Parents coming to Nom Interview

Today I got a letter from one of my senators with the date for my nomination interview. It is an all day event (not listing specifics for sake of anonymity), and it is about 3 hours away from my house. Should my parents come to the interview with me? I don't mean sitting in with the board while they interview me, but should they come with me to the lobby/waiting area of the interview location? Sorry this question sounds so obscure, but I would really appreciate any advice I can get! Thank you!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

runorrun said:

Should my parents come to the interview with me?

Click to expand...

I sat in the car and read a book during DS interview.
While in the car I watched other's walk in. No other applicants that i saw walking in to the building had parents walking in with them. Everyone looked the same. Boys=sport coats/slacks or suits, girls= dresses/skirts (what you where to church, not what you'd wear to home coming)

son received both rep and sen noms. and is a current youngster at usna.

GOOD LUCK!

I drove my son from the ACT to his interview an hour away so he could eat in the car and then change clothes in the parking garage. I went into the building and sat in the lobby with several other parents. No big deal.

His congressional interview I also drove him from a standardized test to the interview and just dropped him off. Also no big deal.

Either way I think is fine.

Good luck!

I know someone who used to sit on a MOC's interview committee. He said that parents should NOT go in with the candidate. On this particular MOC's committee, they actually have someone watch to see if the candidate comes in alone & then notify the committee members. I'm sure it's different for every MOC, but why take the chance? Have your parents wait in the car.

I drove my son to his which was about 90 minutes away. I think he appreciated the distraction. I did not enter the building where the interviews were being conducted. Changed my shoes and went for a run.

My husband and I drove our DS to his interview--he went in by himself. We found a nearby park and went for a walk. Several other parents went in with their children. Our DS received the principal nomination. When our congressman called DS to inform him he had received the principal nomination he was told, "You nailed the interview!" If you are hoping to attend a SA take charge of your destiny. Have your parents step back. This is your time!! Best of luck!

Where my sons had their interviews, there was a waiting room set aside for parents. The interviews were in early December and it was cold, so there was a room with hot coffee (your tax dollars at work) and old magazines. Most of the kids had parents there - since the kids came from a long distance and many didn't yet drive (or wouldn't have been permitted by their parents to drive in a major city).

Boys in suits - I saw only one young man in khakis and shirt with no tie ! Girls in conservative skirts and suits with plain pumps (no bling), conservative hair styles, too.

Thanks everyone!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Penalizing the candidate because their parents came into the waiting area for the MOC interview does not make sense to me, but apparently it might happen. My advice would be to contact the MOC representative ahead of time and ask if it is appropriate for your parents to accompany you to the waiting area -- I am pretty sure it will be a non-issue.

I know someone who used to sit on a MOC's interview committee. He said that parents should NOT go in with the candidate. On this particular MOC's committee, they actually have someone watch to see if the candidate comes in alone & then notify the committee members.

Click to expand...

I think this is absolutely ridiculous unless the MOC provided them specific directions not to. For families that do attend (waiting area) with their children, it sometimes is a good way to socialize with other parents and show that they are engaged and support their children. The point of the interview isn't to see if the parents attended, it is for the candidate to answer questions and defend viewpoints.

We took our DS to his interview. It was 3 hours away and DH went into the building with our DS. He sat in the lobby with a ton of other parents.

I agree it does seem a little insane to hold against a kid of 17 having a parent enter the lobby with them, especially when these kids in many cases drive hours to attend the interview, even more so when the interviews are being hold in Nov, Dec and Jan.

For our DS his MOC interview committee was quite different than USAFA83. During DSs interview the committee learned that his father was an AF officer. DS exited the interview room and entered the lobby. He turned to Bullet and said Dad, they would like to talk to you.
~ DS and Bullet didn't know why so both of them were nervous.

The person leading the 11 person committee approached Bullet and simply said. We wanted to thank you for your service and raising a child to continue the AF tradition. They than talked about his experiences in the Strike Eagle for a few minutes and left.

DS got the nomination.

I get trying to see if the parent is a helo, but sitting in a lobby because you drove three hours for the interview to me is judgmental at the least. Now if in the lobby, the receptionist sees the folks peppering the child with questions or straightening their tie than I can see a reason to discuss it with the committee, BUT if the folks are reading their kindle and the kid is listening to music and texting than that should not be held against them for any reason.

Let's remember this site is comparatively small when you think about it. Maybe 15% of candidates find this site. There will be many candidates that don't have the insight of posters that have been there, done that.

Why would parents need to even go in and sit in the lobby? These interviews are not for mom & dad. Good gravy, are waiting rooms with coffee that much of an attraction?

Parents: Read a book in the car, grab a cup of coffee, go for a run. Im sure you can 'suffer through' missing out on the waiting room

Applicants:How would it benefit you to walk in with mom & dad? Do you think you will get lost on the way to the room? Do you need moral support? I hope not. If it is not a benefit and there is a possibility of an extremely-small-micro-percentage point that it could possibly be seen as a negative than why give up that extremely-small-micro-percentage point?

This seems like a silly debate here.



