@pegski - my D had a horrible audition season, which is well documented on the Class of 2018 thread. Despite it all, she was accepted to what is now a highly coveted program, and guess what… she’s a working actress today. Don’t worry… it really does all work out in the end, and your S will wind up where he was meant to be!
@pegski It was a miserable weather day for sure! They did mention in the welcome meeting that if they had “no shows”, they would possibly move up audition times. I feel like they said they would have a list posted after the dance call. I remember them saying they would only move up times not move back. My son only auditioned for MT so we didn’t have to coordinate the acting part. I can only hope that will be the worst of our travel weekends (but not realistic I know)
Hello all…chiming in here to offer a bit of advice based on our experiences.
My biggest piece of advice is to make sure that your S or D is completely comfortable during the process. From their material, down to their clothing that they are wearing for auditions. Make sure that they are fairly representing themselves! If your D doesn’t typically wear a dress, she probably should not wear a dress to an audition. Whatever makes them feel comfortable!
No doubt you have a talented kid on your hands and it is very easy to get overwhelmed and stressed out by all of what goes on in this process. It is also very important that you remain calm and supportive! Try to enjoy what you can from this! I thoroughly enjoyed accompanying our D to most of her auditions last year. I really miss that now as we rarely see her 
Another bit of advice is to stay as organized as you possibly can without going crazy! Spreadsheets became our best friend! Take notes at all of the info meetings! It really comes in handy when having to make a decision later on down the road!
If you are traveling to Chicago next month, The Palmer house is a wonderful place to stay. We did not have a room that included a food plan, but there are many inexpensive dining options very close by (Subway across the street, Chipotle, Chic fit e for quick meals, as well as many very nice restaurants). There is a Target pretty close where we stocked up on things like water and yogurts. Our room did not have a fridge when we checked in, but we requested one and they were happy to bring one at no charge. Catching an Uber is super easy there and you can be anywhere in no time. Where a lot of auditions are inside the Palmer House itself, there are others that are not…(Syracuse, UNCSA, Roosevelt, Millikin to name a few. Your S or D will receive an email stating exact location and time of their audition. The process is incredibly organized considering the amount of applicants. There are many schools offering walk-ins at Unifieds…Our D was able o schedule a few in-between other auditions. She ended up having a total of 12 auditions over the course of our time there. We made sure to leave plenty of time to rest! Make sure you bring a very warm coat, hat, scarf and gloves!!! The wind there is crazy! I was not prepared for just how cold it got and ended up having to buy some things there (which was also super easy because there is a Forever 21 close by, as well as that Target). Also, the elevators become quite crowded…so make sure you allow a little extra time for that.
In closing, good luck to ALL of you. Nothing about this is easy. And nobody understands this process until you are knee deep into it! The “No’s” really stink, but the “Yes’s” are amazing! And there is nothing like the feeling of seeing your child love the school they chose!
Hang in there! It goes by so quickly! 
Hi Parents! I hope everyone that attended Unifieds had a good experience. I am planning on reading through this discussion later today. We are headed to NY for our D’s Pace Audition on January 27th and I was wondering if anyone that auditioned or is auditioning has received any instructions beyond the audition time. Also wondering if there is anyone on this discussion that can give us some insight into the audition process and what to except? Thank you!!
Artsmomof4. There were instructions for Pace sent out on Acceptd. We have an audition today, January 21st, so your more detailed instructions may come later this week.
D is at a non-Equity audition today in NYC. She just called to say that there are a few kids from Unifieds there waiting to audition. Ya never know…and ya gotta love it! Break legs in whatever you’re auditioning for!
Thanks @onepercentmom! I would love to hear about how today goes. I will have her check Acceptd. So far she only have an email confirming the audition time and we can see the time under Resources and scheduling. I appreciate the response! BAL to your child and hugs to you.
Tip for future NY Unifieds-dress in layers…although it may be cold outside, the studio hallways were HOT! Like 75-80 degrees hot! Honestly, it was so hot I’m surprised, that no one passed out. (not that I was aware of anyway).
On another note, my S really enjoyed the walk-ins. The vibe of all around, plus the excitement, really put him in a frame of mind of, where else can I audition? who else is taking walk-ins? And it really is true that schools that may not have been on your radar screen get added to your D/S list of schools to apply to. S did 4 walk-ins on Saturday, and LOVED 3 of them!. Two of them actually workshopped his song/mono with him, so it was more than just a couple of minutes. REALLY great experience & makes us look forward to Chicago!
