<p>I was amazed at the contrast in auditioning experiences. The best, by far were CalArts, Cornish and UCLA. They said everything to make this very stressful experience welcoming and even inspiring. I don’t know if it is a West Coast thing, but we didn’t feel this way about the east coast schools at all. And even some in the midwest were not warm at all. I think your gut is important and from my experience indicative of what is to come.</p>