This is all new to me. My son just heard from DePaul that he needs to schedule to come in for an audition since they received his pre screen for acting. How much of a chance does that mean that he will be accepted? Do most people who get a call back mean they most likely will be accepted? He is applying to Penn State, Miami, NYU,Seton Hill, and others. Is one better than the other? Does one give more scholarships than the others?
DePaul gives scholarships to 100% of their accepted Theatre students. The tough part is getting accepted. There is definitely no guarantee of being accepted after a call back. My D is celebrating the fact that she even got the call back because the odds of being accepted are so slim.
Programs with prescreens use them because their typical applicant pool is so large (some in the thousands), it’s not possible for the faculty to see that many students. The prescreen just gets him in front of the audition panel, but I would not assume anything in terms of acceptance. It will depend on how his audition goes, and whether they think he’s a good fit for the program.
Best of luck to him, and try to stay sane during this crazy process!
Thank you. I was just not clear on what is a realistic expectation. I will keep hope alive with the understanding it is a difficult process drought with rejection! But so it the entertainment world so… this was helpful
Is there any advantage to making the trip to audition on sight as opposed to another city that they will also see candidates( other than the fact that one gets to see the campus)
I think it depends on the school. I’ve heard of schools who take it as a sign of genuine interest when a student attends the on-campus audition, but the program I used to work for had zero preference either way.
I do think an on-campus audition experience is a calmer one. The faculty are on their “home turf,” and not living out of a suitcase in a hotel, so they are more relaxed. There aren’t the issues with renting a space that can come up, or the general chaotic atmosphere of Unifieds. Plus, there are usually current students helping with on-campus audition days who are there to answer questions about the program.
But these are not huge issues to take into consideration. If it makes more sense for your family to attend a regional audition, then I wouldn’t worry about it.
In general -my D preferred the atmosphere of unifieds. She only had to focus on the audition, not tours etc, she felt able to get and stay “in the zone”. But we were fortunate in that we could drive to Chicago (no worries about plane cancellations etc) and she was in good health that weekend (always a gamble).
@SSWmom Some schools encourage you to audition on campus. Some host masterclasses the day before to workshop material and/or to walk through a sampling of BFA classes. It seems there is no real advantage to auditioning on campus or unifieds in terms of acceptances. My S (MT) was adamant about auditioning on campus to the extent possible. D1 was exactly the opposite - where possible, she auditioned at Unifieds and did campus visits after receiving acceptances or waitlists. I do agree with @BFAbff - on campus is seems a bit more relaxed and getting questions answered is easier.
I think I heard that this is DePaul’s first year to do prescreens. - If that is correct, they are probably just figuring out this for themselves. - How many to invite to callbacks, etc.