<p>As I look at the list of colleges I'm considering, my heart drops as I see how many of them are out of state (and often 10+ hours away) and those same require an "on campus" audition. Do many programs allow students to send recorded materials instead of coming to campus? Because honestly I don't have time, money, or resources to be traveling around the country my senior year. Oh, and very few of these schools take part in Unifieds, so that isn't an option.</p>
<p>Lots of programs will accept a video especially if you live far way, but I think most people would agree that’s it’s not the best plan. Unifieds or Regionals don’t hurt your chances but I would have to think auditioning by video would be less likely to result in acceptance.</p>
<p>Many schools that do not participate in Unifieds have separate auditions at the same time and location as Unifieds so be sure to check their websites closely.</p>
<p>Right, there are a couple I recall that did require on-campus auditions but it was just a few. I did 2 of those, but most don’t. What schools?</p>
<p>Unfortunately, a lot of the people you are competing with are going to FIND the time, money, and resources to go and audition in person. Rightly or wrongly, this may give the school the impression that these folks really want to go the school in question. That is a factor that does play into the process of admissions, whether we like it or not. Perhaps you want to narrow down your list of places you are auditioning to the ones your really really want to go to, and audition for those in person. Then you can rely on unifieds or on video auditions (if they allow them) for the ones you are not that interested in.</p>
<p>Every school is going to have very different instructions for auditions. Always read those carefully. Some will allow video auditions. Some hold auditions in different parts of the country, so you can audition “in person” without such a long trip.</p>
<p>KEVP</p>
<p>You may also want to reconsider some of the far away schools, if you think you may not be able to travel back and forth throughout your four years due to expenses. You may not be willing to only come home during the winter break and spring break. If you want to come home more frequently, chose a school closer to save some $$ (a state school will also, of course, save you money on tuition, too!).</p>
<p>I’d advise you to start making a spreadsheet to use throughout this process. Some of the columns you will want are: Name of school, distance, cost, type of degree, audition requirements, and so on. Many families find these helpful.</p>