A six week hiatus? What the hell is wrong with me? Well, actually, I moved over to Tumblr simply because it's a more familiar space for me. But in case you were wondering what has happened in the last six weeks, I will tell you.
The day after my last post in which no one got accepted, acceptances started coming out. It was a Wednesday. My sister was accepted the following day, on a Thursday. She was accepted for Fall Custodial. She was so excited. She couldn't stop talking about it for three days, although she didn't accept her offer because she was waiting to see if I got accepted so that we could coordinate our check in dates. And then, she changed her mind. My sister turned down her offer. I'm still worried she'll regret it, but she is moving into an apartment with all of her best friends next year and is really excited about it. She wants to wait until she's more mature and capable of being away from home for longer periods of time. She gets homesick just being away at school, and she only goes to school 45 minutes from here. So she wants to give it more time.
And then you might be wondering. What about Natalie? What happened to the girl who was so confident in her interview and only worried about her sister? Well, guess what. Beggars can't be choosers. You cannot have your cake and eat it too. Not everything you want in life will come to you. But then again, good things do come to those who wait. I was accepted a week after my sister, though at that point she had already turned down her offer. I was so sure that I would not accept my offer if one were to come my way, especially if Emily was not going to be accompanying me on my journey to Walt Disney World. But those bastards offered me my number one role. I shit you not. I was offered a role in Concierge.
Of course, as things are in my life, my choice could not be that easy. I had said from the get-go that I would turn down anything that wasn't Concierge or Hospitality. I mostly said that so I had an excuse to turn it down. Everyone wants those roles and hardly anyone gets them. Well, guess what? I got it. I, a psychology major with no experience in lodging, was offered an incredibly competitive role that I have wanted since my first program. But why would the choice be hard for me? Why, if I wanted this so much, would I hesitate as to whether or not I would accept the offer.
Well, curious reader, it's because I was offered the Fall Advantage session instead of Fall. I had already missed last summer in Wisconsin. I did not want to miss another. I did not want to have to quit my job so quickly. I did not want to say goodbye to my friends who are all moving away this summer so soon. So I waited. And wondered. And considered. Also, I should mention, I had a job interview at Children's Hospital for a social work position I really wanted. So all of this was going on and I did not know if I would do the college program. It was just not the right timing. Nothing about it was right. I mean, the role was right, but the session was completely wrong for me.
So guess what I did?
I accepted because I am a person who lives life recklessly. Plus, it's Disney! It's something that I could never do again. I'm graduating in May. And once I graduate, that's it. I'm done. No more College Program. And I don't think I'm cut out for a full-time career at Disney. Well, not because of Disney but because of Florida. I cannot live in Florida indefinitely. I need an end date, because the weather and the people and the traffic are terrible.
In short, I have accepted a role in Concierge for Fall Advantage 2015. I move in June 8th. And I'm nervous as hell.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Miss Me? I'm Assuming Not.
I haven't had much to say lately, which is rare for me. School is consuming me and I am in the middle of this great debate of whether I'm suffering from a severe case of senioritis or the beginning stages of a mental breakdown. I'll let you guys know when all becomes clear as to which it is.
As of right now, Disney has done nothing. Nothing. I have not heard a single thing. I still have not been pended, but I also have not been accepted nor rejected. No one has been accepted yet, as a matter of fact. There is a lot of speculation as to when those things are going to happen. Tomorrow marks week three since the first phone interviews. So we'll shall see what that brings, but everyone was so confident in week two and nothing happened.
I just wanted to check in, but I have nothing else to say, really. I'm tired of the waiting, because I am pretty sure that I won't accepted the offer if one to make it's way to me. Right now I feel like I need to start being an adult and do things for myself. I need to get myself in order, graduate college, take care of my mental health, and start finding my way in the world. I can't prolong adulthood much longer, because I am driving myself insane with the extended state of adolescence that I have found myself in.
As of right now, Disney has done nothing. Nothing. I have not heard a single thing. I still have not been pended, but I also have not been accepted nor rejected. No one has been accepted yet, as a matter of fact. There is a lot of speculation as to when those things are going to happen. Tomorrow marks week three since the first phone interviews. So we'll shall see what that brings, but everyone was so confident in week two and nothing happened.
I just wanted to check in, but I have nothing else to say, really. I'm tired of the waiting, because I am pretty sure that I won't accepted the offer if one to make it's way to me. Right now I feel like I need to start being an adult and do things for myself. I need to get myself in order, graduate college, take care of my mental health, and start finding my way in the world. I can't prolong adulthood much longer, because I am driving myself insane with the extended state of adolescence that I have found myself in.
Thursday, February 12, 2015
Where To Live and Die
The biggest, most dramatic decision people think they need to make is deciding where they are going to live on their program. All the complexes have pretty well established reputations that aren't necessarily true.
So let's talk about Vista Wayyyyyy. Guess what? It has a reputation of being the place for parties. But here's a plot twist, the reason why so many parties happen at Vista Way is because people decide to live in Vista Way because they want to throw parties. It's a self perpetuating cycle! Since Vista is the first complex to exist, it has a deep seeded reputation of being the place where sex, drugs, and rock and roll prevail. And that might have been the case in the 1990s before Disney seriously cracked down on noise and partying and being a nuisance. But parties still happen there because people who live there hear about how that's where all the parties are and they want to party too. But honestly? There aren't that many parties. I did go to a party in Vista, but it wasn't some out of control rager with wall to wall bodies like people assume happens at Vista. It was like, maybe thirty kids, most of which I worked with, and we sat around arguing about whether to listen to country or rock music, playing shitty drinking games, and eventually there was a small expedition to Wendy's to get frosties and french fries. The night ended with four or five girls I worked with storming out dramatically because they were underage and pissed that we were being too loud and terrified they would get caught, and Luke, Jessica, Sam, and I sitting outside for hours smoking cigarettes, drinking beers, and being really damn deep with each other.
