Audition strategies 2008-9

College Majors Musical Theater Major
1

<p>I know that these questions have been asked and answered many times on this forum but I am frustrated about the lack of activity on CC lately and I am seriously starting to strategize the audition season. As a west coast family, we are obligated to travel to the east coast for auditions unless we rely completely on the unifieds. It may seem obsessive but it seems reasonable to apply to 12 schools in order to stand the best chance of getting an acceptance. It also seems reasonable to audition onsite if possible for those schools that seem to be the best fit (at least in theory). What are the experiences of those still lingering on this site?
1. On-site or regionals?
2. Is it OK to try to get schools to accommodate your travel schedules or are they strict about adhering to specific audition dates. I mean, I would like to visit as many schools as I can in a whirlwind 7 or 8 day trip and then hit the unifieds in LA in February.
3. Do early auditions lead to early acceotances? It would be nice for my son to have one in the bag before Christmas for peace of mind.
4. Are the airlines still offering multi-city trips for student interview trips? Any tips on getting a deal?
5. What were the best audition experiences at a school and what were the worst? (Just for fun and discussion)</p>

<p>I know that a lot of this is redundant but it might be nice to discuss it again in one thread for those of us who are dependent on the advice of seasoned CC'rs!</p>

2

<ol>
<li>My D did only on-site, so I have no frame of reference.</li>
<li>Most schools will not be willing to be accommodating - the audition dates are the audition dates. Smaller schools with less established programs may be more willing to work with you.</li>
<li>Schools with rolling admissions do notify shortly after auditions - if any of the schools you are looking at do rolling, I would definitely recommend hitting them first. (And, that's a question to ask the school, if you don't know)</li>
</ol>

<p>Last - if you have done your research, and come up with a good list of schools, I don't think you need 12. Some people seem to be overwhelmed by the statistics, etc. on this board, and while a few years back 4-6 was probably a typical number, that has grown a lot in the past 2 years. Everyone, whether they audition for 3 schools or 20, needs a safety plan - whether that's a non-audition school, another major, a gap year. </p>

<p>My other observation is that with people applying to increasing numbers of schools, their lists are sometimes totally random - they are name brand shopping, not really considering what they want in a program. Do your research, decide what is important to you in a program, find which schools most closely match. Then, from that list, pick a reach if you wish, a few that you think are matches, and at least one safety. There is no trophy awarded at the end of the season to who did the most auditions, and garnered the most acceptances.</p>

<p>In my opinion spend more time researching schools, and preparing audition material, and less time auditioning. Just as likely to earn good results, and certainly a less stressful senior year!</p>

3

<p>Audition on-sight to as many schools as you can afford. I realize it is expensive, but it is truly the best way to get a feel for the campus/program/faculty/students. </p>

<p>Schools will do their best to accommodate in terms of morning versus afternoon within the audition date to help out with travel schedules. They understand how difficult scheduling travel is and they truly do want to see as many kids as they can.</p>

4

<p>from everything i have been through, there is one thing i would recommend: have a back-up plan. life is not planned, no matter how good you are, no matter how prepared, no matter how many auditions, things do not always go as thought. </p>

<p>i would suggest unifieds, they're a deal for us west coast auditionees, especially if you are auditioning for 10+ schools. </p>

<p>As far as audition experiences goes... be prepared. Take dance classes, have your songs/monos down pat, and put your game face on. I would not recommend talking to other people at the audition. you're there for a reason, you want to go to a great college, and this is your one chance to impress the auditors. </p>

<p>Also, don't be deterred by mean auditors. I ran across one that was ridiculous, at a very sought after school that i shall not name. On the other hand, there were many schools that had extremely pleasant staff members ready to answer any question and calm your anxiety. </p>

