The Inside Scoop on Getting In

While his classmates at East Chapel Hill High School are cramming for SATs, Lucido likely can be found in the batting cage or on the baseball field.

Lucido said that he values academic studies but that his real passion is sports. He hopes his baseball skills will be his ticket to college.

Though Matt's chosen path isn't necessarily the one that gets most students past his dad -- Jerry Lucido, UNC-Chapel Hill director of undergraduate admissions -- and into the University, it's one the elder Lucido says he supports. "It's important to choose the best school for you where you can be the best person you can be," Jerry Lucido said.

He said that parents generally are involved in the application process but that as an admissions officer, he tries to avoid talking to his son about college.

Jerry Lucido said he doesn't want his kids to feel pressured to attend UNC-CH simply because he works at the University.

Other college admissions officers echoed Jerry Lucido's sentiment, saying they too allow their children to set their future courses on their own.

George Dixon, an admissions officer at N.C. State, said he tried not to influence his two sons' college choices to enable them to choose schools that would best suit their wishes. One attends N.C. State and the other attends UNC-CH.

Dixon said he showed his children where to look for information, answered their questions and made sure they went on campus tours.

He has always told students -- including his two college-aged sons -- to gather lots of information to determine which school is right for them

"I practice what I preach," Dixon said.

But he said his role in the application process was the same as that of any parent -- he encouraged his kids to stay on task and made sure they turned their applications in on time.

Marlyn McGrath Lewis, director of admissions at Harvard University, said she too has tried to stay out of the college selection process and has simply offered support to her college-aged children -- one who is attending college and another who is a high school senior.

"Some parents are much too involved," she said. "I speak when spoken to. I offered opinions, but my kids chose where they looked. They're not unfamiliar with the world of college."

Lewis said she proofread applications but did not intercede in the overall admissions process.

But she said that because admissions officers have inside information, people often assume they make their children's decisions for them.

"For admissions officers' children, it's harder to avoid the impression of parental dominance," Lewis said.

Though Jerry Lucido also has avoided controlling his son's moves during the admissions process, he admits there are notable disparities between children of admissions officers and the average high school senior.

"Children of admissions officers hear their parents talk about the wonderful students they work with but also the students' problems," he said. "These children have the inside on how competitive it is. We try very hard to let our (children) know how competitive to be in a competitive world."

Matt Lucido said his dad's opinions have been key when it comes to trying to find a college environment that suits him best because Jerry Lucido knows both his son and college life well.

"When I was little, it was annoying," Matt Lucido said. "I was like, 'I know who you are and what you do.' But now, I'd be silly not to listen to him."

Matt Lucido has already learned about college through years of observation, but he says he definitely will use his dad's familiarity with college admissions to help him decide what schools to consider and how to apply to those schools.

"I'd be pretty stupid not to listen to my dad because of his knowledge of the process," he said.

The State & National Editor can be reached at stntdesk@unc.edu.