@NYYFanNowMTdad - just when I thought this process couldn’t get any more painful schools start Waitlists for auditions based on Prescreens. Oy. I send good vibes for your D that she loves IU and it’s worth the wait AND the plane flight for you both.
@AnxiousNovice - you’re doing fine. Your D is doing fine. Really! Prescreens are awful but you’ve survived them and you’ve got many more auditions scheduled than we did this time 2 years ago. Don’t overthink the possible end results, just stay positive, keep your spirits up and get her through audition season. BAL to your D!!!
Looking for advice from veteran parents who have done Chicago Unifieds. The distance from the Palmer House to the Joffrey looks walkable. Is it practical to walk to Michigan’s dance call in inclement weather and be audition ready? (We’re from Southern California so not sure what to expect.)
@AnxiousNovice Hi veteran survivor BFA MT parent here. It’s not too late to broaden your net. Looks like the region your targeting is NY/Pennsylvania with a bit of Indiana thrown in. Look at Cap 21/Mallloy. & LIU. Also if Ohio isn’t too far Ohio University & Vitterbo. Missouri State great too. If can go more West look at Arizona programs and Brigham Young. Many start to cast a wider net at this point in the game. Look now and perhaps apply to a few more schools. Lots on your list are extreme reach & reach schools…so odds sux. Chin up now is when it starts getting scary. Some kids don’t know till April or later if waitlisted for acceptance into a program. Truly I think these programs should refund some of these fees. It’s out of control. Our year only University of Indiana refunded fees automatically. At least y’all got to have Unified prescreen specs. That’s one silver lining. But anyone not thrilled with auditions or options thus far. There still is time to add to your list. Do now versus late February. Break Legs and so rooting for all your kids. And don’t be afraid to ask for refunded fees from non-passed prescreens. You may get a kind program and regain some costs. My D did a walk-in at Vitterbo Chicago Unifieds her year and got an offer on the spot. So walk-ins are always an opportunity too.
@NYYFanNowMTdad Happy your D got off the IU waitlist. Happy for her and for you and for those of us who have been assuming that no one is getting off those particular waitlists (M D was initially wait listed for an audition from BOCO and then ultimately they just said no).
@CaMom13 Thanks for the perspective and yes it feels really good to have prescreens behind us.
@AnxiousNovice , I like Kkrazie’s idea of adding a few more applications if you’re nervous. If you’re doing NY and Pennsylvania, did you apply to University of the Arts? Great program in Philadelphia. (Apologies if you already did - I just saw Pennsylvania and immediately thought of it!)
@Kkrazie Thanks for advice. I also got a message from someone else mentioning LIU and Molloy/Cap21. Plan to apply to those this week. She isn’t willing to roam too far west or south so that is a limitation.
There’s great buzz about Cap21/Malloy. LIU facilities are not as great in person as online. So visit if nearby. But for some LIU it’s just what they want with proximity to the city. Also there is no perfect path to this process. Some of those BFA MT lists are biased. For instance I have a friend who’s D went to BoCo freshman year and was unchallenged & not getting any new training. So she left and went to NYC. Started auditioning & is booking. She’s living the dream. So do what’s right for your kid’s goals and your family’s goals. Follow the path & “fit” for your kiddo. And taking breaks from CC these upcoming months is suggested. It can cause anxiety to see others posts.
Pretty much everything in Chicago is walkable, and thankfully the weather is looking pretty good (there have been years with pure ice and six-foot snowdrifts! egad) but it is advisable to wear your dance clothes under heavy layers and boots, or carry them separately and change at the venue–There are bathrooms everywhere so quick changes are easy to do.
Here are some of the schools that had walk-ins in NYC. No guarantees they’ll have them in Chicago, but it gives you an idea. One of the ways to fit walk-ins into your schedule is to decide which ones you might like to shoot for, and then sign up for a timeslot as soon as you get to the Palmer House (if they have signups.) For most schools you can fit in a walk-in if you have an hour break somewhere. Many walk-ins will only take a few minutes, and all the audition rooms/schools at Palmer House are fairly close to each other. If a school likes you, they may send you an email right away about doing a callback (which is more flexible) or telling you when their dance call is happening later.
Some of the NYC walk-ins (not a comprehensive list, but all these will be at Chicago so it’s possible they’ll have walk-ins there too)
Ball State (Acting only)
Cornish
Evansville
Hartt
Montclair
Ohio
Point Park (Acting only)
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
SCAD
UMiami
Viterbo
Oh, @AnxiousNovice another thing I forgot to mention - some schools will let you do walk-ins even if you were rejected after prescreens. They usually list this somewhere pretty clearly. Last year, one of my kids’ friends was rejected for Roosevelt’s prescreen, but got accepted after doing a walk-in at Chicago. She’s now in her freshman year there and it’s a great fit.
So just because they didn’t like her prescreen doesn’t necessarily mean your kid is out-out. They just might need to experience her in person.
@AnxiousNovice you have gotten some great advice here!! Widening your D’s net is a great idea - there may be programs that she hasn’t heard about that could be a great fit!!! Remember, even the pre-screen passes have a very low admit rate. I think doing walk-ins are a great idea, as well as picking a few more schools to look at. The school suggestions on here are all solid. I would add my D’s school, too, Catholic U, in DC. They have one more on campus audition date I believe (they do not go to Unifieds) and the training/opportunities are top notch.
Have your D check out a few more schools’ websites to get a feel of which ones she might like to add. It’s not too late!
Good luck to you.
@LadyMjolnir@AnxiousNovice no MT walk-ins for Montclair but Ball State DID have MT walk-ins. My D did a walk-in with Ball and really enjoyed it. UMiami took walk-ins but they had a ton of people trying to get in so they had a list. Several got turned away so sign up early in the day if you want to do that one.
@AnxiousNovice…I have also heard great things about Molloy/CAP 21. My d has a friend who goes there and LOVES it!
@Kkrazie…I also know someone who left BoCo after one semester. She is now quite famous in movies and film, and has originated two roles on Broadway (I don’t want to mention her name here). But, to be fair, I also know someone who is there currently and LOVES it.
My D went to BoCo. The training is OUTSTANDING! The kids and faculty are extremely supportive. Conservatory life isn’t for everyone, and no school is going to give every single student exactly what they’re seeking in a program. but to imply that BoCo’s training doesn’t live up to its reputation isn’t accurate. It’s a very special place where many students thrive and discover their true potential.
@LadyMjolnir Thanks for the walk-in tip. I do think that my D will do better in person. Her PS was not her best work (to my eye, though I would never tell her that).
@SingerDancerMom My daughter has MT audition for Montclair in Chicago (no prescreen was required). Maybe walk-ins are for those who tried to get an audition date after the slots were all filled?
@AnxiousNovice Oh good! Mine does too! My daughter went to NY Unifieds with a prepared short list of schools that she planned to try to walk-in. Montclair was one of them, but they said they weren’t taking MT walk-ins. She asked if they would be taking walk-ins in Chicago and they said no because they were full. So she applied to the school and got a scheduled audition. She only was able to get one in Chicago because a spot opened up, but it sounds like walk-ins aren’t a possibility for them this year.
Also another program came to mind if you are adding some on (from your previous conversation) … AMDA. they have some pretty impressive alums, like Christopher Jackson.