<p>Remember: have a back-up plan, be prepared, expect nothing. </p>

<p>Best of Luck</p>

5

<p>I agree very much with the advice given by MusThCC and PantheMan22. We did a lot of research, including onsite visits and auditions, and my daughter applied to 6 schools - one audition optional BA program with very strong theatre/music/dance departments and 5 BFA programs. She was accepted at the BA and 2 of the BFA's. It was the careful planning and school matching that made the odds work. </p>

<p>In doing your research, keep in mind that different schools put different weight on academics versus the audition for admissions purposes. While the audition must always be a strong one, depending on the school, academics may or may not play an important role in differentiating between students and at some schools (ex. Emerson and NYU), the academic admission is a separate and mandatory process and no matter how good your audition is, you must also be admitted academically. At some schools, academics really don't matter that much and the audition is the only thing that really counts. </p>

<p>Also, try to figure out if a school is looking for a particular style/sound/"look" in its students. The reality is that some schools are. Corresponding with existing students and talking with the department can often give you insights into this.</p>

<p>Carefully matching schools to your kid's strengths and talents will increase the odds of an admissions success much more than a scatter shot approach where you rely on sheer numbers. It will also help you and your kid keep your sanity in this very stressful process.</p>

6

<p>Thanks for starting this thread, jacksdad, and for the good advice offered so far herein. I am particularly interested in how many schools most kids audition for. Six seems reasonable, but I keep hearing that most kids should aim for around 10, depending upon finances, etc. Anyone?</p>

7

<p>We didn't do unifieds, but it would seem to me that this would be the only reasonable way to schedule auditions for more than 3 schools both economically and from the standpoint of time commitments, potential conflicts, and the risk of something going wrong (illness, weather, travel snafu, etc). Just statistically, the more individual days/weekends you have to invest in the process the more likely you are to run into a problem.</p>

<p>I do have to agree that pre-screening schools should be a critical first step. I know there is a theory that you should audition and be accepted before you necessarily visit a school or look at it in-depth but I just can't agree with that unless you have already bought into the idea that you need to audition at bunches of schools to improve the odds regardless of where you may end up. The more you know a school and what it's looking for and what its culture is like the better off you are. That's NOT necessarily the same thing as going to a summer program to get an edge (plenty of posts to indicate that isn't a valid assumption). It IS about knowing if a school looks first at voice vs acting vs dance, how big a deal academics is, whether you can afford it if there isn't any talent money (you can fill out a FAFSA now and get a sense for your expected family contribution vs cost of the school) and those sorts of things. And it is also about trying to have a realistic assessment of your student's skills vs the school being considered. And even then there are clearly no guarantees. But that is the nature of this field even after sucessfully completing a program in the first place.</p>

<p>We're are a pretty pragmatic family, so we prescreened and went with a narrow list but it worked out for S. (Of course, then I found CC and spent the entire audition season scared to death because we didn't do bunches of schools). I guess it boils down to a chicken & egg sort of thing. Is it better to attend a school you get accepted to but don't feel is a good fit than to not get accepted to any school that is a good fit and try again the next year?</p>

<p>Any way you go, audition season is a major challenge for the families involved and the best we can do is be supportive and provide a cyber shoulder to lean on. Starting early like this gives you some benefit because you do have more time to prepare.</p>

8

<p>NMR...I do not think there is a magic number and the length of the list depends a lot on the candidate and the types of schools on the list and many factors. One factor could even be the need to compare FA packages. Another factor is some students apply to a mix of BAs and BFAs and so need some of each and in a range for each type of degree. Some students are not as strong artistically or academically and so their list might differ in length. GENERALLY speaking, I think most kids will fall into needing from 8-12 schools in this process, but there are some who might not fall into this range for certain reasons too. My own children who were applying to very selective schools applied to a total of 8 each and that seemed about right for them. I have had some clients apply to 10. A few did as many as 12. But I really think it is rare to ever need more than 12 because then the list just is not composed appropriately and also the effort it takes to do 12 applications very well will be diluted and also the effort, time and money to attend more than 12 auditions may get nutty. </p>

