@NYAndOne, you do realize that if schools mention the possibility of walk-ins on their website, then MORE people will do walk-ins, not fewer. Is that what you want?
It seems to me that if you’re adamantly against people doing walk-ins, the LAST thing you would want is for them to be more publicized so more people know about them.
@16or32bars - LOVE your user name. That’s a really good point. Some people love that tension and some (like me) do not. We stayed at the LA Hilton for Unifieds last year both because I have elite status (free breakfast in the nice lounge!) and because the auditions weren’t going on there. Funny story though - at the Hilton there was a alternate health expo so our hotel was fillled with women wearing white gauzy gowns and crystals. Every time we got out of the elevator it was another “scene” - guys wearing loin cloths, super fit young people carrying massage chairs - just unpredictable and very entertaining. We both would save up our favorite sights to share once we were out of the hotel. The laughter definitely helped keep us both relaxed. You could definitely feel the change in tension as you walked into the hotels where the auditions were held.
I am sure that schools have good reasons for not publicizing the possibility of doing walk ins. I’m sure some of them, as others have stated, aren’t sure how much walk in availability there will be. If you promise walk in slots to people and end up with almost no availability to have walk ins - you’re going to have some very angry people.
It is very clear that everyone has an opinion on this, and I don’t think debating is productive at this point. Perhaps we could move on to celebrating the great week everyone had/is having at Chicago Unifieds? This board is supposed to be a chance to let stress out, not cause more of it:)
One note for anyone coming in for LA Unifieds - it’s COLD in Southern California this week. Go ahead and laugh easterners - we’re cold! It’s our own little mini polar vortex. 
Bring sweaters, jackets and scarves … but maybe not gloves.
@actorparent1 Hey, I’m never going to tell anybody what to do. My wants are meaningless. But if I see you changing rules mid-stream without some advance notice of that possibility, I’m planting a red flag.
Again, I have no problem with walk-ins. But no one (even people who are not on CC) applying to a school should be kept in the dark about potential paths to “getting in the room”.
On that note, I would like to celebrate that we are officially DONE with auditions! My D had her last one yesterday morning in Chicago!
As I’ve mentioned before, this is our 2nd year, so this is SUPER exciting! It feels like we’ve been in audition mode forever.
Congrats to everyone who survived another unifieds sessions. And now we wait!
Just throwing this out in the debate about walk-ins: some schools have private auditions for people in programs such as Broadway Dreams or for those who use a certain coach. These private auditions are not open to everyone and are regulated largely by ability to pay or convince someone to provide a scholarship. This lack of universal access could also be perceived as unfair. Baldwin Wallace, for instance, had no audition slots available in early October because the rest were reserved for special programs. We decided not to apply at all. Given that there are far more applicants than spots, schools are concerned about “false alarms” (identifying someone as a good pick when they are not) than about “misses” (not finding all good candidates). As long as that is true, schools do not have to be concerned about providing equal opportunities in terms of how they find their class.
I think the lesson is for the name schools that require prescreens, if they are one of your dream schools then you should definitely go through the prescreen process and try to secure your audition spot. If you’re not sure about a prescreen school then you need to balance the risk of not getting a slot with the fact your child will likely be a more polished performer and able to demonstrate it live as opposed to a phone video. There are definitely a couple of schools we likely would not have submitted prescreens to if we knew there was a possibility of doing a walk-in because my D didn’t feel prepared at the time prescreens were due, but most we probably still would have submitted in hopes of securing a guaranteed spot.
I don’t see it at all as a money grab or deceptive but rather an unfortunate symptom of the system where the number of applicants has exploded in recent years making prescreens a necessity for some. I’ll say I really like the Wright State model - because they require an on campus audition, they give you the option of sending a prescreen to find out if they think you should make the trip, but it doesn’t preclude you from coming in for an audition if you don’t submit the prescreen.
@MThopeful99, yes, I agree. Let’s celebrate our kids and spread some positive vibes!
And, is anyone in the grateful camp for these schools creating amazing opportunities for our kiddos? While this process has been hard, my D and I are so impressed with the faculty at these schools that spent so much time and effort organizing the auditions, providing feedback and encouragement, talking about their training, giving comp tickets to shows, and overall being helpful and kind.
My D has grown immensely from this, both as a person and a performer. So, to all the faculty on these boards - THANK YOU for working with all these kiddos, for keeping the arts alive, and for sharing your view of how musical theatre can impact the world.
Congratulations @BrennaK!
