January 25, 2016

Professional Internship Applications

Today's the day I've been waiting for! The Professional Internship (PI) applications opened up early this morning for the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts Internships. I have been waiting and preparing for this moment for several months now, and it's kind of surreal that the application season is finally here!

I applied to three Animal Programs internships - Marine Mammals, Animal Behavior, and Behavior & Technology. You are limited to only applying to three Animal Programs internships, so I chose those three as the ones I was most interested in and most qualified for.

Professional Internships are really competitive as there are many applicants and very few spots! I feel as though I am certainly qualified for the positions I applied for, but I know that there are many other qualified candidates as well! I don't know as much about the professional internship application process as I do about the college program application process, so I'm excited to learn and share my experience with you all!

I applied around 9 AM this morning and received my "Thank you for Applying" email around 9:50 AM. I haven't gotten any other information since then. From what I've been reading, the professional internship application process is much slower than the college program one and it really tests your patience. I'm anxious to get going with the process, but I also know that patience is a virtue, so I'll be patiently waiting to hear about the next steps of this application process!

I'm still in progress for my CP and now in submission for my three PIs, so it's going to be a long few weeks of playing the waiting game until I hear back from my dream company! I'll be sure to keep you all posted, but until then, keep on dreaming!

January 22, 2016

Phone Interview - Round Two

So after submitting my application and passing my Web-Based Interview (WBI) I had my phone interview this morning! It was scheduled for 9 days after my WBI (which was the earliest I could schedule it). I have been looking forward to my phone interview all week, and it lived up to my expectations!

I interviewed with Christy, who was an absolute pleasure to talk to. I was a little bit nervous before she called, but as soon as we got on the phone I felt completely comfortable and at ease. It truly was as though I was talking to a friend about something we are both passionate about! My interview was scheduled for 9:15 AM and my phone rang at 9:17 AM and the interview began. It lasted 23 minutes. I really actually enjoyed this phone interview and felt much more confident going in and coming out than I did on my interview for my Spring 2014 program.

We mostly talked about my last program: the living, learning, and earning aspects of it. We talked a lot about my role at Finding Nemo and how I handled different guest situations there. We also talked a little bit about the roles I felt most qualified for and she asked me some situational questions about those roles. Finally, we ended with her asking me specifically about my interests and requests, which thrilled me, because I wasn't expecting it at all! I'm hoping that was some positive feedback coming from her!

I'll be patiently waiting to hear from now on. I was told the latest I would hear back is mid-March, but I'm hoping it's sooner than that!! I expect that the Professional Internship (PI) applications will open next week, so check back soon to see about the status of my DCP application and how the PI application process works!

Keep having Disney Dreams & throw a little extra pixie dust my way for these next few weeks!

January 12, 2016

Round Two?!?!

Well everyone, I can't believe I'm typing these words, but it's officially time for me to apply to once again be an intern at Walt Disney World! I feel as though I've been waiting for this moment ever since the end of my first program, and now it's here and it's completely exciting, unbelievable, and magical.

I'll be graduating from Clemson University in May and have decided to go back down to Orlando to continue pursuing my dreams. This time around I'm applying to both a DCP and some PI's (professional internships - more on these later) so I'm feeling hopeful that something will work out and I will once again be able to work for the mouse! The PI's I'm applying to will all be in the Animals, Science, and Environment Department and the DCP will just be the general application once again.

I'm so excited/anxious/nervous/hopeful for this second round. I cannot believe that my four short years at Clemson are rapidly coming to a close. I'm looking forward to an amazing final semester here at the best university in the world and hopefully an acceptance into an internship at Disney so I can finalize my post-graduation plans!

I'll be sure to keep you all just as updated as last time on the whole application process and the final results. It's officially time for round two, and I could not be more thrilled to once again share my journey with you all!