So happy for your D @EastchesterMom !!!
@NYYFanNowMTdad I’m right there with you - Obsessively over preparing neurotics anonymous class of 2024! PM me if you like. I don’t have enough posts at this time.
I head out to LA unifieds next week, and I’m keeping myself calm by reading the stories! Can someone who has done walk-ins explain the process to me? Do you have to do dance calls/ do they post their requirements? Also- would love to hear about Emerson and Boco dance calls. Worried abt those!
If there is a school that is not charging for walk ins but charging for appointments, then that is not fair. If there is a school that is giving results without paying an application fee for walk ins, but requiring it for appointments, then it is not fair. I didn’t find that to be the case for the schools we saw last year. And yes, they usually miss out on the scholarships.
If that is what you are hearing, I’m guessing either the walk in parents are wrong, or it is an unusual situation.
But maybe things have changed and yes, nothing is fair in this industry.
The thing is, unless a kid is already booking professional gigs, they are not “in this industry” any more than an incoming Accounting major is in the banking industry, or a high school football player is in the NFL. There’s just no excuse for some of the bad behavior exhibited by some of these schools during the audition process.
The fact is that that some, even MANY, of these schools DO treat these kids fairly, with honesty, transparency, dignity and respect. Schools that can’t should be avoided. If they can’t treat these kids professionally before they matriculate, it’s doubtful that they would do so afterwards.
Well… you may have hit on the reason they have appointments available…
I have been telling my son repeatedly that he is auditioning these schools as well as auditioning for them.
Today he had an audition that he was uncomfortable with. First red flag was him walking up to the adjudicators introducing himself and shaking their hands with no response or introduction. Second was after his songs they made a snarky comment about lacking anything with a “high note”. (Umm hello he is a bass). He said the songs I chose highlight my vocal range.
Anyway I get a lifetime of upcoming auditions and environments that are unpleasant but we are paying for this education and they are providing a service. Anyway neither of us felt bad when son said no thanks. No longer interested in your program and please mark me off dance call.
Moving on to the next one!
@hstauss2019
My daughter, who is a passable but less than professional dancer, found BoCo dance call fun but very difficult. Not many kids could “master” the combinations so most were flailing around, herself included, but she kept a smile while flailing and hoped she scored comedy points.
Last year, the only school that I know that gave an acceptance before applying was University of Utah. But, you still had to apply to the university for the official acceptance.
I don’t know of any school that was not charging for walk ins but charging for appointments.
@frog65 Re: finances. I was talking to my son about that, letting him know how lucky he is that we can fly to Chicago for a week, and then his mom can take him to LA… plus a couple of other trips. There are a lot of talented kids that will never get a chance because their parents can’t afford it.
@Kristiern1 Good for you and your S! I’d feel better if you also got your money back! You probably won’t get it, but it doesn’t hurt to ask!
Walkins? My D is not experiencing any crowding or scheduling problems at her auditions here in Chicago. She is only doing pre-scheduled auditions. 4 completed out of 7 so far. Top tier “reach schools” aren’t taking walkins. Some second tier I think are, but most are not. Third tier schools that don’t easily attract students due to a lesser reputation or location are probably where the problems are occurring. Those schools have to “recruit” to get talented students. I heard a story yesterday here of one school rep pitching walk-in signups for his school like a carnival barker in the hallway to the kids in the hallways while auditions were going on in the rooms nearby. Bad form obviously. I’ve heard a couple other bad stories, but nothing horrible. Overall my D is having a great experience.
As a school that is doing as many walk ins as possible, despite a PACKED schedule, I will say just a few things.
-We would NEVER cut down on the 15 minutes given to each pre-screened and scheduled student to accommodate walk ins. We are simply fitting folks in when we get ahead of schedule - often when there are non-singing folks auditioning for us - or we had a few no shows that allowed us to fit folks in.
-I was very cautious to not squeeze in too many walk ins that anyone who had a scheduled time was late. That is a courtesy that schools should be cognisant of.
-We do not have an audition fee for our auditions, so that is different than other schools. No one should audition for free if other folks paid.
-We- at Coastal- ONLY send out final decisions to students who have applied and been accepted to the university academically. Walk in candidates who were are particularly interested in have been asked to do so before we will tell them a decision in any way. I have a feeling many other schools are like this and not vice versa. The idea of being accepted artistically and THEN applying to the university to save money seems like kind of a fantasy to me? Maybe I’m wrong.
I don’t think/know if any of this was posted in regards to CCU (I hope not!) but I just wanted to speak on behalf of what some school reps may be feeling. 
How many times can I use the word “folks”? Lord! I’m brain dead at the end of day 2!
@TexasMTDad true statement, I know a few kids auditioning this year but only at a few easily traveled to schools. No Unifieds trip (s)
I will stand by what I’ve been saying for the past 4 years since my D decided to go to college for MT, this is a very expensive endeavor & a money pit. It favors families with money to do it. My D is a sophomore in college now & nothing has really changed . Still sinking tons of cash in travel, just now to summer stock auditions locations, etc
Can anyone tell me where Syracuse is holding auditions in Chicago?
@Mom2jnes
It is at the JW Marriott 151 W Adams St
@HancoK01MT - it’s relatively quiet around 7:30-8:30 in the morning; that’s when my dd took a walk over to see if she could do walkins. You might have good luck if people left early due to tonites ice storm. I do want to say- my dd and I had a great time. We found it crazy and hectic but everyone was so positive! My dd did take advantage of the walkins, She took a walk first thing in the morning and the schools she wanted to see scheduled her for later in the day in slots that they had open- she was only charged $20 for one. Today she had s school that was scheduled/ they were very backed up/ but I think they were trying to accommodate different situations, like the weather and people wanting to leave. They just asked dd if she could come back later which worked out great. She did end up learning a lot about a few schools we never heard of. I think she is planning on submitting 2 new applications. She also learned thru a scheduled audition about a school she’s pretty sure she won’t want to pursue. Great to talk to different directors/ get new perspectives and helpful for dd to discover what she really wants in a program. It’s so important for the kids to remember this and now get so caught up in hoping to get “chosen”…So overall very good experience! I’ve left Chicago feeling so veery proud of the young lady I was with and how poised, professional and good humored she was throughout our few days—and I’m super proud of all the other kids I met and observed too because they ALL seemed to be great people as well! Now my question is about Arcadia, in Philly. That was a walk-in we did. Anyone have experience with this school or the program?
@CanaDad THANKS!!
Don’t get me wrong I am not judging anyone who takes advantage of walk in opportunities. If it is there you should take advantage of it. Some schools we auditioned for had no opportunities for walk ins. It certainly was not all. But it was several. This process has been very taxing on our family in time and money and even a couple hundred dollars makes a difference. Maybe the process is that they will need to apply before they get acceptances. If so then maybe it is no big deal. Maybe my pocketbook is just making me sensitive to the issue,