Getting accepted into the Disney College Program is an exciting and wonderful opportunity. When I accepted my offer, I had 67 days until my program began. But what no one told me was that the excitement of being accepted into the DCP is just the beginning of an emotional roller coaster.
The first feelings you get are joyous. Out of all the people who applied, you got in. It’s an honor and a privilege to be chosen for this magical journey. Getting to work and go to school at the “Happiest Place on Earth” is an amazing thought. It becomes all you think about. You find yourself always on the Facebook page made for your specific program. You’re trying your hardest to make new friends before you get there, because after all… You are going into this alone.
That’s when the second stage of emotions shows up. Fear and nerves slowly start seeping in, taking the place of the happiness. Who am I supposed to hang out with on my days off? Will I know how to drive in a city that’s 10 times as big as the city I live in now? How am I supposed to function 1,000 miles away from my parents? How am I supposed to live with random strangers from all over the country? Who will my roommates be? What if I don’t like them? All of these thoughts and many more start to fill your head and you begini questioning if the DCP is right for you. That’s when you get messaged by some random person and you begin talking. The second you see a potential friendship there, you feel a little safer. Then all of a sudden, you have roommates. Yeah, they’re from different parts of the country, but they all seem pretty cool. They keep you excited about the program even when you get upset about missing your friends. They remind you that as much as you’re going to miss them, you’re going to have so much fun making new ones.
That’s when the constant feeling of impatience starts. Now you are roughly 45 days away from check in. You still have a month and a half before you get to meet these people you have been talking to for a month. The people you’ve been planning the next step of your life with. The people who are going to become your roommates, your coworkers, and possibly (fingers crossed), your best friends. You’re just ready to find out where you are going to live, where you are going to work, and to just get your program started.
In the next 45 days, you’re not going to think about leaving everyone you love to move away for eight months. You’re going to keep living your life as if you’re not even leaving. Because for the next month and a half you still have to go to school, you still have to go to work, and you still have to live your life. After all, 45 days is a long time…right?
When you only have two weeks left until you leave for your program, that’s when the stress starts kicking in. You still have to pack up and move out of wherever it is you live, you have to take care of the little “adult” things, you have to figure out if you’re going to quit your job or if you’re only going to take a leave of absence. You have finals, projects, and hiring paperwork from Disney all due in the same week. Through all the stress is when you start leaning on the people that are around you every day. You need their help packing, moving, and keeping your head on straight through all the madness. But it’s in that moment of madness that you realize that you’re leaving the people you need most.
That’s when sadness sets in. You have to say goodbye to your friends, family, coworkers, and peers. At least for a little bit. They all know that this experience is well worth it, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re going to miss you as much as you will miss them. But they encourage you to go live your dream, they support you, and most importantly, they love you. Leaving them is going to be hard and it doesn’t matter if you are saying “goodbye” or “see you later”, it still hurts the same.
The good news is that after the roller coaster of emotions, the ride finally comes to an end. You’ve said you’re parting words to everyone at home and now you’re off to live your dream at the “Happiest Place on Earth”. You know that this was a fantastic decision and you will not regret it. You will miss your people back home, but they will be there when you get back. Having people to miss is the greatest blessing of the whole experience, Like Winnie the Pooh once said… “How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard?”. You are incredibly lucky to have this opportunity. So smile and be magical. After all… All it takes is faith, trust, and a little bit of pixie dust.
