<p>As a parent struggling to assist with the complexity of college applications and audition requirements, I am baffled by some reports I have read here, about students being accepted to a program on-the-spot at Unifieds. Can someone please clarify? Do they say, "OK, you're in, send us an application but don't worry too much about those essays because we don't care about anything but we just saw"? If so, it sure beats the heck out of jumping through all these hoops.</p>
<p>Are these actual good programs that are accepting people on-the-spot?</p>
<p>Much is said, some is perceived. Yes, there are offers made. I’m even certain there are some very good schools that are very forward. However, having very good schools make offers while in the midst of auditions is rare. We see hundreds of people. A very small percentage connect with the reviewers immediately. In those cases, sometimes signals are sent that indicate acceptance to the PROGRAM is imminent. I would caution you though. Many schools have admission to the program and admission to the university as separate events. For instance, Ithaca (I believe) does not allow you to audition until you’ve been accepted to the university. Others allow the audition, but will not give you a positive answer unless you’ve also been accepted to the university. Good luck. It’s an odd journey with more guidelines than rules.</p>
<p>Our son received 2 “on the spot” offers at Unifieds. One was from a known (yet perhaps not a top-tier, another debate for another thread) program my son had already applied to and had been academically accepted. The other was his only walk-in for an international school. It was a verbal committment from the department head runnning the audition for the US school. After the dance audition he pulled my son aside in the hall and talked to him right there. He did not mention a specific scholarship amount at that time. We quickly got the scholarship offer in the mail (by the end of that next week.)</p>
<p>With all that said…</p>
<p>In my opinion, no one should expect to get an immediate response. We knew it might happen and so we dicussed ahead of time how my son would respond to such offers (remember, the programs are making agreements with your child…not you.) His top picks sent him acceptance or “on-hold” emails within a week Unifieds. The schools still had Las Vegas and LA Unifieds to complete.</p>
<p>The process is what it is. Most programs will follow their process fairly and efficiently. How a program conducts their auditions and the ensuing follow-up may be an indication of the quality of the program itself.</p>
<p>I think on the spot offers are very rare. I don’t personally know anyone where that happened, even though in a couple of instances, strong vibes were given to indicate a likely acceptance. </p>
<p>By the way, unless something has changed, it is not true that you must be academically accepted to Ithaca in order to audition.</p>
<p>I think this does happen…not as much with what most consider top-tier schools, but it does happen.</p>
<p>It happened to our D at Regional and National Thespian events, but not at Unifieds in Chicago. She had several “artistic” acceptances as a result of Thespian audition events. All programs told her that she was admitted artistically, but true acceptance was based on her applying and being accepted academically. Most are considered very good schools.</p>
<p>Although it did not happen to us, our daughter knew boys who were admitted to top-top tier schools, tell her that they were given pretty clear signs that they would be accepted very early on. We didn’t know any girls that got very clear signs in the same way.</p>
<p>It makes sense to me…there are a lot less boys out there. The especially talented ones are coveted. I completely understand why schools would “recruit” early on with that type of candidate. I didn’t love it since i had a daughter, but i understood.</p>
<p>My son received an “on the spot” offer at Unifieds in NYC. He had already applied to the program and was accepted academically though I am not sure how aware the panel was of his application. It was actually very uncomfortable. An audition assistant came over to my son after the dance call and explained the chairman wanted to see him; could he wait around a bit. The chairman came out and proceeded to talk to my son in front of the others who were just in the audition. I intervened at that point and asked if we could move somewhere a little more private. it was a definite “we want you” conversation. A scholarship offer was sent a week after.</p>
<p>I agree that sometimes they send strong vibes. Last year after I auditioned I was very strongly encouraged to apply right after and was told by the admissions guy that “you could definitely benefit from our program” but I figure that these cases are very rare</p>
<p>Kids in sports are openly recruited. Why is it unfair in theatre? I think it goes back to the mentality that if you love it and have passion it should count for something. A pitcher who loves the game is not more sought after than a pitcher that can pitch. Waiting until all the auditions are over makes no difference if they want you. They want you to commit before someone else can see you. They kwno if they want you when they see you. They know in 20 seconds if they want you- if you are IT.</p>
