@uptick I’m not sure of your S’s instrument. In my S’s experience (jazz/composition), there’s not such a strict studio system and he was more influenced by the school’s philosophy, breadth of faculty, students, curriculum. We also were pressed for time and didn’t do a single trial lesson or visit before auditions, figuring prescreen results (required for every school he applied to) would guide us. It worked out for him, and he ended up at a conservatory where he has several mentors who are very different from one another. That being said, visits and lessons are a great idea and will only help - both in figuring out the right fit but also adding some familiarity. Audition days are pretty hectic!