<p>What is very important is that the candidate have the RIGHT list for THEM. One person's list should not be identical to the next person. Too many MT students seem to make scattershot lists of schools they have heard of without any regard to their academic or artistic chances at those schools. There should be a RANGE of academic selectivity on the list and a RANGE of artistic selectivity (RELATIVE to the CANDIDATE.....one person's safety is another person's reach) as well with regard to BFA schools and also some non audition BA back ups for most students. The list must be balanced and realistic. How the list is developed would be very different from one candidate to another. As well, the schools on the list should be chosen for meeting the individual's own college preferences and college/program criteria which would need to be matched up. Just looking for "good BFA programs" is not all that is involved in creating a college list that fits the candidate's college criteria, let alone is well balanced and realistic in terms of that candidate's academic and artistic chances. </p>

<p>So, the number of schools will vary from candidate to candidate and also the schools on the list should also vary from candidate to candidate. Creating the right list for a student is a very critical piece of this process. I have seen some students with very unrealistic lists that were also created just because they had heard of the schools, etc. Some schools were out of their range. Another problem was that they really hadn't explored the schools in depth to see how the schools matched up with what they wanted in a college and program. Some didn't have a clue as to what they wanted in a college/program. Another problem was top heavy lists with no balance. And so on. Again, the number of schools would vary but for most students, if applying to mostly BFAs in MT and some non audition back ups, 8-12 should do it if their list is crafted appropriately. For my kids, applying to 8 worked out very well. Their lists were right for them. Their lists yielded a realistic and positive outcome in general. A list should be crafted to yield SOME positive results for the individual student.</p>

9

<p>WMonMTDad and Soozievt make some good points. In our case, we made a conscious decision to visit schools as much as possible before applying . This enabled my daughter to get a feel for a school up front, eliminate some schools from her list and dial in what others were looking for to assist her in audition preps. We also made a conscious decision to audition onsite to again get a feel for a school in the event she was accepted and scheduled the auditions only one per weekend and no more than 2 weekends in a row. We felt it very important to maintain a schedule that was not physically exhausting and gave due recognition to the reality that while the audition process is going on, a student still must deal with their high school responsibilities and extracurricular activities such as shows, community service etc. It is far to easy to create pressures during this period that lead to physical and mental burnout. We saw it with many kids at auditions and among several of my daughter's friends who were also applying to MT programs.</p>

<p>As to the number of schools at which to audition, I am convinced that more is not "better", it's careful selecttion that counts. My daughter attended 2 MT summer programs and as a result developed and maintained frienships with about 2 dozen students from various parts of the country who applied to BFA MT programs. Based on our observations of this "population", those of her friends who applied to many BFA schools (like 10 - 12), did not get into more schools than those who applied to a select few (like 6 - 7). They simply got rejected from more schools and certainly created more stress and exhaustion for themselves (which may have in turn been self sabotaging for some of their auditions). So what's reasonable? I think 6-7 BFA schools and 1-3 non-audition BA schools makes sense.</p>

<p>As to the value of summer programs, do them primarily because your kid wants the experience and training and secondarily if your kid wants to use it as an opportunity to get a feel for a particular school. In my daughter's case, she loved her experiences at both of the schools and concluded they were schools at which she would be happy as a college student. Do not view a summer program as an automatic "leg up" for admissions. It's not. Most of my daughter's friends from her 2 summer MT college programs were rejected by those schools.</p>

