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!

Update on Applications

So, as predicted, the first DCP acceptances did go out at the end of last week and the beginning of this week. Unfortunately, I was not a part of the first wave of acceptances, however I still am in progress! I know there is really no rhyme or reason to the waves of acceptances, but it's still frustrating to not hear anything! I'm just trying to remain patient and I'm constantly refreshing my email and dashboard!

However, on the bright side, I received an email from the Marine Mammals Department over the weekend to set up an interview with their team! I have an interview set up for tomorrow, February 24, at 9:30 AM! We are going to be doing a video conference. I'm so excited for the opportunity to speak with some members of the team and tell them about myself, my experiences, and my passion for animal care and training! I'm going to be spending most of today preparing for the interview. I booked a room in my career center so that I have a professional background and I'll be wearing business casual "Disney Look" clothes! 

I'm so excited for my interview. I'll be sure to blog about it tomorrow and let you know how it goes! 

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!!

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

So it's been over a week now since my last post discussing my professional internship applications. Absolutely nothing has changed, but I wanted to check in and let people know that I'm still here, still waiting, and still as excited as ever!

I'm still "in progress" for my College Program. "In progress" is typically a good sign. It means that your application has been reviewed and you are still in the running as a qualified applicant. For me, I've already completed my WBI and phone interview, so the next step in the process will be a decision. Today marks three weeks since the applications opened (20 days since I applied) and yesterday was two weeks after the first interview. I anticipate that acceptances will start going out very soon (hopefully this week), and I pray that I will be one of the lucky ones accepted again!

As far as my Professional Internships (PIs) go, I'm still "in submission". Submission isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it's also not as good as "in progress." Submission typically means they haven't had time to look at your application yet OR they need more time to review your application to see if they want you to move on with the process. In my case, it seems as though everyone who has applied to Animal Programs internships is still in submission. My interpretation of that is that the Animal Programs team just hasn't had time to go over applications yet. People from previous years are saying that it took them 4-5 weeks to get an interview with Animal Programs, so I'm not too worried yet. I would love to see some movement on my Dashboard (Disney's communication system), but I'm going to stay calm until more time has passed. It's only been 8 days since I applied for PIs, so there is still plenty of time for things to happen/change. My understanding of the PI process is that is is much longer and more drawn out than the college program process.

UPDATE: As of 12 PM on February 2nd, I became "In progress" for all three of my professional internships! I guess all it took was me posting about the waiting game for some movement to happen!

So, I find myself playing the waiting game yet again. My advice to all of you who are joining me in this (agonizing) game of waiting is to stay calm and stay positive! It's a good sign if you are still in the running! Check your dashboard/email a few times a day, but don't consistently refresh it all day. It will only make you more crazy and it doesn't change when Disney will send out acceptances at all. One major thing I have learned as a Cast Member with the Walt Disney Company is that Disney does things when they want and how they want. The only thing we can do is wait - and have faith, trust, and pixie dust!

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!

The Waiting Game

At this point in the application season, it seems like all there is to do it wait. Some people are still waiting for the WBI (web-based interview), while others are waiting for their phone interview. Applicants may also be waiting for their pending status to change, and some of the lucky few are waiting for their program to start!

Regardless of the status of your application, a huge part of the Disney College Program experience is "The Waiting Game." The waiting game consists of constantly refreshing your email and dashboard (Disney's way of communicating with you), checking the Facebook pages incessantly, and stressing about your plans for the next semester. I know how real the struggle of waiting is, so I've compiled some tips to help you get through this transitional period:

1. Try to have patience. Understand that Disney knows what they are doing, and you will eventually be done with all of this waiting. 
2. Focus on your schoolwork for the current semester. You still have several weeks to get through before you can even get to Disney, so don't let your grades suffer because you're too anxious!
3. Keep yourself busy. Join a club, spend time with friends, work on homework, just do something to take your mind off of the waiting.
4. Make plans with your school for the next semester. Regardless of your application status, it can never hurt to talk with your advisor or other faculty members about your future and how the DCP can play a role in it.
5. Talk about it! Talk to your family, friends, roommates, Facebook friends, whoever you need to, and express your excitement/frustration/anxiousness or whatever you are feeling! Keeping all those feelings in will do you no good, so it's best to express yourself. 
6. Prepare. If you still have an interview to complete, prepare for the interviews. If you are waiting for an acceptance, prepare for both outcomes, and have a back up plan in place. If you are just waiting for your program to start, prepare for the program. Stay on top of the paperwork, look for class signups to start coming out, discuss apartment items with your roommates. Don't let it all wait until the last minute, especially while you have all of this valuable waiting time to prepare!

The Waiting Game is  tough, but just stay positive! Remember, we are all in this together. Have the most magical of days! (: