<p>Well, that’s silly. Yes, she has kids get into top programs but she also has plenty more who don’t. This affects me in no way whatsoever but I do find it interesting and a little weird.</p>
<p>I’d venture a guess it is because it is incredibly smart admissions related marketing on the schools’ part to attend. All of the 14 schools on the Moonifides list have great programs but many have to overcome geographic challenges if they want a nationally representative top-talent student body or have to cast a wider net including wooing early on to get the number of legitimately talented students they want to eventually say yes. I would assume after years of practice the school reps know where it is they need to go to outreach for their schools’ benefit and Mary Anna’s event clearly is one of them.</p>
<p>Don’t underestimate the role that geography plays in all of this. This is a very big country with amazing schools in off the beaten path places. Or amazing schools that not so hard to get to if you live on the East coast but for people that live in the West the states here are HUGE and with only a handful of exceptions, the MT programs are not here and we can’t drive to any of them. So any opportunity to see a group all in one places is a big help.</p>
<p>That’s my theory anyway but what do I know?</p>
<p>Ah before I posted this there were two other replies so I’m editing mine. I wish I hadn’t deleted the paragraph that told the story of my daughter’s attendance last year at a regional thing in our state where many of these 14 schools were in attendance. It could have sounded braggy and I did not want to go there so I killed it. BUt to the comment that it is about the talent… maybe but I think it is more about the effort and search that some of these programs have to do to get the attention of the talent and you will have people tell you (correctly) that there is nothing about a successful coach’s students that necessarily and in every case = top talent. (And nor do the coaches market timeselves that way as far as I can tell). I’m sure it means excellent preparation or they wouldn’t be as successful as they are but I don’t think you can take to the next level (without people strongly objecting. :))</p>
<p>Thank-you! Looking at the list of schools again this actually makes sense. For the most part, they are not the programs on everyone’s list and probably would have to work a little harder to attract top talent.</p>
<p>On the talent thing…ugh!</p>
<p>We know several who used her and are not in anything close to their top choice schools. Coaches can make you more prepared but they cannot make you more talented.</p>
<p>If we were to do this all over again I’m sure we’d call Mary right up! 
She likely would have saved my family considerable time and stress.<br>
My complaint here is not about coaching; I just long for more transparancy and better communication from the colleges to prospective students about these opportunies.</p>
<p>Most, if not all of these schools, will already be in the area for the North Texas Drama Auditions. They aren’t making a special trip for Moonifieds.
[Colleges</a> Attending](<a href=“Theatre at Collin College - Collin College”>Theatre at Collin College - Collin College)</p>
<p>Halflocum- thank you for your words of support, wisdom, and sensibility!</p>
<p>theatremomma, I think most people on this thread support you and others who are taking your kids’ to this audition event and also working with a private coach! I know I certainly do! I just think that those who hear of this event for the first time are surprised at first to learn it takes place and it is not that well known by most people and usually not listed as an audition event by most of the programs. I advised a student who attended Moonifieds one year and it was a very positive experience. I just want to assure newbies that the majority of kids get in the regular way…at campus or National Unifieds and don’t need to worry about this. It doesn’t affect things for others. It does seem unusual or surprising that colleges hold private auditions with a private coach to those hearing about it for the first time; that’s all.</p>
<p>Agee with soozie. This does seem a bit odd, having schools go to one coach. Why aren’t colleges more open about this? Oh well, I guess I take comfort in the fact that three girls from my daughter’s HS all went for MT last year, and all are freshman in very good programs this year. Plus my daughter’s audition coach says she’s ready. Should be a wild ride the next few month.</p>
<p>The schools themselves could help out a little more by having Unifieds or something like it, offered in a few more cities. NYC, Chicago and LA leave no place remotely close for people in the south/southwest. This process is expensive enough. I don’t like the idea of private auditions, but as a parent, I’d also do anything to save money! I figure it’s going to cost somewhere in the 5K range just to get my kid into a program. Crazy.</p>
<p>Walker1194, really good point. Living in NJ, we’re spoiled about that. Surely they could find another hub in the South/Southwest?</p>
<p>You know, I’ve been thinking the same thing. Why not have a unified audition in the South? For that matter, why not actually advertise the Chicago Unifieds for what they’ve become - more than just the “unified” schools? </p>
<p>When would these Southern Unifieds take place? Likely the best time would be in mid-January before the on campus season is in full swing and prior to the current swing that includes NYC/Chicago/Vegas and LA. What is the best city? Needs to be easily accessible and fairly centrally located. Atlanta? Dallas? Charlotte? Memphis? Maybe it would be possible to do a Fall Southern Unified Auditions? </p>
<p>Alright my CC friends. I can make this happen. But you need to help me. I know this isn’t exactly what one might call a statistically strong sample, but you are my best (and a fine) option.</p>
<p>Where? When? And I’ll do my best to get them together for maybe as soon as 2013, but likely 2014. I think I can make this happen. (If someone wants to move this to it’s own thread, feel free. Goodness knows I don’t need to be the center.)</p>
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<p>Tisch offers regional auditions in January in Atlanta and Houston, and in Miami in February. Perhaps other schools do the same and could be tied into a southern opportunity.</p>
