<p>Can anyone offer the skinny on this? In other words, how many schools accept walk-ins and how the heck does a student do a walk in audition? Does the student just walk over to the registration table (or whatever each school has there) and sign up and pay an audition fee? If so, when does the student fill out the school's application? Also, if a student hasn't applied to a school already, doesn't it say to the school that that school is not top on the student's list? Anyone wanna explain this to me?</p>
<p>NMR,
My d was at the Chicago Unifieds last year and I believe that she signed up (at a registration table)for walk-ins a day in advance of the actual audition. I also remember that some of the kids in her arts school were able to sign up for walk-ins at the last minute. I do not believe she had to pay audition/registration fees when she signed up for walk-ins.
I also know of one girl auditioned for a college, was told that she was artistically accepted and then applied to the college when she returned home.</p>
<p>NMR,
I agree with you that a walk-in could appear to show lack of interest. BUT sometimes the student did not have the SAT scores to apply, then got to the Unifieds and after talking to the school, was encouraged to apply and audition anyway. For others they just cannot make it to visit schools, and do not realize until they get to auditions that they can do a walk-in. And for others, they might have tried to register but got closed out because there are only so many slots, but them schools always seem to have cancellations or no-shows, opening up audition slots at the last minute. The schools want to audition as many as they can fit in to time slots and do not like having open slots either. I actually know people from last year that fit all of these categories. For anyone wanting to add a school or three ;) at Unifieds I would suggest that you go around to all the school tables as soon as you check in to the hotels and find out who has openings and who to contact. Leave a note and phone # if no one is there-add scotch tape to your "to take " list! In fact this happened to my D as a school changed her audition time for dance and she had to give up her slot at another school she had scheduled for Unifieds, but thankfully once we got there they fit her in bc she had already applied. Some schools, Ithaca in particular, do not allow walk-ins unless you have already applied to the school. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>NMR:</p>
<p>The reason we take walk-ins when we can is that occasionally an extremely gifted actor hears about us for the first time at the Unifieds. We weren't on her list, but she heard good things about us in the hallway, walked down to our room, waited until we came out and simply asked if we could hear her sing. We said yes, and she turned out to be Mandy Bruno, who three years later was hired by Guiding Light out of the senior showcase and who is--incidentally--opening tonight in Frankenstein with Hunter Foster.</p>
<p>The Unifieds were set up for two reasons: (1) to give students the opportunity to audition for several schools in one place, and (2) to give schools the opportunity to audition talented students who might not otherwise have made the trip to campus. </p>
<p>How do you do it? ttmom has it right: walk down the hall, wait until a faculty member comes out, and ask politely if they have space. They may not, but it doesn't hurt to ask. </p>
<p>Warning: many schools will ask you to pay an audition fee on the spot. Part of the reason for that is to discourage students from simply practicing their auditions on us. Schools will also insist that you apply for admission within a very short time, and most will make any kind of answer about your status conditional upon completing the application. It's just too time-consuming to worry about students who aren't serious enough about the school to fill out an application.</p>
<p>But by and large, walk-ins are welcome, and you're not going to look foolish asking.</p>
<p>Hope this helps.</p>