I know this is very early, but I have just a general question as I start looking at all the traveling we will have to do this year. How do you decide whether you go to NYC, Chicago, or LA Unifieds? Is there an advantage of one over the other?
@Nottinghillw11 It is strictly a matter of preference and schedule. My son found NYC to be overwhelming while waiting for your audition. Very cramped spaces at the studios where unifieds are held. Chicago was much more spread out in the Palmer House and Hyatt but with that said there were alot of people there, too. We found you got a much better feel of the program if you audition on campus, for us that wasn’t doable for all with the # of schools applied to but we managed about 5-6. Many schools state that there is no preference given for acceptance to on campus vs. unified auditions, we just got a much clearer picture of some aspects of the programs by auditioning on campus. BAL!!
Thank you very much!! That is so helpful. I wondered if preference were given to on campus auditions. So am I correct in assuming that if you make it through pre-screens you can then choose whether to schedule on campus or at Unifieds for the live audition?
@Nottinghillw11 Yes, that is correct. Some schools ask you for a audition location preference as you are applying/submitting prescreens. A couple of instances we had to ask them to change the location they gave us access to through Get Accepted which was fairly simple for them to do, it seemed. On Get Accepted some schools give you access to their entire audition schedule some just them time frame indicated in your submission/application. All schools handle the process different, some use Slide Room…it is a GIANT puzzle!
Not sure there is an advantage of one over the other. Some attend more than one. Overall, Chicago is better attended by schools. It is important to note that some schools attend only Chicago or NY. It IS a puzzle!
I have Zero experience with it- but form reading here, LA seems to be the most relaxed… but also MAY have the smallest # of schools in attendance
Chicago has more days. It seems that walk ins are the most accessible at LA. If you are doing straight Acting you may find Chicago to be plenty of time, but MT dance calls can make the time fill up quickly.
If you are applying to schools in NYC, many of them (can’t say all, since I don’t know!) have on campus auditions the weekend of NYC Unifieds. D was able to do auditions at 3 of her schools on campus, as well as a couple of others that fit in her schedule that were there for Unifieds. We actually also went to Chicago since we don’t live close to most of the schools that were on her list and it was easier and less expensive.
We are from California, but ended up attending all three Unified cities. I know that some will say we are crazy, but my son did not to be “the last” to audition in Los Angeles. He actually felt that the auditors were “fresher” in NY and Chicago and that they seemed to spend a bit more time with the students. (He compared notes with his friends who auditioned for schools in LA when he had auditioned in NY.)
There is also a weather factor… As we were leaving Chicago, a storm was coming in and flights were cancelled left and right. Because LA Unifieds were the weekend right after Chicago, some auditors were not able to make it to LA because their flights were cancelled. That left those students up in the air and with little choice other than to travel to the school to audition or send in a video.
My best advice is to have your child submit prescreens and complete applications as early as possible. I am a high school counselor, and can’t stress this enough. For those of you who have children taking AP classes, completing college applications becomes like another AP class with regard to the workload. The more they can get done during the summer before school starts, the better off they will be. This was very true for several schools who shut down audition spots because they filled up way before the deadline. Fortunately my son did not run into that problem, as he did have everything submitted by October 1st. But one of his friends was not able to audition for two schools that she wanted to audition for because there were no spots left…
I know traveling to all three cities might not be do-able or affordable for everyone. But if you can, I highly suggest NY and Chicago. Depending on the number of schools your child is applying to, and whether they are MT and have the additional dance call to squeeze in, you may find that you need to go to all three schools in order to fit the puzzle pieces together. It can be done – just takes some advanced planning 
The year we auditioned weather was a factor we drove to all auditions on campus with the exception of one we had scheduled for NYC unifides. Major snow storm happen and the interstate was closed so needless to say we didn’t make it to NYC. We sent a video submission but we believe the school never looked at it.
When do you sign up for unifieds? In other words, when can you schedule your auditions?
You schedule your audition through each individual school’s website. Some of them use Acceptd. Application season starts around the beginning of September, so at that point you can apply to the school, and then they will give you instructions on how to set up an audition appointment.
NY Unifieds is on a weekend while Chicago is during the week so your child will have to miss school to attend Chicago U.
We only did LA Unifieds (we are locals) and everyone seemed to indicate that the mood is entirely different at the different cities. Predictably, LA was the most “laid back” of the Unifieds and from our experience the auditioning students were friendly and for the most part, fairly relaxed and happy. I gather the tension level at other cities was higher. I don’t have any idea if that influences outcome positively or negatively, but I thought I’d mention it.