<p>The process is daunting and hectic. However, I agree with those who say you might want to go to Chicago and try to do some walk-ins at Unifieds. Kids get sick, they cancel, auditors might have a couple of minutes of down time and just fit you in…you never know. AND…towards the end of the day at Unifieds, I sawseveral auditors inviting kids in to audition for their programs. You might go and walk past the door of a school you never considered and maybe never heard of, and they might invite you in to audition and that might be THE one, the great fit for you and them…you never know. Listen, “quality not quantity” is a great rule of thumb for most things, but unfortunately, this process is about “quality AND quantity.” These programs can only accept a very few kids, maybe 5-8% of the kids who audition. It is in many ways a crap shoot, no matter how good you are. And, the sad truth is, some schools go for a certain look, or may have an abundance of a certain type or range already. They may not admit that, but it is true. So putting your eggs in one small basket of schools might not be the best solution. You have to give yourself better odds. There is no such thing as a safety school among audition programs. </p>
<p>PLUS…the audition process is a great learning tool. You will get great advice, some you think isn’t so great, some no feedback at all, some will work with you for what you think is a really long time. I say, the more you can audition, the better, and maybe going in and working hard to get walk-ins will help you grow too.</p>
<p>Good luck to you.</p>