10

<p>Michael, I agree that visiting and exploring a school thoroughly is important. Some do that in advance ideally but otherwise, an on campus audition can kill two birds with one stone...the visit and the audition. Doing 8 schools worked just right in our case. It was plenty. I agree that careful selection of the college list is imperative. That said, the low admit rates at BFA schools puts many into Reach category, not necessarily due to one's qualifications but simply the odds involved. Thus it is different than a regular college admissions process with reaches/matches/safeties where some schools have different acceptance rates, etc. Normally, I like to see 40% reaches, 40% matches and 20% safeties on a college list. For a regular applicant, this might look like 4 reaches, 4 matches, 2 safeties. For a BFA candidate, the list needs to be balanced in terms of academic and artistic odds, but the artistic odds are still tough at most schools due to the low admit rates. Some schools, however, draw a more nationally strong applicant pool than others and so there are some a ways to balance out the artistic selectivity of the college list. As in your example, if a student is aiming for BFA schools, 7 might be enough but as you say, adding 1-3 non audition schools, still might make a list be as high as ten schools total. That works for many candidates. I have had students who are not sure if they want a BFA or a BA and so they need some of each and a range in each category and so sometimes this necessitates a list of 10-12 schools. For someone just applying to BFAs with a BA back up, 8-10 total schools usually works, if they have the appropriate list relative to them. My child applied to a total of 8 schools, however. </p>

<p>I agree with all that you wrote.</p>

11

<p>In the case of our daughter we feel we made some errors regarding the MT auditions so thought I would pass them on. Seven schools were applied to, 6BFA MT and 1 BA MT.
Going to the campuses for the auditions would have given her a better exposure to the schools helping her at decision time. Many of her big name school auditions were done at the Unifieds and going to Chicago in Feb from the west coast was a mistake. This was her first audition and she blew it due to fatigue, unfamiliar climate and nerves. It was infront of one person and she had expected to be infront of a panel of people.The Chicago Unifeds were a very distracting unfamiliar environment with lots of walk in opportunities and this was hard to comprehend being our first visit to the Unifieds.It was a costly visit and she only had one audition and a school tour to do whilst there.Hence have more than one audition planned if you go to the unifieds.For the Unifieds on the west coast she had 2 auditions each day both in San Francisco and La and being closer to home she was relaxed and familiar with the opportunities to go to walk ins.
We did not understand about rolling admissions and in hind sight this would have eased the log jam at the end. She was accepted to 3 BFA MT programs and 1 BA Mt program and in the end we had to make rush visits to 2 of the schools because we hadn't seen them yet.
She chose very conservativel schools not knowing her potential and she had too many safe schools and few reach schools.
Summing it up, take advatage of early decision and rolling admissions, do campus auditions, schedule 2 auditions a day at the unifieds allowing for walk in opportunities and be prepared for fate to intervene as was our case . After an unexpected amazing reaction at one of her last auditions, a connection was made and this was the school she chose to go to.
A final note, since discovering CC after she had been accepted to her college I would read all about the colleges mentioned in the list under musical theatre.This site has shown us so many other potential schools that she could have applied to, instead we had a very limited view about Musical Theatre programs america wide. I have since been passing this site to everyone, it is invaluable thank you to the moderators and contributors.</p>

12

<p>Than you to everyone for joining in. I am diligently searching all available websites and CC info to pick the right schools to apply to but what do you mean about finding the right fit. In my mind, all of these programs will provide training and how do we know which environment my son will flourish in? The idea of New York thrills him and terrifies me (as well as being cost prohibitive) while the intimacy of a smaller conservatory in Ohio or Virginia sounds great to me but restrictive to him. The big names may be a reach but how do we know? As Soozie says, acceptance at any BFA program is a reach in the MT universe. I will certainly eliminate any school that is looking for a classically trained dancer but beyond that I dont know how to weed programs out except by money and being unable to audition on their required schedule.</p>

13

<p>Look at the curriculum that the schools offer. That has certainly helped my daughter decide where she wants to apply. Some are acting heavy, some are more of a "triple threat" program, etc.
Visiting her top choices really made a difference. It's true that you get a feel for where you belong. Watching clases and seeing performances helped so much.
My question is: Do you go to a school that is strong in what you are do best, or do you go to a school to strengthen your weakness? Would an acting heavy school take you if that is your weakest point?</p>

