<p>I saw a recent thread that mentioned to be safe (without getting boxed out), it's helpful to have Unified appointments scheduled by 10/15. </p>
<p>Does the same 10/15 rule of thumb apply to on campus scheduling or is there more time in the process before one could expect the options to be limited? </p>
<p>The logistics of all of this I'm discovering are pretty tough. </p>
<p>Thank you for any insight.</p>
<p>I think this likely varies school to school. When my D applied, and the kids we knew who applied in the following five years or so, to Tisch, it was important to sign up for your audition as soon as the schedule went up, in order to get the spot you wanted. I don’t know if this is still the case, nor do I know if the process is even the same but back in those days, you didn’t want to wait long after the site went ‘live’.</p>
<p>My daughter auditioned during the 2006-2007 cycle so I’m kinda in the same boat as alwaysamom. However, with the increase in applications and auditions that has occurred over the last 5 years, I can’t imagine that scheduling has become any less frenetic. In my daughter’s case, she had all of her auditions scheduled by October 15 and we watched from August for the schedule on each school’s website. Most of her auditions dates were selected in September and if memory serves me right, the scheduling process went to early October because Emerson required her application to be submitted and processed before her audition could be scheduled online. By getting an early jump on it, she was able to both sequence her schools in the order she wanted as well as pick audition dates for each school that facilitated travel and limited her absences from h.s. as much as possible.</p>
<p>Related to this is the importance of getting applications completed from the student’s end and submitted as early as possible. Not only do some schools require the application to be submitted before an audition can be scheduled, but if you get the applications done early, it frees up time for all things audition related.</p>
<p>Thank you both for responding. I agree that it’s a good idea to get things in as early as possible. I must confess having a near stroke when I read the “have you gotten started thread” in early September. Here I was thinking that my D was in good shape having completed the Common App.</p>
<p>All but two of her schools require the application be in first to schedule the audition and one includes the prescreen DVD which she’s closing in on but not finished yet. With a final push, she should be done with all of the “file first then schedule” schools this weekend. She’s been surprised to discover that very few essays can be reused so it’s not the cut, tweak and paste experience she was hoping for.</p>
<p>We’re quickly discovering that scheduling is a particular challange coming from the west coast because of the time zone switch as you fly east. You automatically have to factor another day into the schedule just get there. Oh well. Others have figured it out so we will too. Thanks again.</p>
<p>halflokum, getting there a day early is the norm for most people. No one, unless they live in the same city, or within an hour’s drive, should be heading to an audition on the actual day, in my opinion. This is doubly true if it’s during the winter months where weather can interfere. There’s enough stress in this process without adding possible transportation woes into the mix. Good luck!</p>
<p>We booked my D’s audition dates as soon as possible. The dates filled up very quickly and it is so competitive that I wouldn’t risk getting shut out of your top choices. She had all her auds booked by Sept.</p>
<p>Thanks alwaysamom. The extra challenge is that there isn’t really a “day before” arrival that gives you a weather buffer if you’re flying east from the west because of the late arrival on the other end. Even if you fly non stop, you don’t land until early evening the night before and of course even later if you have to connect. Or are you saying that it is common practice (no matter where you’re coming from) to travel to the audition site and spend the night. Then have all of the day off the next day to prepare and rest and then audition the day after? I hadn’t expected that to be necessary but it would be interesting to know the answer.</p>
<p>I can’t speak for everyone, but the year my daughter was auditioning 2008-2009 we did fly and have an extra day, giving us a full day prior to the audition at her most important choices…this gave us time to investigate the campus and town and rest up. My daughter also felt she was in better shape with a day to rest after traveling. We were traveling west to east, so long flights, some with connections. She did all on campus auditions.</p>
<p>I’m quickly coming to the same conclusion. Now if I can just get her school to give her a two month sabbatical from attendance and all things academic :-)</p>
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<p>No, that wasn’t what I meant, although we know many kids who have done that. What I meant, for most, was travel one day and audition the next.</p>
<p>All of my daughter’s auditions were on campus. We scheduled them all on Saturdays except for one school that did not have formal audition days and you just picked a day during the school week. The advantage to a Saturday was that we could travel on Friday, arrive early enough to scope out the campus, see where the theatre building was and figure out on campus visitor parking. Arriving the day before, being able to decompress, knowing in advance where to to go and to park and getting a good night’s sleep took so much stress out of the process. Depending on the travel logistics, we either returned home Saturday after the audition or on Sunday. In this manner, we also minimized the number of school days missed. The one school that we did other than on a Saturday was a little over an hour’s drive from our house and we scheduled a late morning audition and department interview. There was another college only a 40 minute drive from our house but even that we scheduled on a Saturday to avoid missing a school day.</p>
<p>Alwaysamom and MichaelNKat, thanks for replying. The reality is that there will be plenty of selective “fly in, audition the next day” adventures for us and I’ve decided not to overthink that philosophy. Minimizing school days missed is a priority. An expensive priority but a priority. Doing otherwise would trade off important commitments that have nothing to do with theatre and that is not the kind of MT candidate that my daughter is. Which is why I think some school that subscribes to that philosophy will be interested in her and others will not. It’s all good.</p>
