Accepted!

I'll be honest, the waiting process is rough. I tried to stay occupied with schoolwork and sorority events, but all I wanted to know was if I was accepted. It's hard knowing that everything is now out of your hands, but I also felt that I couldn't have done anything differently. The waiting period is quite stressful, but I was hoping it would all be worth it!

Disney gives you a 2-3 week window frame in which you will hear an update on your status. This update could be an acceptance, a pending status (meaning that you will still be waiting), or the dreaded NLIC - No Longer In Consideration. I was accepted to the Disney College Program exactly 2 1/2 weeks after my Phone Interview, which was right in between the time frame.

I was working with a group for a school project, and we were finishing up our meeting. I quickly switched over to the tab with my Dashboard and pressed refresh one more time. Little did I know what had magically appeared on my notifications...

The Application Process || Phone Interview

The often-dreaded Phone Interview was actually what I was looking forward to the most! I felt that if I could make it through the first two stages, I could manage a solid interview. I can talk about my passion for Disney to anyone who will listen, so I was definitely most excited for the Phone Interview!

In preparation for the Phone Interview, I found lists online of frequently asked questions. I went over them and had an idea of what I was going to say, but it's important to not sound rehearsed. Disney wants to hear you speak from your heart, not from a script that you wrote!  I did make a few notecards of things I definitely wanted to say, and of questions that I wanted to ask, just in case I needed to reference them during the interview.

I was luckily able to schedule my Phone Interview for when I was going to be in Houston, which was the best decision. Anyone that's ever been to my house knows that every possible inch is covered in Disney merchandise, artwork, decor, pin trading boards, stuffed animals, kitchen supplies -- you name it, it's in our house. The morning of my interview, I moved as much of our Disney memorabilia into my room as I could. This really helped me to get in the Disney spirit as I was interviewing!

The Application Process || Web-Based Interview

Out of the three stages of the application process, the Web-Based Interview was definitely the one that I was the most worried about. It's a little scary to leave your fate with the program up to what is essentially a computer-based personality test.

I received my Web-Based Interview invitation about 2 1/2 hours after submitting my initial application. This interview is timed and the email says that it will take you about 40 minutes to complete, but I finished mine in about half the time. One section of the Web-Based Interview entails multiple choice questions, that are usually situational. The other section asks you to rate your answers on a scale of 1-5, from strongly disagree to strongly agree.  

The Application Process || Initial Application

It's a crazy and incredible feeling to apply to the Walt Disney Company. I have stared at that "Apply Now" button for years, and on February 6, 2014, I finally got to click it.

The Initial Application is always released the semester before your program would begin, typically around late January or early February (for the Fall programs) and late August or early September (for the Spring programs).

The job posting for the Disney College Program.

The Initial Application went live that Thursday, February 6th, at 12:22 PM to be exact. I had already told myself that I wasn't going to apply the second that they dropped, just to make sure there were no technical issues. I had class from 2:00 - 3:00 that afternoon, and it was the longest hour of lecture in my life! After class, I turned on my Disney playlist and headed to the study lounge in one of the communication buildings to fill out my application.