<p>@kjgc: Speaking as someone who lives in Texas, it seems to me that only a location in Dallas or Houston would offer a substantial advantage over Chicago vs. Atlanta, Charlotte, or Memphis (referring to your list). Yes, a Southern location outside of Texas would allow us to avoid winter weather in Chicago but it would still be a plane trip for most of the state. I would guess that unless the number of attending schools was close to the number that go to Chicago, not too many people from Texas would get on a plane to Atlanta, Memphis, or Charlotte instead of a plane to Chicago (a plane ticket may actually be cheaper to Chicago). Some no doubt would go to a Southern city as an alternative, but I bet many would still go to Chicago if the number of schools in attendance was larger.</p>
<p>Another consideration - while they are not the same as Unifieds, Texas has a very strong infrastructure of Regional and school-specific auditions, including the North Texas Drama Auditions, Texas Thespians, Greater Houston Area Auditions, BTW Showcase, etc. These are well-attended and they would “compete” to some degree with “Southern Unifieds” if the location would be too far away to drive in a reasonable amount of time (as long as the current fairly large number of schools keep showing up). A “Southern Unifieds” in Dallas or Houston, however, might be able to condense and replace all of these. For example, this past weekend we had 27 schools at the Greater Houston Auditions including Penn St., Webster, Viterbo, OU, Roosevelt, and UArts represented for MT (there were more).</p>
<p>Holding them in the Fall would offer a very interesting alternative that would permit students to concentrate more on school-specific trips in the spring. Based on my personal observations, many applicants in our area have already made their decisions prior to Unifieds due to offers resulting from auditions at Thespians, Regional Auditions, School Showcases, etc.</p>
<p>Just got back!-- HUGE SMILEY FACE!</p>
<p>Theatremomma, glad it worked out. </p>
<p>I just stumbled across this thread. As an outsider, I don’t really see the problem because stuff like this is going to happen all the time when these students get out of college and into the “real world.” Of course, one could argue that college is supposed to be different from the real world. I’ll leave that determination to you, but it’s just a thought. This is a competitive industry, and it definitely isn’t always “fair” when it comes to casting. College auditions really aren’t much different.</p>
<p>@theatremomma – yay!</p>
<p>Hey MTTwinsinCA- Thanks. I seemed to have lost you on FB. Painful football weekend!</p>
<p>theatremomma, glad your child had a positive audition experience which is a great way to start the season.</p>
<p>I have never before posted comments in College Confidential but I have learned a great deal over the last few years from others who have been willing to share. I’d like to comment from my personal perspective on my son’s experience at Moonifieds. He auditioned for 14 schools at Moonifieds just a few weeks ago and I have to say it was an absolutely incredible experience for him. We are so thankful that he had the opportunity to participate! Choosing to invest in an audition coach was a big decision for us – but we could not be more grateful that we were able to connect with Moo a year ago. She has made a world of difference in our son’s progress throughout this competitive and complicated process. We live in a small town. We knew NOTHING about how this process works. My son’s theater teacher is wonderful but she doesn’t know much about the college audition process. Having a coach who also brought in experts to work with her students to prepare them for auditions was fantastic. Moonifieds was icing on the cake!!! Our son was actually accepted into a competitive program that was NOT represented at Moonifieds and he has not yet been offered a spot from a Moonifieds audition – but it was still an amazing opportunity! He met other students with similar interests and dreams and got to understand his own strengths and weaknesses by watching others. Another one of the great things about Moonifieds was that he got to hear presentations from 14 different schools – directly from their faculty – and have the chance to ask questions about their programs. This made him more and more excited about the program in which he has already been accepted! My husband and I both teach at a state university and we understand recruiting and limited budgets. Having Moonifieds after the North Texas Drama Auditions is brilliant! It’s smart and a good use of resources. It’s all about giving our kids the chance to pursue their passion and find a good fit for their talents and academic abilities. For the schools its a way to efficiently and effectively find the talent they desire for their programs. It seems like a win-win and we are grateful for the opportunity! Thanks for letting me share --</p>
<p>I feel like this thread split into two: One was about the original, ‘moonifieds,’ and one started to be about the difficulties of location in unifieds, which take place in Chicago or NYC. One poster said that Moonifieds were fair because Texans and other folks from the south and southwest have to travel considerable distances to get to the unifieds. kjgc then kindly offered to see what he could do to start a southern unified audition and as far as I can see, no one responded except to say it should be in Texas rather than any of the locations kjgc listed, while then adding that Texas already has a lot of regional auditions. </p>
<p>I have a few questions–First is my confusion,for Texans–are Moonifieds fair because you have to spend a ton of money to go to Chicago, which however is cheaper than Atlanta, or are Unifieds in Texas not really necessary because there are great regional auditions there anyway?</p>
<p>And back to the kjgc’s kind offer–As I said, I live in NJ, so I’m not affected by the regionals. But I’d think that having a regional in the south and maybe another one in Texas, if at all possible, would really help diversify the MT/theatre programs. As it is, only well off folks can afford a flight of at least two tickets plus hotel to attend regionals. I know our own family couldn’t do that–we’d be forced to audition at schools that were only within close driving distance. Thousands of families have to be like us. So it strikes me that certain regions will be underrepresented and that has to impact the quality and diversity of the programs. </p>
<p>kjgc, I think it’s a great idea and one I’d like to see. I would propose Atlanta because it’s a hub. And perhaps another in HOuston? Of course I don’t know anything about this, but colleges should certainly know
a) what regions are underrepresented in their programs and
b) the social classes/races/ethicities of their applicants. </p>
<p>As far as the Moonifieds, I realize that’s the original thread, but that’s a private screening for additional money and is not a solution to this problem.</p>