Accepted!

As of 10:47 this morning, I have been invited to be a part of the Disney College Program for Spring 2012 in the Role of Attractions! 

I had requested to work at The Great Movie Ride during my phone interview so fingers crossed that they have an opening there. If not there then I hope its a ride that has a spieling opportunity like Jungle Cruise. But I'm sure I'll make the best of wherever I'm put - after all it is the Happiest Place on Earth!

This has been a dream of mine for a few years now, and the fact that I am almost there makes me incredibly happy! I don't think it will ever really hit me until I'm actually there, but I can't believe that a dream of mine could actually come true. I have big dreams, so sometimes is seems impossible for them to be real.

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

The Waiting Game

So now that I'm done with the application process, it's time to wait.

The only thing that I can equate this feeling to is a cliffhanger at the end of a TV season. I think the worst part is that I have no idea when the decision will come out, whereas for a TV show the wait is usually around 9 months.

I keep going over the interview in my mind: Did I sound too negative with that answer? I can't believe I said that! Where is The Mouse going to place me for 4 months?!

The best thing I found to get my mind off of the wait is to KEEP BUSY! Seriously, if you don't have enough time to think about it, you won't go crazy over-thinking all of your answers. Luckily I have 4 classes that require a lot of reading, so I don't really have to try hard to stay busy, but this past weekend I forced myself to get out of my room so my thoughts wouldn't have a chance to stew. I also am thinking about joining a few new clubs on campus!

Go out with your friends! Have a nice dinner with yourself! Do whatever makes you happy! The decision will be coming soon and it will be worth the wait!

I'm excited to find out what we get in the mail that is so "magical." RIP purple folders! :(

Applications and the Phone Interview

At last! The last step of the application: The Phone Interview.

I had about 3 days to prepare for the phone interview, so there was no reason to freak out. But of course, an hour before my scheduled time slot I was a mess. My dorm building doesn't get good cell phone service unless I'm by the window, so I set up my notepad, mickey mouse doll, and disney cup on the ledge so I would have the best reception. I also had a mini-mirror set up so that I would remember to smile and it really helped!

Waiting for the call is probably the worst feeling ever. So many things were going through my head at once that I felt sick. Once I started talking though, I was completely fine despite stumbling a little at first; you really have to remind yourself to breathe and that you will be fine. There is literally no reason to worry.

My phone interview was scheduled for 4:30, but I got the call at 4:21 - 9 minutes early! It also lasted 22 minutes long which I think is a good sign - I heard some were as short as 5 minutes!
The recruiter's name was Margie and she was really conversational and nice. I had heard of people getting "to the point" kind of people and I feel like that doesn't really match my personality so I was SO thankful for a friendly recruiter.

When she asked me: "Why do you want to work for Disney?" I totally stumbled. I was a dork and even wrote up a response beforehand because I can't articulate as well on the spot. We then talked about my top roles and why I would be qualified for them.

My top roles were:
Character Performer
Merchandise
Attractions
Character Attendant

Unfortunately I learned that the closest audition location to me is PA and that's a good 8 hours away from me, so I won't be a Character Performer :(

Questions included were:

How do I stay organized?

Do I have experience with a camera?

Did I have roommates?

We also went over general responses like if I was ok with the Disney Look, criminal record, hot weather, low pay, etc.

Then she opened it up for questions from me, and I asked her how she got started with the company. She didn't do CP, but told me that the president of Disney did!

I also asked if I could request a place to work (no guarantees), and she tried to guess where I wanted to work and guessed Animal Kingdom because I had volunteered at an animal shelter or Magic Kingdom because I seemed like I would love the magic. But I wanted GMR at the Studios! I told her that a spieling ride would give me more of an opportunity for improv since I'm a theater minor.

She thought I had done the CP before because I was sad about there not being purple folders anymore... But there will be something magical in the mail apparently!!

She also said I have excellent communication skills and made it sound like she was leaning me towards Attractions! At the end of the interview she told me to "have a nice day" and I responded with "have a magical day!" Hopefully that will get me extra points :)

Now to play the waiting game. She said it will be a few weeks. 

Applications and the Web Based Interview

So after a whole summer of waiting and speculation about apps coming out in August, Disney finally released the application for Spring 2012 CP on Monday, September 5th!

I didn't end up applying until about 11 PM that night, but it all went over well. It was pretty straightforward, but I definitely had to re-read some of the questions because they were wordy. It was a standard job application in a nutshell though.

About half an hour later I was invited to take the WBI and I freaked out! By this time it was about 1 AM so I decided to take it when I woke up. Let me tell you - I barely got any sleep! I was worried about my answers because a computer was going to be judging me and my answers with absolutely NO wiggle room whatsoever. I had to get it right the first time or my dream would be stopped before it even began. I have never been this nervous/excited for a job before... That's probably why I really want to nail it the first time.

So once I sat down to take the WBI, I had to take many deep breaths. I told myself that I would be fine and if I didn't make it for the spring, I could always apply again and it wouldn't be the end of the world.
As I went through each question I definitely looked at the questions from a customer service perspective. The tips from years past say to answer "strongly agree" or "strongly disagree" and to keep your answers consistent because they repeat questions with different wording, so I tried my best to follow these tips. (Just a tip: THEY WORK)

During the timed portion of the WBI, you only get 20 seconds to answer each question. There came a point where it read "I don't mind if my work station is messy" and throughout the process I had been saying that I am a neat person (because I generally am). I read the question too fast and answered "strongly agree" and I immediately thought I failed. The big Disney computer would see that I answered inconsistently and would ding me right then and there. I could see my dream for the past 5 years slipping away, pixie dust and all. From then on I had the mentality that I failed and would have to try again next year. Thankfully, I ended up passing and it was the best feeling! I literally jumped up and down and screamed :)

I then scheduled my phone interview for Friday September 9th at 4:30PM.

Why Disney?

I have wanted to do the College Program ever since my friend, Allie went on her first CP about 4 years ago. I was a Sophomore or Junior in High School and college seemed so far away that actually applying for CP was light years in the future.

Disney has always been a large part of my life ever since I can remember. My mother always reminds me of this cheesy story about the first time I saw the SpectroMagic Parade when I was about 4. I was on top of her shoulders and she says that my eyes just lit up and all I could say was, "OH! OH MY!" Apparently that was cute because complete strangers offered to hold me if she got tired!

Fast forward 15 years later and about 10 other visits to Walt Disney World, and I am still as obsessed with Disney. The themes and songs from all of the classic Disney films are always ingrained in the back of my mind and the magic never ceases for me. My favorite movie is definitely The Little Mermaid as Ariel is probably my favorite character. She and I are a lot alike in that we are both big dreamers and that we defy the "norm" that our societies place on us. I think my favorite park would have to be Disney's Hollywood Studios (it will always be MGM to me), and my favorite resort that I have always stayed at is Port Orleans Riverside (which will also always be Dixie Landings to me). Every time I go back to Disney World I get a new experience; I can go on a ride 10 times and every single time it will be just as exciting and different as the first time. I don't think I will ever get tired of going back, so the only logical next step for me would be to work for the company!

So here I am in the middle of applying for Spring 2012, and I couldn't be more excited!!

"My name is James, that's what mother called me"

James and the Giant Peach references aside, my actual name IS James and I am a 19-year old college student living in Boston. 

This blog will be for me to track my journey through the Disney College Program, but hopefully DCP hopefuls will find my experience useful for when they apply!