MarieMTmom

We were very naïve when we started this process, but having gone through it twice with my D (she is a transfer this year) I would add to the list of preparations a bit of mental management and spiritual strength to keep yourselves grounded for the environment you will encounter at the unified auditions. It is a high energy competition situation. Some people compare it to the “Olympics” for MT aspiring students. If you have never been exposed to something similar, and you are not prepared, you could crumble. No amount of singing/dancing/acting lessons would compensate if you let the stress, the surroundings and the actions of others get in the way of your audition. I think the fact that some schools use the college entrance auditions to score the kids and the score determines the amount of scholarship awards they get also adds to a vibe of negotiation in the air.

That being said, I think the unifieds is an excellent idea. Otherwise we wouldn’t have done it twice! The main advantages being that you can schedule many auditions for one weekend, your kids don’t miss much class and your expenses do not become astronomical. And I think that having the faculty judge you for your audition performance over your resume for department scholarships is fair.

Make sure your kids know the reasons why they would like to attend each and every one of the universities they are auditioning for and remind them to have fun. After all, it is a special chance to sparkle and own their stage.

It is a unique experience and a big thrill! Enjoy it!

bettyboop

Be sure you know the strengths and weaknesses of each school you are auditioning for. Know what you want to accomplish in college. If you want to strengthen your dance ability find out if that college has a strong dance program. All schools are not equal in all three areas (singing, dancing, acting). That includes the big names you hear! This takes a lot more research than speaking to 1 current student and looking over the requirements.
I believe in finding a school that fits your personal likes and dislikes but also remember the goals you have in mind when you graduate from college.

actormcfamous

I have a somewhat different view of the Unifieds than MarieMTmom - although I definitely agree that having a specific reason(s) for each of your schools AND intelligent questions for each of them is a big help.

I did all of my auditions in Chicago and I loved it. I didn't pick up on a competitive air - almost everyone I met was extremely friendly (especially considering the circumstances). I've got several older friends who had gone through the process in Chicago, as well as quite a few who were there with me, and we all really enjoyed ourselves - I think going into the weekend with a mindset of "I'm gonna be the best I can be, show off who I am, and hopefully my schools will want that" is a huge help in destressing and just having fun. I found the atmosphere to be incredibly energizing, and if you audition in Chicago in the coming years I HIGHLY recommend spending the extra money to stay at the Hilton Palmer House, which is where all the auditions are as well. There was so much positive and excited (and, on the night before the auditions started, nervous) energy and it's unbeatably convenient. I was able to go back to the room between auditions, re-warm up if I had a few hours off, power nap, and really relax so that when I went into the "room" I would have the energy to hopefully make my audition stand out. Also - it's Chicago in February and so it's cold and snowy, and so not even having to leave the hotel just makes for a more pleasant experience and you don't have to worry about adjusting to the temperatures.

I've been telling this to my junior friends who will be auditioning for MT programs next year: I would definitely go back and do the Chicago Unifieds again (if I HAD to - finally finishing up this process is the best feeling ever!).

MichaelNKat

While there are certain advantages to doing Unifieds and many choose to utilize them, there are also some important disadvantages. The first is that you are putting "all of your eggs in one basket". If you are having an "off day", all of your auditions are impacted. As others who went to Unifieds have reported, unexpected illness is just 1 example of an unanticipated turn of events that made Unifieds a disappointing experience. Obviously, if your auditions are spread out over several days separated by time, the risk of illness or other disruptive events is ameliorated.

In addition, there are many benefits to auditioning on campus ranging from seeing the school to talking to current students. There is a lot of important information to be gleaned from on campus auditions that is simply unavailable at off site Unifieds.

kedstuff

Our experience a year ago confirms MichaelNKat's caution: S got very sick with the flu just as we arrived in NYC for unifieds. Fortunately, we had scheduled a mix of unifieds and campus auditions. Looking back on last year, we saw it really does matter to be healthy; his only turndowns came from the auditions for which he was sick, even though for some of them, he thought he'd done pretty well.

onstage

This is one reason why I suggest scheduling auditions early: students are less likely to be sick early in the year -- those terrible colds seem to really take hold in January/February. And, if you have an October/November audition scheduled and you get sick, you still have time to reschedule.