My theory on getting that BFE: Every step you make toward that BFE will be because you choose to move toward it. The actions that you choose, each and every day, no matter how small, will add up, over the long-term, to your final destination...BFE

usnabgo08 said:

Penalizing the candidate because their parents came into the waiting area for the MOC interview does not make sense to me, but apparently it might happen. My advice would be to contact the MOC representative ahead of time and ask if it is appropriate for your parents to accompany you to the waiting area -- I am pretty sure it will be a non-issue.


I think this is absolutely ridiculous unless the MOC provided them specific directions not to. For families that do attend (waiting area) with their children, it sometimes is a good way to socialize with other parents and show that they are engaged and support their children. The point of the interview isn't to see if the parents attended, it is for the candidate to answer questions and defend viewpoints.

Click to expand...

That may be true, but it happens. Just putting it out there. This particular committee wanted to see independence. It didn't sink a candidate, but might give an advantage of a couple of extra points.

I should mention that this was in a very highly competitive area and no one had to drive more than 20 minutes to get there.

The op wanted advice.

usnabgo08 said:

For families that do attend (waiting area) with their children, it sometimes is a good way to socialize with other parents and show that they are engaged and support their children.

Click to expand...

usnabgo08, I often agree with you. In this case I do not agree with your advice here. Do parents really need an opportunity to socialize with other parents? Seriously? join a book club, really. This is not your deal, this is your kid's. This isn't a parent-friendship-opportunity. This is a career-objective-opportunity. Understand what this is. After your kid gets his BFE there will be many opportunities to "socialize" in parents clubs, engage, and show your support for your child.

BGOs and FFRs do want to know that the family is behind the child's decision. If parents want to show they are engaged and support their children they are typically asked to be present at some point for the BGO or FFR interview. This is plenty. Less is more in this arena.

usnabgo08 said:

The point of the interview isn't to see if the parents attended, it is for the candidate to answer questions and defend viewpoints.

Click to expand...

I agree with you here. There is no benefit (other than getting to see some new shades of beige in a lobby, perhaps seeing a new fake flower arrangement, or bumming a free cup-o-coffee) to going into the building with your applicant. so just dont.

For those that drive three hours in the dead of winter...you can still find something better to do. If it is too cold for you to wait in the car or you cant find a Dunkin Donuts, There is a Walgreens on every corner, do some shopping.

Vista123,

I'm not going to get in a debate on here, because there are arguments for both sides and it varies from MOC-to-MOC.

The BEST advice is to contact the MOC representative or local parent's club, as they know the best for their district/state. Parents can always walk in and scope out how the waiting area looks and then depart if there are no parents or it looks out of place.

usnabgo08 said:

Vista123,

I'm not going to get in a debate on here, because there are arguments for both sides and it various from MOC-to-MOC.

The BEST advice is to contact the MOC representative or local parent's club, as they know the best for their district/state. Parents can always walk in and scope out how the waiting area looks and then depart if there are no parents or it looks out of place.

Click to expand...

Well said.

Every case is different. I dropped my son off for his USAFA ALO interview and wound up playing table tennis with the ALO's wife for an hour and a half. Great time, but had planned to head to the book store.

usnabgo08 said:

The BEST advice is to contact the MOC representative

Click to expand...

hahaha
sure and then next call the company that you are interviewing for and ask if your parents should accompany you to the job interview.

this is so nonsensical

OP do what you want, you were given all types of advice...

Best of luck sifting through it.

Vista123

These young men and women are going into the military. Just my thought but they need to appear independent and ready for the challenges that they will have to face in the years ahead. Our DS also told us he found it far more relaxing having us out of the picture. Watching the other parents primp and prime their candidates before the interview made him feel sorry for them! And they all looked far more stressed than he felt. As with any advice you must decide what is best for your situation.

I went with our son to one of his interviews due to the distance from home. The invitation to interview stated that there would be a place for parents to wait in during the interviews. I went in and waited in a room that had been set up for parents just for this purpose. Coffee, donuts, two TVs with the Packer game on since it was a Sunday. I would guess that 75% of the parents of candidates were in that room. There was even one of the senator's aides at a desk to answer any questions from parents and she engaged many of the parents in conversation. Parents were obviously welcome. This is just what this particular senator chose to do. I would second the advice to call the MOC office and ask if you are not sure.

Our son went to the other senator's interview alone since it was only 15 miles away.

Stealth_81

Look there have already been more than enough responses to the OP's question, but in my opinion, as a college reapplicant, don't bring your parents. OP is probably 18, maybe 19 like I was, years old. Now my interviews were no more than 45 minutes away, but really, I got directions, drove myself there in my car, got out and did my interviews. At the Senator interview, 2 kids had their parents w/ them, which to be honest I thought was weird. Maybe the kids don't have a car, I don't know. At my MoC interview, there wasn't even a place for parents to be, it was at a community college. Candidates waited at the top of some drafty stairwell landing.

Honestly, unless you need your parents for transportation, don't bother. Be independent. You're trying to go into the military / college.

It's not like your parents are likely to go into the interview. And, many applicants are significantly under 18, and like mine, didn't drive then.

However it must work out for your family - just do it.

NEVER be embarrassed about bringing your parents (who will wait in the car or the lobby or wait room). After all, it's just these people who got you to this point.