Thanks! He’s not totally solo. He’s there with friends and a couple of parents. If he were truly on his own, I wouldn’t trust him not to sleep through all his auditions! 
I’m meeting him at LA Unifieds next weekend.
Hahaha! Still, that’s impressive @LadyMjolnir . Glad he has support (it does come in handy) and good for you for choosing the best location to attend. We only did LA Unifieds (we’re local) and all the auditors said how much they enjoyed our weather every year. It’s currently 79, clear and sunny.
I can’t wait! I can’t even picture what that kind of weather feels like anymore. I’m in WA, and we just had the rainiest, darkest January in recorded history. It’s still dark and raining today and I don’t think it will ever end. 
Looks like next weekend is cooler than this one but still sunny. Only chance of rain is on Sunday and many times those forecasts disappear. Come down a day early, go sit on the beach and dry out! Don’t forget your sunglasses - our sun may blind you after the winter you’ve had!
Just saw this on Unifieds Facebook page: Perk to get a heads up this early. FYI for folks heading to Chicago.
Chicago Unified Auditions
Below is the list of who will be accepting Walk-Ins as of 2/1/20
Montclair State University- Production & Design and Acting
Walk-ins on Tuesday & Wednesday
Northern Illinois University
Savannah College of Art & Design
Southern Methodist University
Viterbo University- $20 Walk- In Fee
Sign up Sheet will be listed outside of Clark 5
@AnxiousNovice We are supposed to be at Wagner as well. Maybe we could meet up and chat. Of course, the audition is so late that I am not holding my D to those auditions. I remember reading last year about kids who just had enough and decided not to go to their final auditions, and I could not understand it, but I totally get it now…these kids are TIRED and fighting illnesses all season! At some point, they just realize they don’t have it in them anymore, and need a break, even if it means sacrificing a potential school. I could see my daughter getting there.
As far as no’s…I know it hurts REALLY bad. There are a couple of schools that getting a no would KILL my D, but she (unlike many of you here) got quite a few early no’s as well as some surprising yes-es. (Forgive my typing and use of apostrophes…I really don’t know how to write plural forms of yes and no that look correct. I know apostrophes are wrong as they are not possesive…) But, I keep thinking about things I have read on posts from years past that say things like, “One of the guys who ended up going with U Mich MT didn’t make it thru Texas State’s pre-screen”. I think weird yes and no responses just happen sometimes for reasons we cannot explain.
It’s crazy, but my daughter is starting to see those as blessings. I am sure I will say more about this at the end of this whole process, but we discovered that she did much better (as far as passing) on her pre-screens that she sent in via video than she did on the ones that she did via Moonifieds. I personally think she got her *** handed to her at Moonifieds, but she got past MOST of her video submission pre-screens. I believe I understand the reasons for that, but that is a discussion for another time. Anyway…as a result of her lackluster performance in a unifieds setting, and also because of her fear that she might get sick during ALL of her callbacks, we decided to move a LOT of her auditions to their respective campuses (she literally only has 2 auditions at Unifieds now).
I am SOOO GLAD WE DID!! First, yes…it is the week of Unifieds, and she is not feeling great…shocker! She did have two auditions this weekend before Unifieds, and she has one next weekend as well. She is doing everything she can think of to stay healthy, but it is just so hard.
Secondly, and this is my original thought. She is learning SOO much about “fit” by visiting these schools, getting their “vibe”, seeing the other kids, etc. She has fallen in love with some programs, while made mental notes that she would not fit in well with the other students at others. That information is SOOO valuable, and something no brochure can tell you. So, she is starting to see that it may be who she is as a person rather than her talent that could be getting her yes or no responses. And, she is learning to be grateful. Every single school she has visited on campus has said things like, “We are looking for kids that will fit well,” or “We really want to ensure we give spots to kids who are going to feel comfortable and thrive here.” Those REALLY are things that the colleges have a much better feel for than the students do.
She has done callbacks at “extreme reach” schools where she walked away and said, “I don’t fit there.” And, that will certainly make the no that will most likely (statistically) come, much easier.
And, she has really enjoyed her time at a couple of little, lesser known/respected programs that has made her realize there is a LOT more to finding the right school than reputation.
Don’t get me wrong. She has also fallen in love with two extreme reach schools (even though she knows the odds), and the sting of those may hurt even more because she knows for SURE the schools are truly a fit for her, but again, I think getting so many early no’s gave her a bit of a thicker skin earlier in the game.
The visits are also helping her figure out what exactly she wants as far as size, professional affiliations, opportunities/permission to work outside of campus. She is also learning what types of campuses she likes and doesn’t like, what she needs from the city surrounding the campus, etc. She also really watches for how friendly the staff is, how friendly the kids are with new people, and how well they seem to like each other. She takes in SO much information at these visits, and she is learning so much from them.
