<p>My son just set up an local interview with a rep from a college to which he will be applying. (He received a postcard telling him he could do so, I suppose based on the fact that he had his scores sent, since he hasn't actually applied yet.) It is not an alumni interview...it is with an actual employee of the college, but a local interview rather than on campus. (We live far away from the campus.)</p>
<p>At any rate, the person who set up the interview told him that "parents are invited to attend the interview" or something like that. So my question is, do kids usually end up bringing their parents in or not? (I would prefer not to go and think he would do better without me, but not sure if that's appropriate either!)</p>
<p>This sounds like an informative meeting, not a real interview. The school probably wants to give as much information to parents as possible because after all we hold the purse string. If you feel you would like some additional information about the school, there is nothing wrong in going. But under normal interview situation it’s only for student and it would be inappropriate for parents to attend.</p>
<p>How does your son feel? I’d take my cue from him.</p>
<p>I know my D would not want me at the interview.</p>
<p>I was once the alumni interviewer for a kid who brought her mother along and it was a disaster. Every question the kid answered, the mom added or corrected something. It was both uncomfortable and embarassing for the poor girl.</p>
<p>My daughter participated in one such interview. It was as much of an interview as an informative meeting. The interviewer asked her very direct questions about why she was interested in their school, big campus vs small campus thoughts, possible ambitions, favorite hs activities, etc. He took notes. I drove with her and we chatted and laughed (helped ease any pre-interview nerves,) then I sat a small waiting room reading a magazine (I brought) while she interviewed. She can handle herself beautifully and I simply smiled and thanked the interviewer when she introduced me afterward, and we left. (She was accepted :)</p>
<p>When the drive to the interview has been long, I’ve gone with S#1 and S#2. Generally I met the admission person chatted briefly and then the admission person took the son away to a quiet spot to “do” the interview. I bring a book/magazine/blackberry and it’s generally a quick 30-45 minutes. My eldest always said he was “too nervous” to drive and typically, for us, it is a very long drive as the admissions people tend to hit the major cities and we are not anywhere near a major city. I do not think it would be perceived as “odd” to have a parent drive a kid to an interview. If an admission person thought it was odd I’d guess that a) the admission person is young, b) the admission person doesn’t have any kids and c) they haven’t looked at map to see where we live. I would never “sit” with my sons during the actual interview and if the admissions person didn’t take my kid away somewhere, I would excuse myself and go somewhere.</p>
<p>I don’t think OP is asking about driving a student. He said parents were asked to attend, to me that means to be at the meeting, not waiting in another room. In qialah’s example, the mother was actually sitting there while the student was being interviewed, AND answering questions.</p>
<p>Oldest did them all alone.
2nd child had an interview that was 2 hours from home at a hotel. My son did the interview alone and at the end the interviewer walked my son out to the lobby where my H was sitting and the interviewer took about 10-15 minutes to talk about the school, about himself and to answer any parent questions. My H was caught off guard and felt at first a bit awkward since H had on shorts and sandals. He was not expecting to meet with the interviewer.
In the case of another school where the interview was part of the on campus visit with an arranged schedule my H was asked to come into the interview after my son had finished the interview portion. In this case again the interviewer used this time to talk about the school and why she had chosen to attend the school. In both cases the interviewer had gone to school there and were not the typical demographic for the schools. At this same school my H was also asked to sit in with the appointment with the Disabilities Director.</p>
<p>I often drove the kids so they could spend the time in the car reviewing info they received from the school and had printed from the school’s website, so it was fresh in their minds. Several times, I was invited in at the end of the interview to ask any questions and hear the scholarship/FA spiel. These were not alumni interviewers, but rather admissions reps. Many of the kids we saw coming and going (some schools send several interviewers), had a parent with them. The interviews were usually conducted in hotel conference rooms and had a waiting area for the parents. I always dressed appropriately just in case. I would do whatever is most comfortable for your son. </p>
<p>If you let us know the school, someone may have some experience with it.</p>
<p>I think S is only applying to schools that we have already visited so if he schedules a local interview, I would probably not go with him. He had three on-campus interviews this summer. For all three, he went into a separate room with the interviewer. At Lafayette, the admissions person came to get my H and me after his 45 minute interview and we spent another 30 minutes asking questions. She was wonderful and it moved Lafayette to the top of S’s list. If I was needed to provide transportation, I would definitely take a book and go to another area while the interview was being held. S is much more talkative when on his own.</p>
<p>My son went to an on campus interview. After about a half an hour the receptionist came into the waiting room and asked my H and I to go and join them. We were not expecting to be a part of this, but it was very enjoyable to hear all the nice things the interviewer had to say about my son.</p>
<p>One local representative (volunteer) for an Ivy school specifically invites certain students AND their parents for a private information session–but it is not conducted as an interview. It is a sales job.</p>
<p>I drove my son to other cities for interviews, both on and off campus. I definitely did not attend the interviews. In one case, I wandered around the grounds entertaining myself, then discovered the interviewer had been waiting for me to return so he could introduce himself and “shake my hand”. (Interestingly, that is the only school that rejected my son; I guess I made a bad impression.)</p>
<p>So, if this invitation is indeed for a student interview, I would not attend. If it seems more like a sales pitch, then you are probably welcome.</p>
<p>Many admissions folks will want to meet (at least briefly, to answer big questions) if they are present. I always made plans to meet my kid back at the interview place, and was there well ahead of time. If they wanted to give us the sales talk, fine. If not, fine.</p>