<p>I do remember reading some unsettling stories on this forum last year in which students (from earlier years) reported begin accepted in an audition but then ultimately rejected from the school. So I guess you never can relax until the letter is in your hand (unless it’s Point Park, in which case you can’t relax until the deposit check is cashed!)</p>
<p>There was a lengthy discussion on the “on-the-spot” offer topic last year around this time that I think I may have even started. I have yet to master the art of searching in CC never mind posting a link to an earlier post but I know it is out there.</p>
<p>I know when I asked the question last year I wasn’t coming from a place of “wow… if those on-the-spot things exist, who gets them and how can we have one too please?” It was more from the perspective of, “holy hell, if seats are already given out before most of us show up, does this mean things are even more competitive than I thought they were?” In hindsight, for anyone that is concerned this year about the second sentiment, you shouldn’t be.</p>
<p>From firsthand experience last year, I know on-the-spot acceptances are not just an urban legend. They are nice for the people that get them, but their existence does little if anything to alter the competitive landscape for any specific individual that doesn’t receive one and here is why:</p>
<p>An on the spot offer that somebody else gets can only alter your competitiveness if: </p>
<ol>
<li>The school making on-the-spot offer to someone else is your first choice school and</li>
<li>The person that gets the offer auditions before you do and </li>
<li>The person that gets the offer would never have considered attending the school had they not received the on-the-spot offer and</li>
<li>The person accepts the on-the-spot offer and</li>
<li>When your candidacy is considered at the same school, you don’t get an offer but you would have had not somebody who fit items #2-4 taken the seat that you were next in line for. </li>
</ol>
<p>That’s a whole lot of perfect storm, planetary alignment and any other related metaphor needing to happen for it to matter to you. So if you get an on-the-spot offer, great. I hope that it proves to be real and certainly some of them are. If you don’t get one the fact that somebody else might have one doesn’t mean anything to you as you enter this audition season so it isn’t worth worrying about it.</p>
<p>Exactly! It does not jeopardize you unfairly in any way. That person would have gotten that offer anyway. Why is it an issue when they get it? It’s not. It’s nice if someone gets to know early that they have an acceptance. I’m sure no one ever says- bummer, I wish I hadn’t taken that person I love because I love this person more! If they love you, they will make room for you. Panic always sets in this time of year.</p>
<p>I agree wholeheartedly with halflokum’s analysis. I tell my D that the kids who get on the spot acceptances were going to get in anyway, so what’s the big deal? And yes it seems to happen more to boys, but we are all aware that the talented boys are in more demand b/c there are fewer boys all around. But, to glassharmonica’s point…I remember lots of discussion last year, particularly around one school, where the kids ASSUMED they were being given on the spot acceptances, but they really weren’t. Obviously the school(s) thought those kids were immensely talented, and let them know they thought that, but that doesn’t always amount to an acceptance. So, I’d say glassharmonica’s point is well taken…don’t relax until letter is in hand!</p>
<p>I can absolutely confirm that on-the-spot-offers-of-admissions happen. Two students from my d’s high school received on-the-spot, bona-fide offers of admission (from the theatre department, not the school) to what I think anyone would consider one of the top schools in the country at auditions this summer. These kids are extremely talented, and fit a type that pros have explained to me tends to be in higher demand with lower supply than other types. It was also explained to me that some, but certainly not all, schools have a very aggressive approach for what they consider top talent, and/or they have already seen these kids perform and so they are going by more than what they saw at a particular audition. Lastly, I was told this is much more likely to happen early in the audition cycle rather than at Unifieds, as the schools probably hope to preempt auditions at other schools (there is certainly sales psychology at work in the college admissions process, and not just for MT kids). I am pretty sure that these two kids will not be going to Unifieds and will make their decisions pretty early in the cycle, so the tactic is likely to succeed in these cases.</p>
<p>The college athletic coaches that I know use the term “no doubters” to describe kids with outstanding talent that puts them obviously above their peers.</p>
