Since it is recruiting season yet again (Fall / Fall Advantage 2016), I've seen a lot of people struggling through the stages of waiting for acceptance across social media. The stages of waiting, I've found, resemble the stages of grief very closely, but in a different order.
1. Bargaining
Right after the first wave of acceptances passes over you, you set up your Disney altar, the one with the giant Mickey Mouse plush at the center with all your Tsum Tsums and Disney stuffed animals gathered around it. You place your ceremonial Mickey Ears atop your head and begin to chant, “M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E. Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse. Forever let us hold our banner high.” You bow before the Mickey plush. You will do anything they want to get that acceptance email. Anything. You’ll even take any of the jobs you put zero interest in. Like lifeguard. You will learn to swim for this program. You just want to get in. You regret not selecting more roles.
2. Denial
You’ve seen a lot of people saying that they never received their first email notifying them of their acceptance into the Disney College Program. Instead, they received the warning email that lets them know that they only have two more days to accept their program and pay their fees. Maybe that’s what is happening to you. Yes, you must have been accepted already, you just haven’t received the initial email.
In a panic, you search through your email’s spam folder, going through mail that has been banished there automatically by your email service. You scroll through each one, not caring that some of them were banished months ago or even years ago. Not in spam. Maybe you missed it in your inbox. You do the same with your inbox, going through each of the 1,000 emails you have in there. You curse yourself for not cleaning out your inbox prior to applying.
3. Anger
How come everyone who applied is getting accepted? What did they do that you didn’t? You go over your phone interview in your head and you are quite certain it was flawless. You play it over and over again in your mind to make sure. You wish you could hear "Susie Accepted Already’s" phone interview so you could compare. People are assuring you it is all random, but you can't quite stomach that idea. There has to be a pattern. Is it by role? Is it alphabetical? Is it put through a random email generator?
You log into Facebook and see hundreds upon hundreds of other people just like Susie receiving their acceptance emails. You stare at the huge page of acceptances, feeling hot, angry tears building up in the corners of your eyes. You know better than to feel this way, but you can’t help it. You just want to be part of their world.
You're not mad at them. You're just mad at yourself for not doing better in the interview.
4. Depression
You’ve spent the whole day in bed. You never got up. All you’ve done is turn on Disney music and put in your earphones.
How long has it been since you last showered? Ate? Worked on homework? You’re pretty sure there’s a big assignment due in your English class tomorrow. You just keep refreshing your dashboard on your phone while quietly sobbing the lyrics of “A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” under your breath so you don't disturb your roommates. This is your life now until that last day of acceptances.
5. Acceptance
Ding! You got an email. Now they’re just teasing you. But, you are weak and check the email anyway. It reads, “Congratulations!” You don’t finish reading. You start to cry, scream and laugh, all thoughts of not wanting to disturb your roommates have passed.
You call everyone in your family to tell them about your success. They’re proud of you and want to know when they can use your free tickets. You immediately screen shot your acceptance letter and post it to Facebook. Now you can change your Facebook cover photo to one of those nifty "I accepted a position with the Disney College Program" pictures and start filling out roommate surveys!
You knew that phone interview was flawless.
