<p>We stayed at the Palmer House in Chicago on the executive Floor. Got a great deal booking in the summer. Ended up adding a day later in the fall once our audition schedule became more clear. (Some schools added early auditions to Chicago necessitating the extra day. ) That was not a problem. Being on the exec floor (which is actually 2 floors) allowed us an easy place to eat breakfast, get drinks and snacks, etc… It was also a comfortable place for me to go if I wanted to leave our room so daughter could vocalize/warm up/change in peace.</p>
<p>As of now, CMU and some other schools are planning to audition in NYC the weekend of Feb. 1-2, which is the weekend AFTER Unifieds. Hopefully they made a mistake and didn’t realize the conflict with the Super Bowl (its in NYC that weekend which is why Unifieds will be in NYC the weekend before.) Meanwhile it’s problematic.</p>
<p>The Super Bowl is in NJ, not NY, please don’t confuse the two.</p>
<p>MTMommaJAA: No audition schools should be considered a safety school. Some programs are less competitive than others. Maybe a 25% admit rate compared to a 2% - but none should be considered a safety school. Find one school that is a true safety school (academically and non-audition and what is affordable for your family). So you have 21 schools on your list? I would try to whittle that down. To me, 15 would be absolute max, but to others that would still be too many. Think of all the application fees! Make a list of attributes your S finds important, both in terms of a program and in a university at-large. Rate the schools based on these attributes and cut a few. Your outlook evolves and things become more clear as you do more research.</p>
<p>amtc~
The Superbowl may be in NJ but the Unified date was changed because of the close proximity between the stadium and NYC. Hotel rooms for that weekend are at a premium in NYC. The stadium is 11 miles outside of NYC.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for the replies. Booked both the Palmer House and the New Yorker. </p>
<p>Shaun0203: Good information. I figure our list will most likely have natural attrition if we don’t get invited for auditions after pre-screen auditions are submitted. I will definitely find one safety school (non-audition, academically acceptable, and affordable). I know it sounds crazy…but we’re kind of thinking…if he doesn’t get accepted into one of the schools on our list then maybe he goes a different direction all together.</p>
<p>Gwen, CMU still has last year’s audition dates on its website…unless I’m missing something. I’m confident they will align their NYC audition dates with Unifieds. We did ours last year in NYC the day before Unifieds formally began. It was very convenient.</p>
<p>For those of you going to Chicago Unifieds, talk to others who went there about the carpeted floors for dance auditions and low hanging chandeliers. The one thing we really loved about NYC auditions was that they are all in real studios, not a hotel. So, good dance floors with mirrors, high ceilings, etc. (They were also familiar to us, so maybe that’s why we felt at ease there.) There are pros and cons to each city. But we loved the NYC Unifieds.</p>
<p>CMU has a pdf link to 2013-14 dates and the NY auditions dates on it are from about Jan.30 to Feb 2.</p>
<p>CMU actually has last years dates on one page and this years dates on another page. It’s a little confusing. But it does appear that the Consortium schools (CMU, Purchase, and North Carolina for sure) are in NY on Feb 1 and 2, and not Jan 25 and 26 during Unifieds. There’s talk over on the theatre thread about it too.</p>
<p>Here is a link to the thread dramamom0804 referenced:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/1541456-available-audition-dates-2014-admission.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/theater-drama-majors/1541456-available-audition-dates-2014-admission.html</a></p>
<p>Along with the most recent post with links to the websites of schools with dates posted:
<a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/16283920-post30.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/16283920-post30.html</a></p>
<p>Does anyone have an opinion on whether unified auditions put a student at an advantage or disadvantage to students that audition on campus?</p>
<p>Well, the schools must find students they want to admit at Unifieds, or they wouldn’t do it.</p>
<p>That said, my son’s Unified auditions were very short in-and-out affairs, and the audition reports I have read from students who auditioned on the campuses were having much longer and more thorough auditions. </p>
<p>I don’t know how that translates into admissions.</p>
<p>My son’s audition for the excellent school he will be attending wasn’t on-campus. It was a quick audition, and he left feeling that they weren’t interested in him. But he was admitted with a large unsolicited scholarship. You just can’t tell.</p>
<p>I’ll admit that I thought not auditioning on campus may put a student at a disadvantage, but when we went to visit few colleges last month one tour guide auditioned at Chicago Unifieds (Syracuse) and another sent in a video only (Ithaca). It may be a problem for some schools but like prodesse said, “you just can’t tell.”</p>
<p>And realistically, if you are applying to a large number of schools, there is really no way you can apply on campus to all of them. There are just not enough weekends. If your child plans to be in their school shows too, there are likely to be schedule conflicts there. We’ve already figured out my D’s fall play major tech rehearsal falls on the CMU audition date we hoped to attend.<br>
I’m just going to make the best schedule we can and leave it at that.</p>
<p>Another thing to consider is your child’s energy level. Our daughter enjoyed the hi energy atmosphere of Unifieds and felt she got stronger as the week progressed because she was doing her material consistently and getting good comments and critiques. When on campus, often times they will have kids sit in on classes, take campus tours, etc… In the middle of the audition day. Those are important things to do but our daughter found them draining. She preferred to do those things at a time she wasn’t auditioning so she could stay focused on the auditions themselves. However I have another friend whose child was overwhelmed by the crowds and noise of Unifieds and also wanted both alone and down time. So auditioning one by one on campus would have suited them better. You really have to figure out what works best for your child. But we do know many who were accepted from Unifieds. I don’t think it is a disadvantage at all.</p>
<p>I agree attending on-campus auditions can be difficult to impossible. We are in Maine, and so most of the schools on my son’s list are either a very long drive or a plane flight away. I’m working hard to stay cool, and not panic when I think about how to best maximize the Unified auditions. He will be submitting pre-screens, and the results will help determine what schools stay on the list. Though he is working to refine his list, the application process feels overwhelming to me at times. I look forward to the time when the applications and needed paperwork are in and we can begin to see a schedule take shape.</p>
<p>How does a school become a member school and therefore attend the auditions?</p>
<p>Bumping this thread as it has a lot of useful information, and also to inform anyone that those who wish to audition for Coastal Carolina University at the 2014 Chicago Unified auditions do NOT need to send in a video pre-screen. If you have pre-screen material and want to submit it for Chicago, you may do so (and it is encouraged), but it is not REQUIRED, unlike our on-campus audition dates. </p>
<p>Although I encourage the on campus auditions for all of those who CAN do so and are seriously considering CCU, the faculty understands that it’s not possible for everyone. If you wish to sign up for an initial 10 minute audition slot for Chicago Unifieds without a pre-screen, there is a simple form to use. Send me a private message or email <a href=“mailto:askthea@coastal.edu”>askthea@coastal.edu</a> to access it. CCU is attending on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning.</p>
<p>When/where can we register for the Unified auditions?</p>
<p>Atayw96, you do not register for the Unified auditions. Each college does its own individual sign-up for auditions as part of their admissions process. It is confusing, I know! Basically the Unifieds consist of a lot of schools holding auditions in the same location during the same week.</p>