<p>I also think halflokum’s analysis is excellent. Here is the thread that she started last year on this topic: </p>
<p>Not sure if EmsDad is referring to this or not, but one of the first auditions that students can go to happens the summer between Junior and Senior year at the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska. If you google it, you will find lots of information, if its not familiar.</p>
<p>We have known many students over the years who have gotten “on-the-spot” acceptances in “Nebraska”, as well as many who have gotten letters of acceptances to the department/program within a week or two.</p>
<p>There are also regional Thespian audition events. Our D’s school hosts one for our region every year. </p>
<p>Lastly there are audition coaches who host private auditions for their clients as well.</p>
<p>I think one thing to remember in this is that not all schools are able to do instantaneous offers. One rep from a big name school told me that sometimes he wished he could, so that someone else didn’t “get to them” first…but that their school had a holistic/everyone decides together kind of approach. There is a lot to be said for that too!</p>
<p>In the end, our D waited like the bulk of kids auditioning do, to get the letters/emails/calls that are so coveted. She was rejected from 2 of her top 3 very late in the game, …but finally heard from the last of her top 3, that it was a “yes” late in March. So even with acceptances in October of her senior year, the end didn’t come until March!</p>
<p>As noted in the post #15 from mybroadwaybaby, there are group-style (cattle-call) auditions that occur throughout the country beginning with International Thespians in June and continuing throughout the fall (and maybe into the spring, I have never seen a complete list). These include various state, local, regional and national Thespian conventions. Other organizations hold auditions as well, including some individual high schools and I know some private coaches hold organized auditions. </p>
<p>There are several of these auditions in Texas, for example, including the North Texas Drama Auditions, the Greater Houston Area Auditions, Texas Thespians State Convention, etc.</p>
<p>Ah yes, I see now. The Thespian Conference for our state is in late fall.
Many kids get offers after auditioning there at various programs.
I thought possibly the offers came out of a summer program at one of the Universities.
That makes much more sense now.</p>
<p>I have never even heard of International Thespians (just now went to their website.) That certainly made me feel out of the loop-- glad I didn’t read about it last year, when my daughter was applying to programs.</p>
<p>To me, there are suprisingly few posts about these type of auditions on CC. The cost-benefit for talented kids seems to really be in favor of attending these types of auditions because:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>They are usually easy to register for.</p></li>
<li><p>You only audition once for many schools, instead of many auditions.</p></li>
<li><p>You get instant feedback in the form of callbacks, the number of callbacks that you get relative to your peers tells you something about your chances. This reason alone argues for doing at least one of these types of auditions.</p></li>
<li><p>At callbacks you get to spend some quality time with college reps.</p></li>
<li><p>You will get interest from some schools that you may not have considered but may end up being a good fit.</p></li>
<li><p>You may get scholarship offers that are amazing from some schools that you would not have otherwise considered. I know several kids who were offered very large scholarships as a result of these types of auditions, up to and including full rides, to schools that were not on their list, and they ended up taking the offers as the scholarships and the interest shown by the schools were simply too good to pass up (it can get kind of like athletic recruiting for high-talent kids). They all seem really happy with their schools, by the way - lots of casting, solid training, etc.</p></li>
<li><p>Getting interest from schools is great positive reinforcement in a very stressful and difficult process.</p></li>
<li><p>If you can attend one of these early in the process and obtain an acceptance that you desire, then it could save you thousands of dollars in travel expenses to attend other auditions or it may make your ensuing auditions a lot less stressful since you know you have an offer “in the bank.”</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I am not proposing that these types of auditions are an alternative to other types of auditions, such as Unifieds, only that they may represent a fairly high cost-benefit ratio adjunct to other types of auditions. Of course, if you would have to travel at great expense to attend, you are not interested at all in any of the schools even with great scholarship offers, you are very confident about your chances, etc., then these types of auditions would probably not be attractive.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, finding out details about these types of auditions can be surprisingly hard.</p>