn’t look into the school too much, but that was the first time I heard about Indiana tech.  Then, I had an interview with the school’s mechanical engineering department, and they offered me the full ride for a Gill Scholarship on the same day.  That’s when I got to see what the campus was like and got to live in the dorms for a day. The atmosphere and the people down there was what helped influence my decision in terms of committing.

Q: What influenced you to choose your major?

I have always been fascinated by mechanical engineering.  Ever since I was little playing with legos, I always had a passion for constructing. It wasn’t until I started taking engineering classes with Mr. Croftcheck my freshman year that I realized that this was the profession that I wanted to pursue for a long time.     

Q: How do you feel Beachwood has prepared you for college?

Beachwood prepared me for college by showing me how to deal with harsh realities and building tough skin.  Growing up in the district was hard,  because I was always perceived as an outsider due to the fact that it was a Jewish-centered school and community.  When more black people started enrolling, I was still considered the “oddball” of the group because I couldn’t fit into the stereotypes of being the “uneducated and ghetto” or “smart and wealthy” black kid that a majority of us were already perceived to be.  Beachwood showed me that the space that I’m in does not define who I am as a person.  For I am a confident, educated and down to earth black man who perseveres through any situation and can use these qualities to get through not only college, but life in general.  

Q: What are you going to miss most about High School? 

The one thing that I am going to miss about high school is my friends, because we treated each other like family, and now the family is getting divided.

Q: What are you looking forward to most about college?

I’m looking forward to having fun while I’m in college and seeing how it will be living on my own and looking out for myself.  I want to enjoy life, but at the same time, I want to make my family proud while I’m down there because I want them to see how I can cope with adult responsibilities.  

Q: What advice would you give to your freshman year self?

One piece of advice that I would give my freshman year self is that you’ll find out who you are in the future.  In the meantime, don’t try to be somebody else.  There are a lot of people out here who are peer pressured into doing certain things or don’t have an identity for themselves to fall back on.  I wish somebody could’ve told me this when I was younger, but over time I figured it out. As of now I’m cool with myself, and I don’t feel like I have to put on a front for anybody. 

Q: What advice would you give to next year’s seniors?

My advice for seniors is to stay on top of your work and stay out of trouble.  Especially for the people who are going places. You have too much to lose and a lot to offer, don’t ruin your chances because it only takes one time for you to mess them up.  

Q: What influenced you to choose UVA?

Mr. Perse influenced me because he is a UVA alumni. I didn’t know about the school until freshman year of high school. 

Q: What influenced you to choose your major?

I chose my major because I am passionate about public service, issues that matter in people’s lives and extracurriculars such as the climate action team, student council, and Model UN. I am also passionate about political science, sustainability and international relations

Q: How do you feel Beachwood has prepared you for college?

I feel that Beachwood has prepared me very well. UVA offers similar things to Beachwood like autonomy to lead and have roles and passion projects and start organizations, just like Beachwood. I would like to do these things at UVA on a bigger scale. Academically, Beachwood has prepared me the best I could be. Socially, Beachwood has taught me how to interact with different people because college is very diverse, but Beachwood also has diversity, so I am prepared to meet people, treat them fairly and build new relationships.

Q: What are you going to miss most about High School? 

I am going to miss the relationships I got to build with teachers, like getting to meet teachers every day and learn about their lives, which is unique to high school. In college you have to make more of an effort to know professors and faculty. It’s a different dynamic as opposed to being in class every day of the week. I will also miss relationships with staff club advisors.

Q: What are you looking forward to most about college?

I am looking forward to the opportunities that will be launched out of a cannon. The realm of possibilities opens so wide with people, paths and places in my life. I am also looking forward to being in a space to take advantage of opportunities. 

Q: What advice would you give to people just starting high school?

I would tell them that college decisions are a big looming thing, and having gone through it, I chose to not let that impact how I decided to go about my high school years. Also, try not to overload on APs and extracurriculars, because at the end of the day, when you apply they want to see that you did things for a reason. When you look back, you want to see that you did things that helped you to grow. 

Q: What advice would you give to next year’s seniors?

Figure out what you want in a school because it will be a long process. I visited 11 schools. Once I visited some of them, I decided not to apply. A lot of times people just don’t know what they want. Take the time to decide what you want so you’re not overwhelmed. 

Q: What influenced you to choose Columbia University?

The location influenced a lot of my college list. I wanted to be in a city on the east coast, Chicago, or California.

Q: What influenced you to choose your major?

I really enjoyed taking AP Macro with Ms. O. I think economics is very flexible and I can apply it to a lot of situations in society.

Q: How do you feel Beachwood has prepared you for college?

Beachwood has a rigorous course load that will get me accustomed to the classes at college and also offers a lot of clubs to develop skills such as speech and debate.

Q: What are you going to miss most about High School? 

I am going to miss being able to have automatic friends by just being with them at school all day. I will miss spending time with friends without having to organize it.

Q: What are you looking forward to most about college?

I am most looking forward to the freedom I’ll get and the ability to go around New York as I please.

Q: What advice would you give to people just starting high school?

It is important to sign up for clubs you are interested in, but don’t spread yourself too thin by signing up for everything you see. Challenge yourself but don’t compromise your quality.

Q: What advice would you give to next year’s seniors?

Start on college applications over the summer. A B on your transcript is not the end of the world, and take AP English literature.