unifieds question

I am sure this is already somewhere posted but cant find it. At Unifieds, whether you choose to attend in NYC or Chicago, etc, do you have to have already applied at the schools you are auditioning for? Or do you just make appointments with the schools you want to audition for? Will they see you if they dont even know anything about you by not having applied? Not sure how that whole things works…we know some students who went but did not get details on who they auditioned for, etc. I know all schools dont participate. Also, is it more like a cattle call and in your opinion are on campus auditions better for your chances since it seems Unifieds would be rushed …thanks for the info!

For schools you KNOW you want to audition for, you should apply and make an audition appointment at unifieds. However, there is a limited opportunity for walk-ins. But there are no guarantees of what schools will have walk in appointments.

Our experience with Chicago UNIFIEDS was that many schools, especially the more selective schools, will only grant you an audition if you have applied to their program and /or passed pre-screens. Most schools will say to schedule your audition date/ time as soon as possible to be guaranteed a spot. My D had a couple of her schools contact her prior to UNIFIEDS saying that if she changed her mind about auditioning to let them know because they had a waitlist for spots. That said, I know people who were squeezed in as a favor to certain teachers or coaches, and there are some schools that have room for drop-ins. My D dropped into a couple acting programs, but found no MT schools that had room in their schedules for drop-ins because the MT auditions typically take longer, and some schools were playing catch up from weather delays. I would say that if there is a school your child is really interested in, it’s worth a trip to audition on site. If time / financial constraints are an issue, make sure you know which schools only audition on site and take that into consideration when scheduling unified auditions because you may have to travel elsewhere.

Unified auditions are generally only offered after the applicant passes a prescreen, which often will only be reviewed if the application is complete. You don’t just sign up. Walk-ins circumvent those processes but are catch-as-catch-can and unlikely to be available for the most in-demand schools. If you search the forum you will find thread after thread discussing on campus v Unified. Outcomes appear to be the same. Just as many admits come out of each. Unifieds have the advantage of saving money. On campus gives you the chance to see the school in person. No indication that one is more rushed than the other.

  1. Some schools do not require an application prior to audition.
  2. Some schools require you to submit an application prior to auditioning.
  3. Some schools require that you apply and be admitted prior to auditioning.
  4. Some schools hold walk-up auditions at Unifieds (more this year in Chicago than usual because the snow prevented some applicants from attending and schools had open slots as a result). Some of the schools in Chicago this year that took walk-ins included:

UAB
Viterbo
Utah
Western Michigan
Ball State
Cornish
Drake
LIPA
Royal Welsh
Ohio Northern
Oklahoma (Acting)
SCAD
CAP21/Molloy
NYCDA
Montclair
Long Island U.
Northern Colorado would have but they were unable to attend

If a student has good grades and test scores and will likely qualify for merit aid, it behooves you to apply early to many schools because Merit Aid scholarships at many MT programs are handed out on a rolling basis, the early bird may get the worm. Some schools have Merit Aid cutoff dates, such as December 1.

Here are some of the past threads on Unifieds:

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1614676-unifieds-2015-p1.html

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1738964-chicago-unifieds-debrief.html

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1734589-walk-in-auditions-at-nyc-unifieds-jan-25th.html

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1730989-chicago-unified-walk-ins-p1.html

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1728032-nyc-unifieds-2015.html

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1706251-chicago-unifieds-hampton-inn-v-palmer-house-hilton.html

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1693619-how-many-auditions-can-be-done-at-unified.html

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1681043-details-for-unifieds.html

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1657602-unified-or-audition-at-the-school.html#latest

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/musical-theater-major/1657602-unified-or-audition-at-the-school.html

There are many more. Use “Advanced Forum Search” from the drop-down list in the search box and type “Unifieds” in the Title box and then selected “Music Theatre Major” from the Forum list (you will have to scroll a ways to find it).

Things can get rushed at Unifieds and also on campus (but more likely at Unifieds). Some schools do not hold dance calls at Unifieds (but most do), so, if dance is a strength, it may be better to do those on campus unless the school holds a dance call at Unifieds. D did one dance call in a hallway at Unifieds (much to her amusement).

Correction for my post above, Montclair may have only held walk-ins in Chicago for Designers. My memory is a little fuzzy, too many Do-Rite Carrot Cake donuts.

Whether or not to participate in Unifieds is a personal decision and there is no one right answer. Our D loved the energy and pace of Unifieds and preferred it to on campus auditions. Others prefer on campus auditions where you sometimes take tours, sit in on classes, etc. and spend a good portion of your day on campus. It depends on which environment you feel would suit your child the best. Students are accepted to programs from Unifieds all of the time. So do not feel you have to go to campus to give yourself a better chance of being accepted. But do go if you feel your child would prefer that sort of audition day and it suits your schedule and budget. We did a mix of both as some schools we applied to did not participate in Unifieds.

To be clear, Unified auditions are still personal, solo auditions for each school. What is “unified” about them is that these schools have agreed to all be in the same city on approximately the same dates to conduct auditions for those who are interested to make it easier on our time and budgets. It is not a cattle call. Some schools may do group dance calls. But your songs and monologues will be heard individually. You will perform for each school separately at a time and space arranged directly with the school. You do not perform in a big room full of auditors from a bunch of different schools. There is no central place to schedule unified auditions. You must contact each school individually to arrange your audition. Sometimes that will require you apply to the school prior to receiving an audition slot. Contact each school to find out what their requirements are. They change from year to year so definitely check in case something has changed from this audition cycle to the next.

If you choose to go to Unifieds, some schools may have some time slots that have not been filled. If you have extra time available in your schedule it may be possible for you to audition for these schools as a “walk-in”, meaning you didn’t schedule an audition for them in advance. However, there is no way to no which schools might be available at times convenient for you or if they will have any time available at all. So for schools you know you want to audition for, it is best to pre-arrange those auditions.

The links provided by @EmsDad in post #4 are a great place to get more detailed info about unifiers. Good luck in your planning!

My D is another one who thrived on the energy at Unifieds, and found it to be a great experiences. Because there are only so many hours in a day and so many auditions that can be scheduled, D scheduled auditions at unifieds for the schools that were at the top of her list. While D was busy at a 3 hour audition, I walked around and was able to sign her up to do walk in auditions at 4 schools that she was still interested in. I’m sure the weather contributed to the openings in these school’s schedules, and I’m glad we were able to take advantage of it. Especially since she has 2 acceptances from the walk in auditions. Anything can happen, so be prepared.

It is best to not count on walk ins at Unifieds. That being said, my son ended up going to one of the programs he did a walk in audition, so you just never know. I would be sure to apply to the schools you for want to audition for and bring extra resumes and head shots. My son absolutely loved Unifieds.