I am definitely not trying to make any of you feel badly for doing unifieds and not visiting campuses. Money is tight, and visiting all of these schools is a stretch on both time and money for our family, and would NOT be possible without travel points for flights and rooms…something not every family has access to. But, my point in writing is just to say that sometimes the schools really do know something that your S or D does not about how happy they would be in the program. And truly, the kids at these schools seem to be similar in tone and personality. It’s like the directors of the programs vibe with certain personality types, and they let in the kids they vibe with…makes total sense. But, when you see so many personality types in one place, it is easy to go…“Oh…I get it…I fit/don’t fit here.” When the people from these programs go out, they are looking to add kids to their programs that will fit well with the kids they already have…and only the program directors know that.
And when these schools can fill their spots 10-20 times and STILL have amazing kids, I have to think the minute differences that can be the difference between being offered a spot and not being offered one really must often come down to factors besides talent. U Mich told the kids straight up. “If you were called back, you are good enough to be here. Congratulations. Now we need to find the kids who will fit best into our program. So, show us who you really are, and we will decide from there.” For them, it is not about talent at that point (they really are an amazing program, btw…incredibly humble people).
So, as your kids are experiencing rejections, remind them that at this point it is not about talent as much as it is about fitting in, and that getting a no might just mean that the school does not think they would be happy there for 4 years, and wants to help them not make a bad choice. I am not saying that to be kind, or polyana-ish. I have really come to believe this, and the on campus visits have allowed my D to believe it as well. At this point in the game…it’s all about fit.
@CaMom13 Columbia College Chicago?
I was thinking MMM might be Marymount Manhattan?
@WDWMom great post with so many questions that I have for you but will wait till this is all over, thanks for sharing :)!!
And, you know I will LOVE to answer them…when this is all over…and maybe thru PM, LOL!! D just won’t let me say much on here, KWIM?
@Twelfthman and @WDWMom - thank you! MMM I was pretty sure of but CCC was drivin’ me crazy!
And @WDWMom - fantastic post, my D had the opposite approach to auditioning and came away with the same lessons learned!
@Rocketwoman37 - I sent you a PM. I have a D who is a Wright State MT Alum. Because the MT/Acting kids are from all over the country, they stay on campus and have plenty to do to stay busy on the weekends. Students probably go home, but the BFAs mostly socialize with each other, so it never seemed to be an issue. Happy to answer any questions!
Anyone else do Texas State dance call today? My kid reports that it was well-nigh impossible, and he “felt like a hippopotamus.”
The struggle is real now! Break legs in CHI everybody.
Anyone have any back ground or info on Dean’s musical theatre program?
Got our first rejection. D did a walk-in audition at NYC Unifieds for Ball State and they just sent an email inviting her to the BA Theatre program. They said she could audition for BFA MT again after her first semester. Hopefully better offers are to come!
HI everyone. I’m an alum parent. My D went through this crazy process three years ago. I can’t believe she is already a junior in her MT program. I don’t have much to share other than, hang in there! They will walk in and out of many audition rooms, while you sit feeling helpless to help. Impossible to guess what will happen in one room to the next, but they just need a set of eyes or two to look up from their papers and audition table to look, and then, to truly SEE your emerging artist. That will likely be the right program! Good luck. All the parents who have come before are rooting for you now.
@CaMom13 sorry about acronyms. My own shorthand do typed them out of habit. CCC=Columbia College of Chicago; MMM = Marymount Manhattan
@Twelfthman Thanks for good health wishes. D too sick to do Roosevelt (CCPA) dance call last evening but they were very kind and said she can use her prescreen for dance (obviously not ideal but better than being dropped from contention). She slept another 12 hours and was able to do 2 BFA Acting auditions and 1 MT audition today. Her voice was gravelly in several places so not her best performance but at least we seem headed in the right direction and only a dance call and an Acting audition tomorrow so hoping she will be back (or at least closer) to full voice by Wednesday afternoon when she has one of her dream school MT auditions.
Trying to get my D some walk-ins here in Chicago. Got her one with LIU for Thursday. Nazareth has a long waitlist but I put her on it. Tried Temple but they are only doing one day at a time and did not have any openings today so plan to go back tomorrow am. Folks have also recommended walk ins with Cap21 and SUNY Courtland but I do not think either of those schools are here? I did not get to UMiami this am. Anyone know if they are doing walk-ins? Anyone know anything about the program? Any other walk-in suggestions?
@AnxiousNovice , CAP21 would be listed as Molloy College. (CAP21 is a musical theater training program that used to be a stand-alone program, but then they signed an exclusive partnership with Molloy College to run their BFA musical theater program.)