They're out there somewhere!

Disney is a big company. And there are thousands of college students who do this internship every year. So it's no easy task to give everybody all of the information needed. A lot of it is the college student going out and finding it by themselves.

After I was accepted, I didn't give a thought to trying to find a facebook group or anything. It just didn't cross my mind. I had, however, met a guy online who had done the internship in the past. He was great help in getting me started and answering my questions that I had that I couldn't find on the Disney website. One day he suggested to find a facebook group. <<insert "palm in face" moment here>> DUH! Why didn't I think of that!

So I found a facebook group. Actually, I found about six. And I joined all of them. Needless to say, I was overstimulated for a long time. I was talking to all of these new people. Some of them had done the internship, and for others, it was there first time. I was also reading discussion forums, even if I thought the topic didn't pertain to me. I learned a lot about the internship and what was in store for me. Some of the information that Disney provided was vague. So I was happy to get more information. That was back in March or so. And even today, I'm still finding out new information. There is just a ton of stuff to know. But anyway, now I've cooled down a bit. I'm not so overstimulated. I've met a whole bunch of cool people via facebook and I'm totally excited, or rather, even more excited than I originally was.

Tip # 1 (which should have been included earlier): Apply early!

Tip #2: Utilize facebook, youtube, twitter, and other social networking sites to find friends and information.

Some New Developments

So just a quick few things. You'll notice to your right ------>>> that I placed a countdown of how many days are left. That way, I don't have to keep it in my updates. It'll be easier for me since I actually am not close enough to remember the number each day.

Also, I decided after watching so many other people's Disney vlogs, that I would create one too. I'm not so good at it. I'm not good at talking to the camera, nor am I good with editing. So when you see it, don't judge too harshly. I'm a beginner and not that serious about it. So don't expect improvement either! Hahah! I hope you enjoy it though. I had to restart it about 3 times before I could do it without laughing hysterically every 3 seconds.

And an idea was born

I don't remember the first time I thought about the Disney College Program, or how it even came to me. I was a freshman or sophomore in college and looked into it a little. For some reason, I never seriously looked into it though. Partly because, at my school, with my major, it was pretty much impossible to take a semester away. I was already going to be at the school for 5 full years, I didn't want to make it more. So, I pushed it out of my mind. It popped up every  now and then as a possibility for later in my college career. But still, never anything serious. Then my fifth year rolled around, and I decided that I would apply for the hell of it for the semester after I graduated. Low and behold, I was accepted in mid-February.

Here's the rundown of the application process. First, you have to attend a presentation. However, there is also an online presentation that you can view. The actual presentation is better as it's live and you can ask questions and get answers immediately. But for me, this wasn't an option. The closest presentations were at least a half hour a way and during the middle of the day when I was student teaching. So I just watched the online presentation. Once you have completed that, you receive a code that you can use in your application. The second part is then the application. It's online, and pretty simple. Once that has been submitted, you must complete the fourth part which is what they call a "web-based interview." All it is is a series of generic questions about your personality and how you might react to certain situations. At the end of this, I was told that I am a "strong candidate" and was asked to call Disney to set up the fourth and final part of the application process. This last part is an interview over the phone. This interview took about 10 minutes is all. The bulk of the conversation was talking about my top three choices of what role I wanted to work. Disney supplies you with a list of possible roles to choose from. My top three (in the order I wanted them) were Main Entrance Operations, Merchandise, and Attractions. We talked about them, and a few other things. And that was that. Then it takes 3-4 weeks to get the results. I waited only 2. I received an email saying I was accepted and my role would be Main Entrance Operations (my top choice!!). And then a few weeks later, I received the coveted Purple Folder, which is the official internship offer. Once you've been accepted, you must accept the offer within a few weeks. It's a pretty simple process, at least, I thought so.

Disney Blog

Hello All,

Many of you followed my adventures I had during student teaching. The blogging seemed to go well. It was a great way to keep all my friends and family informed of my experiences. I had a lot of support for it and a lot of happy followers. My parents read it pretty often. And my sister checked it three times (give or take) a day. So I decided continuing on the path of blogging, I created this blog to keep ya'll informed of what's going on my life while I'm in Florida. Following this post, I will copy and paste a couple old posts that I included in my student teaching blog. Then I will continue from there. This blog will mostly focus on my Disney career and my Florida experiences, but don't be surprised if this summer, there are a few posts that have nothing to do with either.

For those of you who don't know, in August, I will be heading down to Orlando, FL, and participating in the 2011 Fall Walt Disney World College Program. This is my story!

Hope you all enjoy!

Count down until I check in: 77 days