<p>I'm a high school senior auditioning for MT programs this year. I've been reading on here for a while but am just now posting!</p>
<p>Regarding Unifieds, I plan to audition for a few schools at Unifieds in NYC this year. Does anyone know approximately how many schools is a feasible amount to audition for in one weekend? I'm planing on applying to 10+ schools and want to be able to audition for schools that are farthest away from me, like Michigan, Webster, CCM, etc.</p>
<p>From personal experience, how many schools can you audition for in that one weekend? And also, how long is each audition generally?</p>
<p>Thanks so much. Excited and nervous to start this crazy journey!</p>
<p>Our D auditioned at Chicago Unifieds, not NYC, so things may be a little different, but here are some thoughts:
. Each school conducts its audition differently, therefore the time it takes will be different. Michigan, CMU, Syracuse and CCM all asked that you block out 4 hours for them the year our D auditioned (2 years ago) However, I believe some now hold the dance portion of their audition at a separate time or have eliminated the dance altogether which has cut back on time needed. So the first thing you need to do is check with each school on your list and find out how long they have asked you to block out time for their audition.
. Some schools have info sessions before their actual auditions start so check and see if that is the case. It is good to be there for those sessions. They may also have paperwork they want you to fill out before your audition, so allow time for that also.
. Allow plenty of time for traveling to/from your hotel or building to building, if your auditions are in different places. You don’t want to be too rushed and you don’t want to be late! And allow time to eat and stay hydrated between auditions.
. I think you can easily plan to do at least 2 per day, one morning and one afternoon. Most likely you can do more than that as some school’s p auditions may only last 20-30 minutes if that. But it would be very safe to plan 2 per day. That would still allow plenty of opportunity to do a walk-in or 2 if available.
I would defer to someone who has attended the NYC Unifieds recently as their info will be the most up to date. But hopefully that gives you a little help :). Good luck!</p>
<p>There are a couple of factors- 1st of all, which unifieds are you planning to attend? Each city does them slightly differently. My D went to Chicago, so I can speak on that with some experience. Chicago is the most centralized- the majority of auditions are in 1 building (though there are several schools in other places too), and I believe Chicago is the “longest” as well. You can certainly audition for two schools each day- I believe every school had morning and afternoon sessions. For certain schools and programs I can imagine 3 fitting in easily- for others, not so much. I think whether or not the school has a full on dance audition (which I know Michigan and CCM do) is a big factor- those take time. My D did two a day - 6 total over 3 days. (Sat, Sun, Mon in our case) She had friends who did more- especially the ones who did a bunch of walk-ins (which was not something D was into) and some of them got in 4+ in a single day. It just depends. 1st thing to do is to create your list. Then figure out (fast) who needs prescreens - (you listed Michigan, they require a prescreen) and get those in. Then I would prioritize schools- and schedule those auditions 1st, that way you have more “openings”.</p>
<p>As for length of time- again, it depends (esp with dance call!) I would say most require you to be on site for at least an hour/hour and a half - up to 3 hours if there is dance. There may be an information session etc before you start etc. The longest part is waiting your turn! </p>
<p>Pace in NYC was on-campus and 1/2 the day. I believe they offered AM and PM slots. My son was scheduled for two per day. He ended up canceling his Saturday AM and did one walk-in. I think he probably could have squeezed in another walk-in or two, but he wasn’t interested in doing so. We flew in on Friday night and flew out on Sunday night. If you are from the area, you most likely would have more flexibility. He also attended Unifieds in Chicago had was able to do more auditions. I think he could have done many more walk-ins had he been so inclined.</p>
<p>I highly recommend doing a few walk-in auditions. My son went to Chicago Unifieds last year, and his very last audition – just hours before boarding the plane to come home-- was the walk-in at the school where he’s at now (for MT). It was an incredible, life-changing experience for him, and he was admitted right on-the-spot. You never know!!!</p>
<p>NY unifieds are tougher to fit in more auditions than Chicago - 2 days doesn’t allow for that many auditions when most schools “require” you to block out half a day between separately scheduled vocal/monologue auditions and a later dance call. </p>
<p>My daughter did 4 auditions last year at NY unifieds and could have fit in a couple of walk ins if she hadn’t been so burnt out by the end of the long days. Make sure you make appointments for the schools you where you really want to audition and don’t count on walking into the most “popular” schools, there usually isn’t room (but occasionally you could get lucky so always check if there are open spots for a walk in).</p>
<p>Also, if you do walk ins - make sure you have a check or money to pay for the audition or the application fee and make sure you know their audition requirements.</p>
<p>Most NY Unified auditions are in two buildings across the street from each other, Syracuse was in Ripley Grier which is just a block down but Ithaca, I believe (my daughter did an on campus audition there), was like 20 blocks north which makes it hairy to get back for other scheduled auditions. Pace is downtown in its own buildings but I believe you can schedule a Pace audition for the day before the other auditions so that shouldn’t be a conflict. NYU isn’t part of unifieds but I think they usually have an available audition date some time around the unified dates. Other schools who are not officially a part of unifieds may also have audition times/dates scheduled in NY around unified time so check with individual schools about that possibility.</p>
<p>BAL and have fun at unifieds; it’s a crazy, exhilarating weekend! </p>
<p>We know a couple of people who did Pace at NY Unifieds last year- and it was a LONG day. If I recall correctly, it was ALL day - so that is something you would want to check on if that is one of your schools.</p>
<p>Am I right that it was Ithaca last year where the building had no heat during one day of unifieds? I guess the dancing kept them warm!</p>
<p>This year Pace held auditions on the Friday before the official first day of NY Unifieds. Other non-member schools may do that as well as possibly hold auditions on Monday. I think the greatest thing about NY Unifieds is that it’s over a weekend so less school to miss, but you can audition for more schools in Chicago. The general rule of thumb for MT auditions is 2 a day because schools ask you to block 3-4 hours for the audition. If you’re done before then there is time for walk in auditions if you want to do that.</p>
No, you usually apply soon after if you want to be considered and they seem interested. My S did an application from the hotel room after a walk-in. (It was a common app school so not very involved.)
My daughter did 3 walk-ins in Chicago at schools that were already on her radar but she had not applied to. She applied to 2 of them after her audition as they showed great interest. She was artistically accepted to 1 and waitlisted at the other.
Before going to Unifieds, and knowing he was going to do walk-ins, my son requested several sealed transcripts (with recommendations included) from his college counseling office. He gave those to the auditioners at his walk-ins and they were very impressed at the fore-thought.