14

<p>hey! Strategies for when & where to audition revolve around the number of schools you are auditioning for. So, before you audition, you should try to make your list of schools based on criteria that are important to you. (I think you've probably heard that before).</p>

<p>For me, I didn't realize what I was looking for until the middle of my audition process. (When i visited one school in particular, I was turned off) In my case, I preferred schools with more intimate programs (smaller # of students & nurturing environment). </p>

<p>Anyway, here are a few things to look for and one way to assess them:</p>

<p>-performance opportunities: can you perform fresh/soph year?
Some schools don't let freshman and/or sophomores perform in their shows! College performance experience is very valuable (audiitioning, rehearsing, and performing) and is something I wanted to be able to do all four years. Also, bigger schools with Grad programs may have grad students filling many roles. So, look out for that.</p>

<p>-size of program: how many incoming freshman MTs
Smaller programs can offer more individualized attention to students. (Larger schools with large body of faculty could too). I wanted a small program for performance opportunities, family-type atmosphere, and I wanted to know everyone and vice versa.</p>

<p>-how selective the program is: acceptance rate (how many audition vs how many get in)
It makes sense to me that the more selective a program is, the better talent it will have. Of course, talent is always subjective/objective (i always get those 2 words mixed up).</p>

<p>-Type of degree: BFA, BM, BA, etc
Research all of the programs that you are applying to to find out what their curriculum is like. Do you want a curriculum that dance-heavy? music-heavy? acting-focused? etc. This will be your next 4 years so make sure you find osmething you can enjoy and that you will benefit from.</p>

<p>-location
self-explanatory. Do you want to be in a big city or small town? This wasn't as important for me because I figure college is a time for learning, developing, and training. After college I can move to the city.</p>

<p>-COST
!!! College is so expensive. Some more than others. For me, I simply didn't want to be $200,000 in debt after college graduation, because I know especially with an MT career i won't be rich, lol.</p>

<p>I'm out the door--sorry. good luck to all of those auditioning!! And parents, i'm sur eyour kids appreciate all of the help/research you are doing!! My parents are very very supportive but are not computer savvy, so I did all of the research/scheduling/planning/etc on top of my senior year school/performing/college & scholarship aps/sports schedules. So those parents helping out - Your kids are lucky to have you!!</p>

15

<p>I am probably echoing whats been said above, but here goes. We did the audition and visit at the same time. The schools seem to expect this and were prepared with Q&A sessions and tours, ect. It gave us a good idea of the attitude and faculty.</p>

<p>We had to be cost consious, so schools without a strong scholarship program were out. We looked at location based on travel cost also.</p>

<p>We felt that a smaller private school would be right for our S and after the audtion/visits, it was confirmed.</p>

<p>Most schools have a main focus. I don't know if is always apparent from their websights, but a forum like this one is invaluable for that sort of information. At the school my S chose we were told several times that they were looking for "voices", which is his strong suit.</p>

<p>So it all came together, scholarships, location, small size and voice focused.</p>

<p>I found CC about a month before his auditions started, it was a little late, but I was able to read, read and read, and got the information I needed to help him prepare properly. He went to a large H.S. with an active arts program and I was amazed at how little info there was about the process of applying for this sort of program. These kids really need to start in their jr. year getting ready for this. I typed up a small paper about this process and gave it to the counselors, choir and drama teachers. I don't know if they'll use it, but I tried.</p>

16

<p>kyle style gave a great summary of the types of things to look at. A couple of comments:
1. Don't stress over opportunities to be in shows freshman year. Most schools don't permit freshmen to appear in school shows. Instead, they want freshmen to focus on the transition from H.S. theatre to professional training and the adjustment to being at college. They want the students to break old bad habits and start building a foundation. Doesn't mean there aren't loads performance opportunities however. There will be tons of performance time in class and studio on a daily basis and for finals projects (remember, it's a performing arts program - guess what most finals are :) ). Many schools require freshmen to audition for school shows just to get the experience. And upperclassmen in directing and writing programs draw on student talent for their projects.</p>