<p>But today was a good day where I recaptured my zen and want to share this. After a couple of calls to the schools she most cares about, I realized it is still EARLY in the process for most schools. There are still plenty of audition dates available and also many schools that will work with you to help you fit what you need in as a one off if you do everything right but have logistical challenges. Point being, keep at it but no need to panic as of 10/3… nor 10/15. And probably not for a month beyond that either. </p>
<p>Inner zen restored. :-)</p>
<p>halflokum…I am so happy you found your zen in the crazy process of Logistics Coordinator. My daughter did the “(Almost) National Audition Tour” last year, and a lot of the responsibility (and associated details-related stress) falls to those of us making plane and hotel reservations and as Keeper of the Calendar. I understand the concerns about missing school, too. Even though she had talked to her GC and principal, who knew what she was doing and (well, as close as possible) why, she still received the official “truancy” notice from the district. Yes, she did have a signed note from each and every school, and did ask for as much work as possible ahead.</p>
<p>I agree with those who say, if it is possible/realistic, to arrive at the distant schools the evening/night before. For some of those, we did check into the hotel at midnight, as she had after school commitments that, like your d, she did not wish to meet. But being able to be in the city, even if it was just the hotel near campus, really helped. Those audition days start EARLY, and having the extra time to navigate an unfamiliar campus is a great thing…if you can do it. I do know some schools (don’t know your list) such as Elon, will try to work with you regarding transportation schedules (then again, their closest airport is not next door). </p>
<p>We looked at it as a very unique senior year. (I’m still waiting for my vacation time to build back up at work…). She got her teachers and others she worked with excited about the “glamour” (let’s face it – going to do auditions around the country is a pretty cool adventure) of the ride, picked and chose what things were crucial to her (she chose to be in the school play and spring musical, but decided that Winter Homecoming was not a biggie) and really communicated well with everyone she had a relationship/commitment with. We did get through it…and you will, too.</p>
<p>It’s funny…those trips are high on our “happy memory” list. In fact, we’ve promised to do a non-audition trip over her winter break – go to an as-yet-unnamed city, eat the ice cream and Chinese food we always seemed to find, play Bananagrams (our travel go-to when going crazy in a hotel room) and have a giggle-fest before crashing into the hotel’s bed. Yes, there are logistics, and YES there is stress, but it is also an incredible gift of a season, right before they go away, and the house suddenly becomes much more quiet.</p>
<p>mommafrog - Like you and your D, my D and I flew in late the day before many auditions since we were coming from the west coast and D wanted to minimize the amount of school missed. Those audition trips were wonderful memories that we made together. We have many jokes about my navigation skills in unfamiliar cities (I am known as the Queen of u-turns!). D and I loved our time together in hotels after auditions, jumping on the beds and eating take out while watching “Toddlers and Tiaras.” </p>
<p>halflokum - As stressful as the whole audition process is I hope you will also get to enjoy this very special time with you D before she goes off to college. Best of luck to you both!</p>
<p>I’m so glad to read all of this great, calming stuff. Being the Logistics Coordinator is VERY stressful, isn’t it? Between keeping track of the audition appointments, making flight and hotel reservations, nagging about the Personal Statements, sending in the SAT scores, bugging the school about sending transcripts, reminding D to bug teachers about sending LORs, updating the spreadsheets with “completion dates” and figuring out the logistics of filming for those prescreen DVDs, I feel like I’ve taken on a full-time job! Oh, and let’s not forget the nagging about making sure she’s eating right and getting enough sleep!</p>
<p>I am very much looking forward to traveling together with D to auditions. She’s doing 4 on-campus auditions, (well, 5 if she passes one of the pre-screens) plus Unifieds in Chicago and L.A. One of the on campus auditions is the weekend before Chicago so we actually only are making 3 trips (we live in L.A.) so I’m really hoping for some quality fun, “girl time.” Just getting all the logistics figured out will take so much stress off, so maybe we can just have fun and not be butting heads all the time about getting stuff done!</p>
<p>And while I was the one who started the “have you gotten started” thread, we have stalled big time on 3 Personal Statements and 2 pre-screen dvds. D is SO busy with school and a CLO show she decided to do at the last minute that she simply hasn’t had time to come up for air. This week will be better but it sure has raised my stress level! I needed to hear that in the grand scheme of things, it’s still “early” in the process.</p>
<p>I would also suggest that your kids get a flu shot this fall before starting auditions. Every year we hear about people getting sick right before they have to audition.</p>
<p>showmom858- thanks for the flu shot reminder!</p>
<p>I will have to split the trips with others because I have one D doing a MT audition schedule and another doing a VP audition schedule. Should be interesting (and hopefully fun too as many of you point out!).</p>
<p>I assume most people stay overnight the night after an audition? I don’t know whether it is appropriate to inquire at the school as to what time the audition ends… is that ok or should we always just plan to stay over?</p>
<p>We are staying overnight after the audition at 2 of our stops but not at the other one. I would think it is entirely appropriate to inquire at the school beforehand. I’m sure they have people ask all the time. Travel is expensive and timing is sometimes everything when it comes to booking flights and whatever.</p>
<p>Going along with showmom’s comment, it is very common to get sick around the time of auditions. And one reason that students do get sick is because of the busy schedule of constant travelling and the strain that auditions put on their bodies. For that reason, it is a good idea to travel to schools to audition early, so that the student can rest before the audition. After all, it would be a shame to not be admitted to a school because you were too tired from your long day of travelling. The way I see it, taking more time to be at the school can do more good than hurt</p>
<p>Also–it is a common phrase that “you are auditioning the schools as well”. Something I did was take the day before to check out the campus during the day before auditions. It is a great way to see if you have found a good fit. </p>
<p>Break a leg at your auditions!</p>