I have the following questions about Unifieds; help to answering any of them is most appreciated:
Do all the same institutions (i.e., Universities, colleges, schools, academies, conservatories) attend all three Unifieds or do some of the institutions only attend one or two of them? An example of an institution or two attending less than all three would be helpful for illustrative purposes.
Chicago Unifieds lasts double the length of time of Los Angeles and New York. Is that just due to the number of prospective applicants attending Chicago compared to Los Angeles or New York or due to something else [and in this latter case, what is/are the factor(s)]?
If the prospective applicant has their heart set on one or two MT programs above the rest, is it better to audition at these program directly [at their location] as opposed to doing the Unifieds for them?
For anyone having gone through Unifieds, is there something you would have preferred knowing in advance that you didn't know going into them -- if so, what is it that you learned?
Not all schools attend all the locations.
I don’t have an answer for your second or last question but maybe someone else does
I have been told it does not improve your admission chances by auditioning on campus
^^I’ve been to Chicago and NY Unifieds (not LA or Vegas – not sure they will have one in Vegas this year?). Some responses in CAPS from my experience.
Do all the same institutions (i.e., Universities, colleges, schools, academies, conservatories) attend all three Unifieds or do some of the institutions only attend one or two of them? An example of an institution or two attending less than all three would be helpful for illustrative purposes. NOT ALL SCHOOLS ATTEND ALL LOCATIONS. THE SCHOOLS CHANGE SLIGHTLY EACH YEAR
Chicago Unifieds lasts double the length of time of Los Angeles and New York. Is that just due to the number of prospective applicants attending Chicago compared to Los Angeles or New York or due to something else [and in this latter case, what is/are the factor(s)]? THERE ARE MORE SCHOOLS ATTENDING CHICAGO UNIFIEDS THAN ATTEND LA AND NY AND GENERALLY MORE APPLICANTS THAN LA AND NY.
If the prospective applicant has their heart set on one or two MT programs above the rest, is it better to audition at these program directly [at their location] as opposed to doing the Unifieds for them? THERE IS NO RIGHT ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION. THE PROGRAMS WILL GENERALLY TELL YOU NO (WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS; WHEN WE TOURED U MICH, THE ADMISSIONS PERSON SAID THEY LIKE TO SEE KIDS ON CAMPUS; I DON'T KNOW IF THAT REALLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE). MY S WAS CONVINCED HE WANTED TO BE ON CAMPUS FOR HIS TOP FEW. THE BENEFIT OF BEING ON CAMPUS IS GETTING THE FEEL OF THE CAMPUS, THE FACILITIES AND THE OTHER STUDENTS. THE DOWNSIDE (OTHER THAN COST) IS FALLING IN LOVE WITH A PROGRAM THAT HAS A 5% (OR LESS) ADMIT RATE. THERE ARE MANY THREADS ON THIS TOPIC IF YOU SEARCH THE FORUM.
For anyone having gone through Unifieds, is there something you would have preferred knowing in advance that you didn't know going into them -- if so, what is it that you learned? FOR CHICAGO, I TOOK THE ADVICE OF OTHERS AND RENTED A ROOM ON THE EXECUTIVE FLOOR OF THE PALMER HOUSE. IT GAVE MY D A PLACE TO ESCAPE THE AUDITION FLOORS; SNACKS AND DRINKS ARE AVAILABLE ALL DAY. WE ALSO PICKED UP A SMALL HUMIDIFIER AND HAVE FRIENDS THAT USED BELT BOXES (I ORDERED ONE FOR THIS SEASON). I ALSO PLANNED A FEW EVENING EXCURSIONS TO BREAK UP THE TIME. IN NY, MY S DID NOT DO MANY UNIFIED AUDITIONS BUT TALKED WITH PARENTS DURING MY S ITHACA AUDITION. UNIFORMLY, THE WORD WAS DO NOT SCHEDULE AUDITIONS TOO CLOSE TO ONE ANOTHER. THE "OFFICIAL" AUDITION SPACE IS PEARL STUDIOS (35TH-ISH) AND ITHACA WAS AT REHEARSAL STUDIOS AT ABOUT 55TH - BUILD IN CAB/WALK/SUBWAY TIME. MY S YEAR, THE TEMPERATURE WAS BELOW ZERO. AGAIN, IF YOU SEARCH THE FORUM, YOU WILL FIND OTHER THREADS FOR UNIFIED ADVICE! BELOW IS A GREAT EXAMPLE:
To further clarify, to be listed on the official unified website, the school must attend all locations. For instance U of M MT only attends Chicago so they are not on the unified website. That is the case with many schools and more seem to attend “unofficially” the Chicago location.
The “National Unified Auditions” is a fairly loose organization of schools that agree to hold auditions at all designated locations, on the designated dates in NYC, Chicago, and LA (also used to include Las Vegas). Many additional programs hold auditions on or about the same dates in those locations, sometimes at the designated location, sometimes in other locations within the same city. Of those additional programs, many only attend one or two Unifieds sessions, few attend all three (otherwise they would join the organization). For example, in past years Western Michigan MT and Northern Colorado MT only attended Chicago Unifieds.
Here is a list from the past of schools that attended Unifieds in Chicago:
Chicago Unifieds: (a) draws the most programs, especially if you are interested in Midwestern schools; (b) offers the widest selection of walk-in auditions; and (c) offers more days to auditions than the other venues. The travel and onsite logistics are arguably the easiest in Chicago as well, although the weather can be a problem. Chicago Unifieds includes more days to audition than the other sites due to the large number of applicants who attend. This is due to central location, which draws large numbers of both schools and students, which draws even more schools and students.
Here are some past threads on the topic (there are many more, you can find them using the Search function):