<ol>
<li>Location presents conflicting priorities. Unlike more traditional academic areas, there are fewer good MT programs, the competition is stiffer and coupled with other criteria of importance, the universe of options is generally much smaller. So filtering schools by location may result in the exclusion of a program that in all other respects is very attractive. On the other hand, this is where a student is going to live for the next 4 years and if the location (and city v. more rural) factor is not somewhat attractive or comfortably palatable, it could be a long 4 years. In my daughter's case, location was important. She loves the energy and excitment of a city enviroment. Less than that was a compromise that could only be justified by significant compensating benefits (and she ended up choosing a city school from her list of acceptances).</li>
</ol>

<p>Ok, so now that kyle style gave you a great list of what to look for, how do you gather the info? Here's what worked for my daughter:
1. Scour the schools' websites. There is usually a ton of info available, some of it easy to access and some buried away. Look not only at the pages set up through the admissions site but look for separate sites for the department and the program. Statements of philosophy, admissions criteria, audition requirements, theatre department student handbooks, curricula, biographies of professors, schedules of past and current season shows, performance related clubs and student groups, student blogs, study abroad, relationships with other industry partners, notable alumnae, it's all there to be found. There is a wealth of info out there that can give you a real feel for a school.
2. Talk to students who go to the schools. The CC board is great for that. Most students are more than willing to share their insights, experience, likes and dislikes about their schools.
3. Talk to voice teachers and coaches, music and dance teachers.
4. Visit and ask a gizzillion questions. Meet with department heads.
5. If you have access, talk to those are currently professionals in performing arts. As I was informed by others in a position to know, there is a difference between a schools reputation and quality from the the consumer's perspective and from the perspective of the "industry". Both valid but also indicative of different measures of a school.</p>

<p>The time put into the process by a student preparing for auditions is incredible. The time that can be involved in engaging in the "due diligence" aspects of selecting schools to which apply can be equally massive.</p>

17

<p>"Fit" is very, very subjective. The best answer is probably "you'll know it when you find it". Even though in very general terms "theater folk" have lots in common, there can also be vast differences, especially fresh out of HS. Some are and will always be wild partiers. Some will come from small environments and, while the lure of the "Big City" is appealing, may not necessarily be the best first stop for the long-term. Some may be fine performers but still be a bit insecure in a large program. For some a modern new facility can be a big deal others may recognize that tools merely facilitate development of existing skills and talents. Culture can be abig deal sometimes. When we started doing college visits Spring of Jr year we often found that S knew within a few hours of being on campus whether it was a good "fit" simply by observing the student body, staff interaction and admissions pitch.</p>

18

<p>We did a number of things differently than I have seen explained. If you’re already looking at senior year this won’t be much help.</p>

<p>We visited 11 schools S’s junior year. At all but one we were able to arrange a meeting with one of the voice faculty, see a show or rehearsal , sit in at least one class and talk/eat with the students. S’s high school has a fall and spring break, so that was our vacations that year. Lucky he is our youngest child!</p>

<p>By summer before senior year we had a pretty good idea where he would fit in. We scheduled three schools for the fall that were good fits and he felt most confident. One was at the bottom of parent's list for convenience for travel, one was at the bottom of parent's list for cost and one was in our opinion the best educationally, fit and cost wise.
Additionally his safety school told us out right after he sang for the department head at his visit that they would offer him a scholarship. </p>

<p>We were able to schedule two of the auditions on the same weekend. The parental favorite college was the following weekend. At the first audition we sat through a rehearsal of a show and were struck by how similar type most of the cast was. At this audition I felt things were not very prepared, I also felt the program lacked the kindness my “care bear” S needed. At the second audition things went quite well, but the enrollment people stressed there was very little chance for scholarship money. I personally didn’t feel the program would compliment my S’s learning style, despite the fact that his audition coach was a former faculty member. The third audition was perfect, I felt like all my questions were answered as a parent; we saw a fabulous show and S actually enjoyed his audition. He went away fairly confident he would get an offer and in love with the school.</p>