Skwidjymom

Kedstuff, my D had the exact same experience...so my key bit of advice is to schedule early in case you have to reschedule.

lesrenne

some great advice we got right from the horse's mouth about where to do auditions......the admissions staff at UofM said that you should always audition at the school campus because the entire staff is there....at unifieds and blitzes colleges usually only send a partial staff. You don't get the benefit of everyone seeing the audition.

CoachC

Interesting, because UM does admit people regularly from Unifieds. Also, there are times when the entire staff is not at the on-campus auditions - even at UM (although this is rare). CMU and CCM also definitely admitted people from Unifieds this year. I think if you are truly ABLE to do so, go to the schools which are you truly top choices, but if finances are an issue (and when aren't they, in this day and age?), Unifieds is a great solution.

NotMamaRose

Last year when I was reading these boards in anticipation of my D's college audition season, I didn't quite believe it when people contended that it did not make any difference if kids auditioned at the various schools or Unifieds and that many kids got into schools doing walk ins. Well, I am here to tell you that it is true: kids do get into great schools via Unifieds and even through walk ins. My D and I found the Unifieds in New York to be a wonderful convenience and a big money saver (though staying several nights in New York is not cheap!) and neither of us noticed the competitive atmosphere mentioned by other posters on this thread. In fact, my kid enjoyed seeing and meeting lots of other students from all over the country who shared her love and passion for musical theater and acting, and I had a lovely time talking with other parents who shared the parents' side of the experience! If I were to give students and parents of the Class of 2009 any advice, it would be to definitely seriously consider doing auditions at Unifieds and then visiting programs to which you are accepted afterwards. You will save a lot a lot of money this way. Also, consider doing a walk in audition or two. My daughter did a walk in and was accepted to a program that she ended up falling in love with and which she only decided not to attend (in favor of another program) after a lot of soul searching, hand wringing and many late nights of conversation.

holly06

Just to add to NMR's advice to consider doing auditions at Unifieds, my daughter's 6 acceptances were from Unifieds in Chicago and all but one were walk-ins. Two of those walk-in acceptances were on the spot. She only had one on campus audition (MMC). I would highly recommend doing Unified auditions.

jacksdad

I would like to offer a compromise-we decided to schedule some audtitins early in the season for two reasons. One, to take advantage of schools with rolling admissions that would accept him before Christmas and two, to audition before cold and flu season was at its peak. My S loved his on-campus auditions but I would recommend taking 2 days at each campus if possible to sit in on classes and to meet the students. The Unifieds were unfortunately held during a period of severe illness for my kid but he was accepted to two great programs-including the one that he will ultimately attend-at the Unifieds in LA. We did have to fly to those schools to evaluate the programs and campuses in person but it was much more convenient and economical to travel to one location and audition.
I would thus recommend combining an approach of early and late, on-campus and unified auditions.

mizlyn

I concur - the Unifieds are highly recommended! It's a less expensive and less time-consuming way to increase your possibilities, and it can be a wonderful experience if the student is well prepared. For our family, it was the highlight of the audition season. And after a year, my D is still in touch with some of the kids she met there.

I can only speak from our experience, but last year my D scheduled early and was able to do 6 auditions over 2 days. She found them to be much more relaxing than the ones she did on campus. Doing several auditions right in a row got her warmed up, and made each one less precious (and pressured!) than doing just one per weekend. She was accepted into more of her Unified schools than her on-campus ones. We visited her final choice after acceptance.

Don't forget that colleges make the make the great effort of attending the Unifieds in the hopes of accepting some of the candidates they find there!

lesrenne

glad to hear from so many that on campus and unifieds are both successful...good news!!! I wonder if some schools prefer one over the other...that is the impression my d and I got at UofM.

Please help....my daughter is a rising sophmore and we are just getting our feet wet, trying to learn as much as we can....how do you find out about unifieds?

Georgia30720

There is a website that posts info about the unifieds. I don't know the link, but I'm sure someone else can help there. We didn't do unifieds. Some schools don't participate in them. Also, you might want to check on regional auditions. For us, Atlanta is a couple of hours away and a lot of schools do a regional audition there. It saved us staying in a hotel and the cost of further travel. We figured if he was accepted by a school, we could always visit it later before we made a decision.