It’s super interesting to note the heads of departments. The tricky thing about BFA programs is that they might only be as good as the head of the program. This is similar to a college sports team with a certain coach right? So knowing retirement plans etc is not necessarily insignificant factor in choosing a school. Many of the program heads are personally the ones with the connections to get NYC ppl to the schools for visits and/or connections with agencies in the city. Some school programs are on the map b/c of the Directors- singlehandedly.
PS. When schools mention numbers “1800 applications but we only admit 16” are they including walk ins?
The application fees as we all know are a huge revenue stream for schools some making 1800 x 100 is $270,000 just on applications!
Academic schools like University of Chicago have recently been criticized for inflating application numbers for the sole purpose of claiming they only take…4% (Or whatever percentage is)… its all NUTS.
@Twelfthman ~ University of Michigan had an MT department head change in 2016: Brent Wagner to Vincent Cardinal.
Regarding Walk-ins, there is no Right or Wrong approach, it all depends on the student’s situation. One beauty of these BFA audition boards for both MT and Acting has been that they bring together a broad group of parents/students with a shared focus. But, there are still big differences. I found that folks sort of gravitated toward people that were targeting the same schools, same priorities, but that we all still supported one another and did not disparage another’s approach. My D was not that into Walk-ins. Having heard how great they could be, I kept bringing it up. To be fair, she was already auditioning for 17 programs (4 in London), so she/we felt that we had a good list. HOWEVER, she did a walk-in for Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, progressed to be in their Pool of On Hold candidates. I feel if she had showed commitment, it would have turned into an offer, but she got an offer from UNCSA and we did not pursue it. So, that is a Great Program and it could have been a good fit (I was willing to let her go to Scotland, lol).
@katzenbogen , I agree with you regarding private audition sessions for coaching groups. But, it’s the way of the game and we just have to focus on our own path in the process. We went without a coach and were able to secure spots for the programs my DS was most interested in. You create a plan and you stick to it (modifying it if necessary along the way). I trust in the process and believe that my son’s choice is where he is meant to be. I think he would have chosen his school no matter what other programs he made because he felt like he belonged there. Sometimes I wonder where else he would have gotten in (or not) if he had finished his scheduled auditions this season, but that’s just me as a parent, wondering “what if…” The journey is different for each of our kids and everyone in this process has a different path that they chose to follow. I feel that each path will lead the student to the correct destination for them.
@CTDramaMom I think in the past walk-ins were not as prevalent. At least that is what I am told. But for some who have certain schools as “reach schools” and have interest, having knowledge ahead of time that there was even a chance that they could walk in as opposed to submitting a pre-screen would have tipped the balance to taking a chance. But everything we read indicated that pre-screen were mandatory. There was no indication that there could ever be an opportunity to walk in.
Ok…how about this…all of you who want to argue with each other about the merits or detriments of walk-ins start a new thread? I’m sorry…I’m honestly not trying to belittle the importance of this subject to those of you weighing in, but I can’t believe that I’m the only one who is tired of trudging through these arguments to get to the posts that are celebrating our kids and offering support and guidance to those who need it. If it’s really that important to you, please take the lead to start a new thread and post an invitation here for others to join. Thanks.
@ZukAndSowash this is the thread for venting…
@WeRnutz, I still feel that all pre-screen, etc are mandatory. If your interested in a super-reach school, or any school your student is intersted in, you have to send in that pre-screen! I wouldn’t chance it to the possibility of a walk-in. I view walk-ins as an opportunity to take advantage of, if you can. It’s a bonus, an extra. I wouldn’t go to any of the unifides to just do walk-ins. Apply to your schools that are on your list. Do all the homework you have to do for those applications. If you go to unifides and you have extra time and there is a school that is offering a walk-in, and your interested, do it.
@ZukAndSowash , agreed! Start a separate thread and let’s move on. If you like walk-ins, do them. If you don’t, then don’t.
@toowonderful so you have a school that is a pre screen school. You are told that you HAVE to prescreen. It is a school that is a very good school, but far away and not necessarily a top choice school. To apply with all fees and other costs is around $150. I am not told that a walk in is possible. I have to make a choice between this school and another school because I can’t afford to apply for them all. I have to do this by September. Much depends on what other pre-screens child passes and offers they get as to whether this is a top school for child but we don’t know any of this in September. But we are told that a prescreen is mandatory. So we decide and bite the bullet. Had we known that a walk in was even a possibility we would have saved that $150 until we had more information available and taken our chances at unfieds. Also now child is evaluated based upon an actual live in person audition where they get the chance to interact, get better acoustics, more rehearsal time rather than a video. So go figure. All I would have liked to know is if this was an option and evidently is was for most, not all, programs.