ACCEPTED!!

After 52 long days of waiting I can officially say that I have been accepted to the Disney College Program for the 2016 Fall Advantage program as an Attractions Hostess!!!!!

To say that I feel relieved after 52 days of waiting for this acceptance is an understatement. While I still felt optimistic about my chances of getting accepted, waiting that long for news is agonizing no matter what. I only had to wait 13 days to be accepted for my first program, so this wait was so strange and new to me. Combine that with the fact that I'm a graduating senior and was counting on having the DCP as an option for post-graduation plans and my anxiety was through the roof waiting to see if I would be accepted or not!!

Thankfully, the acceptance did come and I could not be more thrilled to be going back to the place where dreams come true to make more magic. My two roommates and best friends from my last program have also both been accepted, so we can now officially start planning our post-graduation move down to Florida!

Here is my acceptance timeline for those of you curious! You can also check out a more detailed version by clicking here.

January 13 - Applied to DCP

January 13 - Received & Passed Web Based Interview

January 22 - DCP Phone Interview with Christy

March 14 - Accepted (52 days after interview) 

For those of you who are curious to hear my acceptance story, here it is. It's not very glamorous, but it's mine nonetheless:

So, I had a pretty rough day. I had dental work done and two other doctor appointments. I was sore, tired, and grumpy because I noticed there was another wave of acceptances going out and I still hadn't heard anything. My roommates and I were texting each other about our Professional Internship Progress and I was just getting frustrated with my lack of news. I decided that since there was a wave happening, I would obsessively check my email (not a good idea, FYI). I was just about to go upstairs to get ready for my next appointment when I decided to refresh my email. I discovered that I had one email in my account, and opened it not expecting anything exciting. All I had to do was see the words "WDW and Congratulations!" and I jumped out of my chair (which was reclining at the time, so I'm still not sure how I managed to do this) and ran around my house. No one was home, so I frantically tried to call my mom. She was at work and didn't answer so I texted her and told her. Then I told the rest of my family and friends through various phone calls, texts, and social media updates. Everyone was so happy for me and I was so thrilled. I was sitting on my bed reading my offer letter literally shaking and breathing so quickly.

I can't remember the last time I wanted something so badly. I've been really stressed about my post-graduation plans, and now that I am officially accepted I am so relieved. I am thrilled that I will be going back down to Walt Disney World and continuing my Disney Dream!!

For those of you still waiting to hear about an acceptance, or if you're just in a similar situation and feeling anxious about the future, remember these famous words:"Why worry? If you've done the very best you can, worrying won't make it any better." - Walt Disney

Stay tuned to follow along with Megan's Disney Dream - Part TWO!! I'm so excited to once again share my adventure with you all. Keep on dreaming, dreamers <3

The infamous acceptance email!

This Week?!

Last week there was a DCP Twitter Q&A session with Marcie, one of Disney's recruiters (and also the administrator of the Disney Alumni Association, in case you were curious!). She answered a lot of questions that were posed to her using the hashtag #AskDCP. If you're interested in learning more about the program, I highly recommend searching #AskDCP on Twitter to view the question and answer session! However, probably the most exciting news to come out of her Q&A session was that the first wave of acceptances will be starting this week!

While I'm obviously thrilled with the news that the first acceptances will be coming out very soon, this is still a very vague response. Why? Because not everyone gets accepted during the first "wave" of acceptances. Also, "this week" could mean any day or time during this week. It's 6:30 on Monday night now, so the whole day has gone by without anyone seeing any acceptances. Does "this week" mean tomorrow... Friday?!

Anyway, the point is that I hope to start hearing news from Disney very soon! While I would love to be a part of the first wave of acceptances, I really will be excited once ANYONE hears back, because that means the acceptance process has started. Once it starts, it usually goes pretty quickly with acceptances rolling out every few days, so it will make the waiting less difficult. Last time I applied I only had to wait 13 days after my phone interview to hear about my acceptance. This year, it seems like Disney is doing things a lot differently. On Friday it will officially be one month since my interview and it's been way more than a month since I submitted my application. Disney is certainly testing my patience this time around!

So, to wrap up this whole post, Recruiter Marcie claims that the first acceptances for the Fall 2016 DCP will go out this week. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I will be fortunate enough to hear about my status sooner rather than later!!

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!

Welcome!

Acceptance Postcard from the Disney College Program 

Welcome! My name is Megan, and I have recently been accepted to the Disney College Program for the 2014 Spring Advantage session! I want to use this blog to allow everyone to experience my Disney Dream alongside me. It has been my dream to participate in the Disney College Program ever since I was 10 years old and my brother did the program. I cannot believe that my Disney Dreams are finally coming true, and I am so excited to be able to share this experience with all of you.

For those who are interested, my timeline for acceptance is listed below:

September 6 - Web Application

September 7- Received Web Based Interview (WBI)

September 8 - Completed WBI

September 18 - Phone Interview

October 1 - Accepted! (13 days after my phone interview)

I have been accepted to the role of attractions, which was my first choice! I won't know any of the details of my work location until I check in for my program, which will be on January 13, 2014. Because I am part of the Spring Advantage program, I will be working from January 13 until August 1, which means 7 months in Walt Disney World; I truly can't imagine a better situation!

I want to use this blog to share my experience with you, but to also answer any questions you might have about myself or the program. Please, let me know if you have questions and I will do my absolute best to answer them. 

I can't wait to share my Disney Dream with you! Remember:

"All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them." - Walt Disney

Keep on dreaming!