<p>I have an interview at Deerfield in three weeks, and my parents will most likely not be able to attend. Although I will be able to get there on my own, I was wondering whether it was necessary to complete the tour/interview with parents. Also, is this different for off-campus interviews?</p>
<p>I have done all my interviews by myself, without parents. I simply told the interviewers (off campus + travelling AOs), that my parents were working. None of them had any problem with this.</p>
<p>I actually think that the lack of a parent with you might work in your favor; it shows independence and initiative. I do think they may want to meet your parents at some point though. There is usually a short meeting with the parents after your interview to get some more insight into the child and the family in general. They will also want to confirm that your parents are “on board” with you attending BS.</p>
<p>It really depends on the school/interviewer. Last year, I had all off-campus alumni interviews. Most of them hardly cared if there was an adult with me. I don’t believe they even noticed (Well, I am an older applicant, not really an 8th grader). One interviewer, however, insisted that I bring a parent. </p>
<p>Usually, if they want a parent to come, they will say so specifically. If not, I say you should be fine.
This is just for off-campus/ travelling AO interviews. I don’t know very much about on-campus interviews. Maybe they have a different policy,</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>As HarvestMoon1 suggested, I would guess that it’s important, in the parents’ absence, to make it clear that the parents actually support the student’s application to the school. Even though the schools value student independence, they also want to know that the student applicant has the support of his or her parents.</p>
<p>For those schools that have a parent statement, make sure they complete it. For those that don’t, perhaps a short email would be helpful - saying something like, “My daughter Suzie is looking for forward to visiting School X. I’m sorry I won’t be able to join her.”</p>
<p>I don’t think any school will hold it against you if your parents cannot come with you. However, I can’t agree with pandemonium1’s statement that “parents really have nothing to do regarding the admissions process anyway.” </p>
<p>I, as a parent, felt I was interviewed just as much and as for as long a time as my daughter was. It went way beyond “Oh, Ms. A, do you have any questions about XYZ school?” or “How do you feel about Suzie attending boarding school?” </p>
<p>I was asked questions about her background, how she handles stress, how I thought she would react in a particular scenario, etc. It was more in depth at some schools compared to others.</p>