Help with Unifieds

<p>No one should have any issue whatsoever with the point being made. This however is not an issue of poor phrasing. It is possible to make exactly the same point and refrain from jabs that serve no purpose other than perhaps momentary sport for the writer. That’s the issue.</p>

<p>Jkelluynh17 I just asked a simple question…I had heard some kids were offered admissions during Unifieds…How is this even remotely suggesting that my D or myself is not ready to be flexible and willing to take what life throws our way? How does my asking a question make others EXPECT admittance when they attend Unifieds? I am shocked that my simple question has made me seem like a worrisome parent who has a daughter who "has’ to put up with me?</p>

<p>I will be more careful about what I post. I thought it was a legitimate question that others might like the answer to. That usually is my purpose for asking. I figure if I am wondering others might be to.</p>

<p>bisouu, your question was fine. The problem was not with your question. The problem was with the response and the fact that it was not followed up with a simple “I’m sorry.”</p>

<p>Using loaded, insulting words packaged in the Trojan Horse of ‘advice’ is not acceptable here. You can dress up the Trojan Horse however you want, but the plain fact is that KEVP was implying bisouu is ‘micromanaging’ her D, and negatively judging her as a parent. You are free to feel however you feel privately, of course, but this is not the place (if there is a place) to make snarky comments about someone’s parenting. </p>

<p>It’s uncalled for and functions only to a) hurt the person and b) shut everyone else down. There are many lurkers here and also young people–no one wants to be sneered at, so we will lose valuable observations and questions when someone makes such comments.</p>

<p>I’ve been on CC for 6 years now and have almost always encountered generous, well-meaning posters and I have gained so much over the years and even have formed amazing friendships through it!</p>

<p>Post away.</p>

<p>Thank you connections…you are very kind. Over in the MT Forum there have been 19 replies to a question about whether to staple or not the resume to the head shot. Which direction the staple should face, where to place the staple etc. It brought a smile to my face and I love reading how supportive and eager everyone was to help this mom with her dilemma. This is what this forum should be about. <3</p>

<p>^^^This post I am now including in my CC hall of fame all time favorites. You are too funny and so right!!!</p>

<p>Regarding getting admissions offers at Unifieds: I find it highly unlikely that this occurs often. Firstly, admissions decisions are rarely solely left in the hands of one person. Secondly, most programs prefer to see everyone and then build a diverse group of students for their theatre program. I can say that when my son auditioned last year, quite a few proctors hinted strongly that he would be accepted (and he was eventually accepted at each of those programs). However, they never came out and said anything like, “you are definitely in.” I wouldn’t fret about this topic. Part of the excitement is waiting to hear - well, part of the excitement AND part of the angst. BTW, at a couple of auditions where my son got no indication that they loved him, he was later accepted and awarded generous scholarships. So, what they tell you during auditions doesn’t mean anything one way or the other. One of the proctors at a major BFA program told us that he goes out of his way to confuse the issue with applicants. Sometimes they ask for a second monologue when they want to see if the student can take direction. At other times, they ask for a second monologue because they want to confirm that the greatness of monologue 1 was not a fluke. And, sometimes they ask for a second monologue for no reason at all. They do not want students to try and see patterns or meaning in any portion of the audition process.</p>

<p>I AGREE!!! To all of you who have been so gracious to me both here and via PM…Thank YOU!!! I was actually happy to find the staple question discussed (and answered) over on the MT thread. LOL! Inquiring minds want to know.</p>

<p>Seriously…knowledge is power at this point. I would be going crazy(er) without this resource. Love you all.</p>

<p>If anyone else will be auditioning in NYC next week and would like to meet up for a cuppa coffee (or whatever)…just let me know. S and I fly in on the 21st and out on the 30th. We will definitely have some “downtime” and S will have homework…I will be blissfully on vacation (did I mention that I may want a teeny glass of wine in the evenings?) Feel free to send a PM if you would like to meet up.</p>

<p>That makes me sad ahermitt. We are not having much luck with it I’m afraid. </p>

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<p>I agree completely Times3. We are always more helpful to readers when we stay in our lane. So allow me to honestly disqualify my credentials with respect to unifides. I do not have direct experience with parenting a prospective theatre student who attended unifides and got a direct offer of admission at that event. My daughter didn’t go to unifides. </p>

<p>If it is of any service to the question bisouu posed, I do have direct experience with parenting a theatre student who attended a thespian audition and netted more than one direct offer of admission at the event. I also have a good friend whose daughter is a year older than mine that had the exact same experience at a different thespian event. And I have yet another friend whose son is a year younger than my daughter who netted an on the spot acceptance at a top program last year, at another offsite audition that wasn’t unifides. That is 3 years of related data from my small circle alone. So I’ll offer this to try to answer bisouu’s question and overcome a distracting redirect: </p>

