<p>Hello,
I have three questions:
1. What are some good non-audition mt safety schools?
2. What are the schools that you can either apply regularly and auditon (meaning you can get in one way, the other, or both) OR schools that you audition for and then can be accepted to the school but not the program?
3. Are unified auditions a good idea?
Thanks!</p>
<p>Theatergirl123, it’s fantastic that you are planning ahead and doing research and asking questions. I would recommend that you begin by taking a few hours and reading through various threads on this discussion board, as there are several bookloadsfull (is that a word?) of information on all of the above at your fingertips. </p>
<p>There are plenty of good non audition schools for theater; but whether they are good safeties for you depends on a lot of factors, from your grades and test scores to the kind of program you are looking for. </p>
<p>I don’t know of any schools that you can either apply regularly (with no audition) or with an audition and end up in the same program. It doesn’t work that way! If a program requires an audition, that’s the ONLY way you can get in. Of course, there are some schools that will admit a student academically, anyway, even if that student doesn’t get in via audition. But in that case, you wouldn’t be admitted to the BFA program; they would suggest an academic major. (For instance, I know of kids who auditioned for Penn State’s musical theater program and got into the university, but not into the musical theater program. Is that what you mean?)</p>
<p>Re: Unified auditions. It’s must my opinion, but YES, they ARE a great idea! Unifieds are a great way to save money by not having to travel to and from a variety of schools. Watching the process for several years now (and having my D go through the process), it’s clear to me that there is no difference in how faculty view students who audition via Unifieds versus on campus.</p>
<p>One caveat, however: if you audition at Unifieds and are offered admission to several programs, it makes sense to then go visit the schools to see if you click with them. More than once, a student has had a certain school on her/his list and thought she/he wanted to go there, only to find, when visiting, that the whole place just turned them off. That’s one danger of Unifieds: you don’t get to see the school, visit classes and absorb the atmosphere.</p>
<p>I agree with NMR’s comments. However, I would suggest that you consider auditioning on location at some campuses in addition to attending the Unifieds. Spread your auditions out if possible – because if you are sick, or there are weather problems that cause you to miss the Unifieds, you will probably not be able to re-schedule those schools.</p>
<p>One more thing about Unifieds - I’m a big fan for the reasons already stated and encourage my students to do Unifieds - BUT if you are an advanced dancer, make sure that the schools which have dance auditions on campus have you do an equally intensive dance audition at Unifieds. This changes from year to year, so make sure you check!</p>
<p>Although I understand the benefits of attending Unifieds, my D opted to audition “on campus”. It gave her a chance to get a feel for the college, and as an advanced dancer, it generally allowed her to audition on a sprung floor, rather than carpet, something that tends to happen at Unifieds.</p>