<p>We started to prepare for the three other schools S intended to audition for in the winter. Then his offer letter came from his favorite school and he decided he didn’t need to continue the process. </p>

<p>I think the way we did it saved us money in the long run. We were able to schedule and coordinate college within a day's drive so there wasn't a lot of plane fare for our visits. When we visited it wasn't busy so everyone took a lot of time with him. I think we really got to see the programs and how they would fit him. Additionally it was a real learning experience seeing all those programs and gave my S confidence he made the right choice for him.</p>

19

<p>We applied to 12 schools. I don't know if we needed to apply to 12 but in the long run I'm glad we had choices. We did a variety of BFA, BA, State schools and private schools, we also choose 3 schools that were Acting programs vs. MT thinking of them as an alternate/backup/maybe less competitive. In the end my d had a variety of 7 different kinds of choices to make. It might have been great to visit and explore all these schools and programs in her Junior year but as it was we felt the time commitment, travel and expense were enough for the 7 months we spent doing this in her senior year. Yes we might have made some different choices but basically this was what we could handle and still have a life. We ended up doing some on campus auditions, some regional auditions and 2 at the unifieds. I must say, and this is a really important tip that on site auditions can be very important. Not only do you get a sense of the school with an on site audition, but also, a few of the schools took a much greater amount of time and interest when we visited the school. It seemed like some regional and unifieds were like a mill with tons of students, less attention, and basically in and out. That wasn't always the case but it definately happened. Her 3 best auditions were at the schools, they spent intensive and extensive time with her, she got into 2 of these and deferred from one. You don't always get a great sense of the school during auditions. We needed to return after acceptances, sit in on classes, see their shows etc. In doing that we were surprised in the end at the school we ended up choosing. We did not know early on which would be the right fit, we really didn't know till the end, after the whole process what the right school would be. Again we were lucky to have choices. We realized at the end that having a true triple threat program with a strong dance program was a must. That ended up being more important than BA vs. BFA vs Acting vs. MT etc. I think you do need a variety, I think you do need to know which schools provide scholarship money,if needed, which have the disciplines for the skills you need, city life vs campus, large vs small, state vs. private. There is a fit and comfort level that you need to find (that's why there are transfers). You also need to vary your audition sites you don't want to risk going to the unifieds with a lot of your top choices and then maybe being sick or just not up to par, or even weather problems. You also may not want to or can not afford flying all over the country. So try to figure out your top preferences and try to audition at those schools. For the rest, vary it. I don't know how you can come up with numbers its so competitive! When a school is taking 10-12 girls out of 250 how do you figure out the how many. It was also recently reported that this year, in general, more students than ever before did not get into their top choice schools. Oh and yes, if you can, find a school with rolling admissions, it was nice to know we had an acceptance early on even though it was not the school she ended up choosing, but it definately made it all a bit less stressful.</p>

20

<p>I agree with Shellipearl about unifieds. Although unifieds is probably the most economical way to audition , it can be a risk to schedule all auditions at once- Sort of like putting all your eggs in one basket. Many, many kids audition at unifieds only and do very well. I was just too "scared" to go that route. My d is prone to catching colds so we decided to spread the auditions out. My d went to unifieds in Chicago and auditioned for three schools, participated in one regional audition and participated in on campus auditions for the remaining 5 auditions. She chose to audition on campus for her top choices. I think it all boils to down to what works best for your family. As with many things, there is not a "right" or "wrong" way to schedule/plan your auditions. Good Luck to everyone auditioning this year. Believe me, the audition season is difficult, but the WAITING is the MOST difficult. March was the longest month EVER! Again---GOOD LUCK!!!!!</p>