<p>I have my license but my parents took away the car I was driving because I got into a car accident. What do you guys think I should I do about interviews? Should I attempt to schedule them near my school (there's a Starbucks 5 minutes away) or get a ride (if they normally have interviews somewhere else) and have somebody drop me off/pick me up? Should the person who's driving me (most likely one of my parents or college aged sisters) come with me or stay in the car?</p>
<p>I don't want it to seem like I'm codependent on parents but not having a car is making things very complicated...</p>
<p>There’s nothing wrong with getting your parents or sibs to drive you. You won’t seem co-dependent to the interviewer. Not every kid has a car at his or her disposal. Have your driver meet you back at the interview spot in an hour or so. They shouldn’t come in and sit with you. That would be lame.</p>
<p>Thank you for the advice ellemenope; I thought that parents coming into interviews was weird too but my when I interviewed at Yale half of the kids there were with their parents. Some there were even outwardly dissing peer institutions (“Don’t go to Georgetown, the buildings look ugly”). My interviewer even asked where my parents were when it was over; I just replied that I took the train to New Haven alone…</p>
<p>My DD is a senior and doesn’t have her license yet. I take her everywhere she needs to go, though I don’t stay.</p>
<p>And on the losing your car privilege because of an accident, welcome to the real world. Good for your parents. I have seen so many kids crash up cars and their parents just keep giving them another one.</p>
<p>I drove my daughters to many interviews. I just dropped her off with interviewer and told her to call me when it was time to go. And then I killed time reading a book somehwere out of sight or hanging around nearby stores if there were any. The parent should NOT be part of the actual interview.</p>
<p>I don’t think it’s a good idea for your parents to come INTO the interview area with you. Unless they are invited by the college rep.
But driving you there and waiting for you is perfectly fine.</p>
<p>Neither of my son’s has had a driver’s license at the time of the interview. We just set up the interview wherever the interviewer wants to have it and I drop my son off, or he takes public transportation as the case may be. I’m not at the interview, though my son’s Georgetown interview took so long I did end up ordering coffee at the same Starbucks, but my son didn’t see me doing it.</p>
<p>My son had a Brown interview at Starbucks and I waited for the interviewer before I left. It was fine. (His daughter happened to be in the Starbucks and we talked with her not knowing (she didn’t either) that her Dad was about to walk in! The kids exchanged email addresses. </p>
<p>My husband took my younger son to interviews in NYC and at a local hotel. My son had the interview by himself, but afterwards, all interviewers came out and spoke to my husband to tell him how wonderful my son did and what a good fit he is… They had nice things to say to my husband and yes, son got into all these schools.</p>
<p>My Smith interview was at a Starbucks that wasn’t close to my home. So my mom drove me there and she sat on the opposite side from where I was while I was being interviewed. I didn’t want the interviewer to know she was there but my mom came up to me after it was over and ended up talking with the interviewer for a few minutes. That was the same interview where two of the interviewer’s friends came up and talked to her and me for about five minutes. It was interesting!</p>
<p>I got into Smith. So I don’t think it’s a big deal if you have a parent stay with you. Just have them sit away from you if you don’t want the interviewer to see them.</p>
<p>I took my son to an MIT interview at a Starbucks. I brought my laptop and hung out on the other side of the seating area, and buried myself in a project on my computer. I made sure to sit facing away from them so I wouldn’t be tempted to watch. The interview seemed to go very well.</p>
<p>I took my D to an interview at Starbucks; I just waited in the parking lot in my car. I wouldn’t even want to be in the SB; just too tempting to peek!</p>
<p>Have your parents drop you off, and then wait outside or down the block if it’s a private home (That way the interviewer won’t feel obligated to invite them in, which could inhibit your conversation with the interviewer).</p>
<p>If it’s at a private home, don’t plan to call your parents to pick you up after the interview because that would force you to have to overstay your time at the interviewer’s home. That can be irritating to the interviewer and inconvenience them. Saying this as an alum interviewer who despite the convenience to me, stopped interviewing students at my house after a student overstayed his interview by about a half hour while awaiting his parent’s arrival.</p>
<p>Most students don’t have their own cars. Many don’t have access to cars, so it won’t count against you if your parents have to transport you. It would count against you, though, if your parents insist on being present for the interview.</p>