Hello all, just looking at many of the comments, it does appear that the process is much easier for boys than girls. From what I can see, most boys get accepted routinely. Girls on the other hand, from what I’ve seen make up about 75% of the auditionees and are only eligible for about 50% of the spots in MT programs. Would you agree with this assessment?
While the odds are better statistically for boys, it certainly is not the case where boys are accepted routinely! It is still very competitive for them, but just better odds than for girls.
@artsmomof4 My son and I will also be at Pace on the 27th. He hasn’t received anything other than his “congratulations” message back in November. It says he will receive a more detailed email “closer to the date.”
My son does not like hearing how much “easier” it is for boys. To him easy implies that he has not worked hard. He has taken 10 years of vocal lessons and dance training. He has been active in theatre at his school for the last 10 years. He has been in over 30 shows. He has maintained an above 4.0 gpa and been part of NHS. He has given up many “normal” teen activities to pursue his dreams and becomes quite frustrated when people imply he has it so much “easier”. And believe me, many have done so.
However having a daughter who is also as active in musical theatre, we understand that sheer statistics can make it more favorable from a pure odds standpoint for boys as there may be less competition.
Not angry about the question but as a mom to a musical theatre loving boy, discretion in mentioning the “easier” comments to these hard working young men is greatly appreciated!!
This is how you know you’ve been at CC waaaayyyyyy too long … you go to look up the old “Class of 2019” thread and find it’s been permanently closed. =))
Hope all you '23ers are doing awesome!!! I really really feel like it was just yesterday that I was a very active (sometimes too active! LOL!) participant here. My girlie’s college career has flown right by and we are in the home stretch - less than 4 months to go!
So much excitement for you guys!! And love! And lots and lots of broken legs wishes!!
I didn’t know they closed old threads! I hope they don’t delete them!
@Kristiern1 - I don’t think anyone is saying it is “easy” for boys - heaven know it is not easy for ANYONE to make a career as a performer. The math is better for boys - but the numbers are still crazy low.
Here’s an example frequently hashed in other CC forums. As I understand it: acceptance rate at Harvard is approx 4.5%, acceptance rate at Brown is approx 9%. Therefore, mathematically, a student is more likely to be accepted at Brown… but it HARDLY make it a cakewalk…
Hi all. My D is getting almost daily emails from some of her accepted schools asking her to do a variety of things like set up a college specific email, attend a general information tour, etc.
My question: is there a correct way to handle these emails while we are in a holding pattern with decisions and acceptances? She doesn’t want to put tons of effort into thinking about her schools until she has all of her decisions (e.g., is it really necessary to set up an email for a school you may not attend?) And, am I correct that students have until May 1 to make a decision or is more info required before the decision is made.
p.s. Funny story, last week, my D received a congratulatory text inviting her to a special admitted students day and we were laughing that we hadn’t heard via email or postal mail if she had even been accepted academically or artistically. Today, we got an email with a link to pay a deposit (and by “we”, I mean I was copied on the email as well). The schools were closed today, but the auto pay auto email was working. I am hoping soon “we” will learn if my daughter was accepted academically and/or artistically…
Anyway, thanks for your help
@Kristiern1 Math favors the gents. It’s just the truth. I have three kids who have gone through this process - one boy and two girls (so far). I am so grateful I started with a boy since we had 0 idea what we were up against. It is not an easy process, by any means, for a boy or a girl. BUT there are less boys with hats in the ring and most programs looking to equalize their numbers. It is a math issue at the end of the day. My S had your son’s stats (but so did my girls). I don’t think anyone would minimize what it takes for ANYONE to make it in the business - starting with college - but the numbers tend to favor the boys.
@artandtechmom … The emails, the phone calls, they keep going and going and going…
Even after my D got rejected from Pace MT, the school kept calling on the phone saying what they can do to make her decision to accept easier… UGH!!!
They all know you need to make a decision and try the impossible to get you to say yes…
@artandtechmom, save those emails in case your child commits to any of those schools or gets accepted and wants a tour, but there’s no need to respond to them now or think about them. You have until May 1st to decide.
@artandtechmom - I think the preferred technique for dealing with persistent schools is to hide from them and pretend you aren’t home. LOL. Seriously, auto-file the emails, put the mail in a paper bag and let the phone calls go to voice mail until you have all your acceptance decisions in. The schools should know better than to expect BFA applicants to commit before they have an artistic acceptance but they don’t.
@Kristiern1 - one of the moms from last year said she almost went postal on someone who said is was “easier” for boys at a time when her talented and hard-working S was struggling with rejections and tough auditions. This can be a very difficult process for anyone! In the Hunger Games, even if the “odds are ever in your favour” you still have to face massive challenges. 
Hang in there.