<p>

There are a number of schools that do this and many of us who have actually gone through the process know which ones they are but are courteous enough to keep quiet about it. Some of them are more off of the beaten path schools that have to work harder to attract the talent. It is part of their recruiting strategy to show the love early and sometimes it works. I also know of at least one very top program that would make an on the spot offer if they come across a particular talent that really stands out, or has valued connection, etc. If one top program does it, I would suspect that others might too. You might be surprised to discover that there are contributors to this forum who are in that situation right now, but they are gracious enough not to discuss it.</p>

<p>I know this bothers some people but it doesn’t change a thing for everyone else and may change little if anything for the student that gets an on the spot offer unless they accept it and stop auditioning further. If you are as good (or as well connected) as the person offered a spot early, you’ll get an offer too. If you are not, you may still get a spot but this other student will be added to the “yes list” before you are no matter when they audition vs. when you do. It changes nothing. It’s only a timing thing. </p>

<p>KEVP, the fact that you don’t know the answer to bisouu’s question is understandable. However, it is not an occasion to instead shoehorn her question into something that you could actually answer. That’s a pretty selfish redirect and undermines your credibility in this forum greatly. You sometimes have excellent advice on things you do know about; for example, how to find a monologue. Advising about the specifics of what actually happens on the ground these days in the college BA/BFA audition circuit is very much out of your lane. You don’t know.</p>

<p>ahermitt - I hope you have also come away from this thread with the experience of seeing people coming out to defend the right to ask a question, any question on this forum. I’m going to get a bit mushy, but this forum and the MT forum, and the kind folks who contribute to them, made all the difference in the world to me in helping my son prepare for his MT application and auditions. My son didn’t start this journey until a year ago and I knew absolutely zip, nada, zero about the process. Son is off to Unifieds day after tomorrow and has two auditions under his belt, or should I say dance belt, another thing I knew nothing about until I learned about them here!!</p>

<p>I will post my qualifications, my son went to Unifieds last year, did both scheduled and walk-in auditions and actually did get an on the spot acceptance as did a friend of my daughters (two different schools). It was a positive experience, no, he did not get into all the programs but he loves where his ended up (a walk-in).</p>

<p>photomom5 …glad to know the rumors are true. So happy your son ended up at a school he loves. My D is considering one or two walk ins if time allows and if there are spots open. Thanks for the information <3</p>

<p>Don’t forget extra headshots, resumes and a checkbook.</p>

<p>Will do! :)</p>

<p>And a portable humidifier for the hotel room. ;)</p>

<p>So can someone please give me an idiot’s guide to walk-ins? I don’t understand how that works. How do you know which colleges are there to accept walk ins? Thanks!</p>

<p>Last year, we got to Pearl Studios in New York early while people were setting up, and just walked around and asked. On our floor (we didn’t go to any others), SCAD, Penn State and U Miami were accepting walk-ins (though Penn State was just for MT). SCAD had a sign up. This was at about 8 a.m. with the first scheduled audition at 9 a.m. </p>

<p>You can find out which schools are on which floors either at the check in desk or from other people on the elevator, in the halls, etc. The security is not tight. You don’t have to have an audition to get in.</p>

<p>Some logistics questions about Unifieds:</p>

<ul>
<li>my D will be in Chicago on her own (i.e. without me playing “sherpa,” although there with faculty/other students from her school)</li>
<li>if she decides to try and do some walk-ins, how should she pay? (She will have cash, she has a credit card, but no checking account.) Do some schools only accept checks? I can certainly sign some “blank checks” for her to take (SCARY, I know!!!), but would prefer another option.</li>
</ul>

<p>Planning ahead is a good thing, I believe - doing whatever can be done to eliminate last-minute stressors can only help our kids focus on the actual work of the audition itself!</p>

<p>I think cash should be okay. We were going to pay cash for U Miami until my son decided not to audition. I was down at the ATM withdrawing money until he changed his mind. </p>

<p>Some of them don’t charge anything.</p>

<p>Amen to that last remark, Mountainhiker! I’ve always heard that checks are required for walk-ins, alas. BAL to your girl in Chicago!</p>

<p>bisouu - The kids should shake hands only if the auditor offers their hand to them. As to paperwork, there may be a “door monitor” who takes it, or they may take it in with them and hand it to someone in the room.</p>

<p>By the way, if anyone has been thinking about doing a walk-in for Coastal Carolina in Chicago, I believe they will have VERY limited walk-in slots this year, if any at all. You don’t have to submit a prescreen to schedule an audition with CCU in Chicago, so you may want to check and see if you can actually schedule an audition in advance.</p>

<p>As always, BREAK LEGS y’all!!</p>