<p>JakeRoku nailed it! My daughter had a blast at the LA Unifieds 2 years ago. She was well prepared, and so when she got there felt that she could only do her best and not stress about it. I think that as a result she had fun without the nerves and it showed through. I agree with many of the people here that you should do whatever it takes to make YOU feel comfortable and ready for the auditions. We did not hire any coaches at all, but my D had been taking voice lessons for a long time, and we felt her voice teacher was well qualified to help her. She did not get coached formally in acting, but did have a lot of local opportunities to audition and a lot of shows, so was able to get input from some of her directors. While I’m sure MTCA or other coaches are helpful in preparing for auditions, there are many, many people who do not use coaches and still have great audition results. It can quickly get very expensive to hire coaches, so I just don’t want anyone to think that it is a necessity. Of course, if you can afford it and you feel it would help you, definitely use that option!</p>
<p>As Jake said, come up with a list of schools that feels right for you, and don’t worry about it being comprised of “top 10” or “elite” programs. Look at not only the MT program at each school, but at the overall school (size, location, conservatory vs. university, etc.) and at the people at the school (all performing arts, or a mix of various majors). You will be there for 4 years, so make sure it is a place where you can both learn a lot and really grow as a person.</p>