<p>Hi,</p>
<p>I have a question, When I drop off my kid for interview , say at a starbucks, should I step in to say hi to the interviewer or I should just stay outside waiting?</p>
<p>Is your kid a toddler, going off to the babysitter?</p>
<p>No offense miss, but your kid is old enough to go off on his/her own... i mean he/she did get through high school.. a normal conversation with a intellectual person isnt harmful... you dropping in might have a HUGE negative affect on the interviewer (sheltering your child, the concept of "holding his hand throughout his life" might come into play...) im not letting my mom drop me either... in university ur gonna be independent, and sometimes the interview is the first step to see if you can be "independent"</p>
<p>I think that's a legitimate question to ask. My mom HAD to drop me off because my interview was far from my house and we only have her car to drive, which she had to take to work that day. But, no, I don't think you need to meet them either. This is something being done for your kid, and I do think they can handle it alone, completely. Just park a block or two away and read a book while you wait for your kid or something.</p>
<p>Please do not. especially for a school like MIT which values independent thinking and non-conformance
to a mainstream image somewhat more than most. It can be construed quite negatively as poster in </p>
<h1>2 noted albeit somewhat harshly.</h1>
<p>My mother insisted on going (we went to the interviewers house, and she wanted to make sure that the interview wasn't going to abuse me somehow). But it seemed like the interviewer enjoyed it. I didn't stay behind my mother, and she eventually stopped talking altogether. I wouldn't reccomend you go, but if you do, let your child take the center stage.</p>
<p>I disagree that a parent stepping in to say hi would automatically be a negative. I don't think it's necessary by any means, but I think that a parent who briefly said hello as he or she was dropping the interviewee off would be absolutely fine. Monopolizing the conversation or overstaying a welcome would be a different story, but that is not what amother is asking about.</p>
<p>Yup, as I said, don't tell your kid's life story, let your kid tell his life story.</p>
<p>I agree with lilyrobin. Sometimes there's a legitimate reason why the applicant can't drive alone to the interview, e.g. one family car. In our case (and same situation with our older child), DS had recently gotten his driver's license, and the interview involved a long-ish drive into unfamiliar territory -- so I figured it would be prudent for me to drive (or at least navigate) to ensure that he got to the interview on time. </p>
<p>But I personally never considered appearing in person at the interview: Negative effect or not, I really can't figure out a positive reason to do it, except maybe your own curiosity about the interviewer - and as several people have said, it's hard for parents to learn this (pointing at self), but this is 100 per cent your child's show, not yours. </p>
<p>So my two cents: if you must drive with your child, park a seemly distance away (the other end of the parking lot is sufficient), and bring a book.</p>
<p>I also recommend that the parent not accompany the child to the interview. As MIT admissions tells parents, the process must belong to the son or daughter. The MIT admissions website has a great site for parents to help them understand the degree of appropriate involvement: MIT</a> Admissions | For Parents: Helping Your Kids Through This Process</p>
<p>I wouldn't do it. As long as it's a brief "hello," I don't think it would be an automatic negative, but it COULD be, depending on how the interviewer interprets it. It's just not a risk I'd take, especially since I don't think it would ever ADD anything.</p>
<p>My mother came with me, just because it was at the EC's house in a different town and we didn't know him, etc. She was going to stay in the car, but the EC invited her in and she read in a separate room. At the end of the interview, the EC actually asked for her to come in in case she had questions. </p>
<p>I guess it depends on the EC. Since your kid's interview is at a Starbucks, I probably wouldn't.</p>
<p>^^I think elven-hobbit hit it spot on...it probably does depend on the EC. I had my interview today at a local coffee shop and my interviewer was amazing and very nice. My mom dropped me off...I walked in the coffee shop looking for him...found him/introduced myself...we stood in line...my mom walked in and she introduced herself...she left...and we had the interview...it went absolutely well and I don't think my mom saying hello had a "negative effect" on my interview. Just the opposite actually...it really added to the context of my life story that I presented to the interview and I think it showed. At the end of the interview, we said our goodbyes and he even spoke to my mom for a brief minute while I went to put my mug away.</p>
<p>I really think people should chill. A friendly hello will not hurt. (Moms, just don't overstep your boundaries.)</p>
<p>My mom did my interview for me is that bad guys</p>
<p>Probably, because MIT is not admitting your mom.</p>
<p>don't feed the troll...</p>
<p>S1 doesn't drive, so one of us would take S to the interviews. Dropped him off away from the entrance, and left to go run errands/park elsewhere and read, etc. Interviewers never saw a parent.</p>
<p>wow...it doesn't really matter. nothing's going to happen if your parents step in and say hi...it's what people do. interviewers and your parents are people too....
obviously you don't want your parent there during the interview or anything, since you are the one being interviewed. nothing's going to happen if your parent introduces themself...</p>
<p>From MIT Undergrad admissions: "It also means that prospective students should do all their own work. ... They should be the ones to go online or call for application materials. They should set up their own interviews and attend them on their own."</p>
<p>Source: MIT</a> Admissions | For Parents: Helping Your Kids Through This Process</p>
<p>Umm, my mother wouldn't let me go to my EC's house because she didn't want me to be 'abused', do you think that that hurt me?</p>
<p>"don't feed the troll..."</p>
<p>I'm sorry, I don't get what you mean. Was I inadvertently feeding a troll?</p>
<p>S did MIT interview 4 years ago. It was an out of town restaurant. I drove, came in until interviewer arrived, verified return time and left. S did not get accepted but interviewer followed up w/ a call to S in April to touch base and see if he was accepted. At that time, interviewer mentioned that he had hoped that S would be accepted. The point is that my brief presence does not seem to have been an issue for interviewer.</p>