@yourmama99 I’m not sure that they do callbacks for on campus auditions like they do at Unifieds…from speaking with current students that I know and others who have spoken to current students they know; it doesn’t seem any of them had callbacks and they were all on campus auditions…no confirmation of that information from any admin at the school; just an assumption I am making based on information I was able to get.
@theatrekidmom , I think UNCSA only started doing callbacks this year. So current students at the school wouldn’t have had them.
Are the on campus UNCSA auditions a two-day event or are auditions just scheduled at various times over the weekends they list?
Are there any particular schools that seem to prefer on campus auditions over Unifieds? With the number of schools kids audition for these days, it seems like it may be difficult to schedule them all for one Unifieds. I’m thinking next year we try to get most of them done at one Unifieds and maybe a one or two on campus. I don’t think any more than that would be feasible for us, so would like to choose wisely which ones we target for on campus.
@SoMychDrama, when my daughter toured Montclair a couple of years back, the head of the theater program said that it’s fine to do Unifieds or on campus, but he does tend to feel that doing it on campus shows an extra level of interest and commitment. So that’s a good one to do on campus.
But with Rutgers, it’s definitely better to do it at Unifieds, because that’s where Kevin Kittle is. The on-campus Rutgers auditions are done by other faculty, but Kevin Kittle is the head of the program so you definitely want him to see you.
@actorparent1 Thank you! I’ll add that info to my rapidly growing spreadsheet!
@SoMuchDrama @actorparent1 My D auditioned for Rutgers last year at NYC Unifieds and Kevin Kittle was not there.
@NYDreammom , oh, so maybe it changes year to year. My D auditioned two years ago, and we did Rutgers on campus because we THOUGHT it would show more interest, but a few days before Unifieds her acting teacher at her performing arts high school told the class “If you’re auditioning for Rutgers, make sure to do it in NYC at Unifieds because that’s where Kevin Kittle will be!” We were so bummed she hadn’t told them that sooner, since we had made the audition appointment for on campus and it was too late to change it.
But if he wasn’t at Unifieds last year, I guess there’s no hard-and-fast rule to go by.
@SoMuchDrama being in the thick of it now (as I write from my bed at Unifieds), I might do fewer on campus because several schools for acting ask you to do on campus call backs, which is another trip to consider. Also, acting auditions are generally pretty easy to do several a day, with the exception of a few that require a half day here or there like Pace and UNCSA.
@SoMuchDrama @NYDreamMom maybe there were different rooms for Rutgers at NYC Unifieds last year. My son auditioned with Kevin and one other woman. We were strongly advised to audition at Unifieds because Kevin would be there.
@MomMimi, thanks for that clarification!
@SoMuchDrama I think your plan sounds good… as long as you get the applications/prescreens in early so you have date choices. My D was on the later side for various reasons, and while she didn’t get closed out of any schools she also didn’t have as many date options. We did a mix of unifieds and on campus (one final yet to go). All the schools say it does not make a difference whether you are on campus or at unfieds, and I think from their view it doesn’t but I believe it can make a difference as to how your child feels about the experience. If it’s a school you really care about and at their on campus they do more than what they do at unifieds, such as group movement, then it can provide a positive feeling (for the student) that carries on to the audition. But this is very subtle, and of course no guarantee on campus will work out that way.
@sagezinnia Thank you for your insight! You spelled out exactly what I was thinking, that yes, most schools say it doesn’t matter where you audition, but if an on campus audition affords the auditioner a little more time with the auditors or a less chaotic experience, then that would be a good one to choose to do on campus. Plus my concern is that if she tries to cram it all into one Unifieds, she’ll get overwhelmed and burnt out. Then again, multiple trips to these different locations will be tiring and costly. So I’m just trying to find the balance. I guess I’m stressed about scheduling because it’s really the only thing I have any control over. In the end, everything else is on her! BAL to your daughter at her last audition!!!
@SoMuchDrama thanks… I will add, there were two on campus where my d had a great experience, she felt comfortable and confident, and then there was another one where she’d expected to have a similar experience on campus and it turned out to be one where it would have been exactly the same if she had auditioned at unifieds. So you just don’t know. All you can do is take your best guess - but again, I think your plan sounds good.
@sagezinnia Would you mind sharing which schools she liked being on campus for and which one didn’t seem worth it? You can PM me if you don’t want to share publicly right now. Thanks!
Quick question for a friend…does anyone have a recommendation for a good hotel to stay at for a CalArts visit? Thanks in advance! 
In case anyone needs this - I had posted it on the MT thread…
General info for anyone coming in at LAX and looking for an Uber/Lyft/Rideshare: you can’t call a rideshare to pick you up at arrivals. DON’T PANIC! it’s fine. LAX has something called LAX-IT next to Terminal 1 which is a hub for the ride shares and Taxis. You can either take a shuttle bus there or you can walk - there are paths crossing the center of the airport and a lot of people walking, you can follow them. We always walk because it’s nice to stretch your legs after a flight but the shuttles also come often. Here’s the cool thing - you don’t have to even call your ride-share, the Uber and Lyft drivers get in line at the LAX-IT pickup and get matched with riders as they show up, just like a taxi stand. They give you a code and you connect once you’re in the car. It is a much better system than it used to be, where people would wait for 30+ minutes for a rideshare to make it through the airport traffic so don’t be intimidated!
If you are staying at one of the hotels on Century you can walk from LAX-IT as fast as drive - just keep going past LAXIT and there’s a sidewalk that takes you across Sepulveda and down Century. The Hyatt is literally across the street. The Sheraton, Embassy Suites and Crown Plaza are a stroll past that.
Hope that helps!
@muttsandMT - so CalArts is in the suburbs, north of LA. There’s not much near there other than 6 Flags - you can definitely find hotels and the area is fine but your friend might want to stay someplace more fun in the LA Basin and drive up and back, depending on how long they are staying for.
@SoMuchDrama I don’t think I have enough replies to PM yet, not sure but think not… My daughter really enjoyed UMich and BW on campus. The school that felt as though it wouldn’t have made a difference had an info session followed by brief auditions (which sounds like a lot of schools I guess). It was all fairly quick. I think I’d rather not name them because it may seem that it was a bad experience, which it was not - it just wasn’t anything special to warrant a trip. Actually the reason we had gone on campus for them was because all the Unified slots had been filled. It was a school high on my D’s list so we didn’t work to try and switch, and for some reason she thought there was movement as part of the day. I have heard that schools audition procedures can vary year to year, so you just never know. – We didn’t schedule many on campus and most were an easy drive or on the way to Unifieds.
@SoMuchDrama and, I will add I do not know if UMich or BW have movement at off campus auditions or not, though BW doesn’t seem to have as many off campus auditions…
Were there group, partner or movement portions at BW?