Chatham is said to be the middle ground, the sometimes party sometimes sleep kind of place. Well, I thought Chatham was dead, always. I lived there. I never encountered parties, rarely encountered people at all, ever. I literally never even saw the girls who lived across the hall from us. We only knew that anyone lived there was because these girls would leave food outside their door for the Chatham cats that roamed around. Where was the sometimes party?! I was promised a sometimes party? I mean, other than the fact that I don't party and it didn't really matter to me. But that is what they said. The nice thing about Chatham, though, was that the bus stop was right outside the complex. I really wanted to live in Patterson going into the program, but my roommates wanted to live in Chatham and let me tell you how glad I am that we lived there. The walk from Chatham to Patterson isn't that far, and I did it a lot after work to go over by Nicole who lived in Patterson, but there were some days after 10 or 12 hour shifts when the thought of making those extra fifty steps to get back to Patterson seemed miserable and I was so grateful that I could go right into my complex.
But, with that being said, Patterson had some nice apartments. And don't let the "retirement home" reputation scare you away. It was nice there. Everything just felt nicer. Their pool area was nicer. Their apartments felt homier. Security was friendlier. It was just nice. And there were plenty of people out and about, walking around, hanging out. I even went to a couple of parties at Patterson, believe it or not. A lot of my friends lived there, including Nicole, and I was a little jealous. Had I had my own car or they had their own bus stop, I would have been so jealous of that place. Everything seemed perfect. Their walls were not stark white but a welcoming yellow, their furniture was a better color, their appliances were newer. Everything was just so. Pleasant. (But they are refurbing Vista and Blond Luke lived in a refurb apartment and it seemed pretty nice.)
And lastly, the Commons. I spent a bit of time in the Commons. That's where Luke lived, and Erin moved there for her extension, but I still don't really have an "opinion" on them. Luke lived in a two bedroom apartment that was HUGE. The bedrooms were big, the bathrooms were big, the living room was huge, the dining area was spacious, and the laundry space was great. Erin also moved into a two bedroom in the Commons. However, it was nothing like Luke's two bedroom. The living/dining space was cramped and on top of each other. The front door literally could not open all the way because of the weird way the coat closet was behind it. Erin's bathroom door was unusually narrow and the way the room was laid out made it impossible to have two beds in their comfortably, although there were two beds in there. (Erin moved in first and got lucky, but her roommate was not so fortunate. Her bed was situated so weird to accommodate the closet door and bathroom door). And their closets were so small. Oh, and they had a stacked washer dryer in the pantry or something weird? Luke's weren't stacked and they had an almost laundry room like space. So that kinda freaks me out about the Commons is how vastly different the two apartments were from one another although they were both two bedrooms in the same complex. And I know that there can be a lot of parties in the Commons because, although it is no longer exclusively ICPs, it still has a lot of them and those foreign kids can party and they can party hard because it is a lot harder for Disney to term an ICP than a domestic. Also, major plus, like Vista, the bus stop is INSIDE the complex. Not in front like Chatham. But a drawback is that not all the busses go to the Commons so you either have to take a bus to Vista and transfer or walk to Chatham to catch your bus.
So it really all depends. It's up to you. None of them are terrible. And although Vista has a reputation of being rundown, they are working hard at renovating them, and from what I saw, Chatham was the most rundown of the apartments with the Commons in a close second. But I guess it all depends. I don't know. Do what thou wilt.
So let's talk about Vista Wayyyyyy. Guess what? It has a reputation of being the place for parties. But here's a plot twist, the reason why so many parties happen at Vista Way is because people decide to live in Vista Way because they want to throw parties. It's a self perpetuating cycle! Since Vista is the first complex to exist, it has a deep seeded reputation of being the place where sex, drugs, and rock and roll prevail. And that might have been the case in the 1990s before Disney seriously cracked down on noise and partying and being a nuisance. But parties still happen there because people who live there hear about how that's where all the parties are and they want to party too. But honestly? There aren't that many parties. I did go to a party in Vista, but it wasn't some out of control rager with wall to wall bodies like people assume happens at Vista. It was like, maybe thirty kids, most of which I worked with, and we sat around arguing about whether to listen to country or rock music, playing shitty drinking games, and eventually there was a small expedition to Wendy's to get frosties and french fries. The night ended with four or five girls I worked with storming out dramatically because they were underage and pissed that we were being too loud and terrified they would get caught, and Luke, Jessica, Sam, and I sitting outside for hours smoking cigarettes, drinking beers, and being really damn deep with each other.
Chatham is said to be the middle ground, the sometimes party sometimes sleep kind of place. Well, I thought Chatham was dead, always. I lived there. I never encountered parties, rarely encountered people at all, ever. I literally never even saw the girls who lived across the hall from us. We only knew that anyone lived there was because these girls would leave food outside their door for the Chatham cats that roamed around. Where was the sometimes party?! I was promised a sometimes party? I mean, other than the fact that I don't party and it didn't really matter to me. But that is what they said. The nice thing about Chatham, though, was that the bus stop was right outside the complex. I really wanted to live in Patterson going into the program, but my roommates wanted to live in Chatham and let me tell you how glad I am that we lived there. The walk from Chatham to Patterson isn't that far, and I did it a lot after work to go over by Nicole who lived in Patterson, but there were some days after 10 or 12 hour shifts when the thought of making those extra fifty steps to get back to Patterson seemed miserable and I was so grateful that I could go right into my complex.
But, with that being said, Patterson had some nice apartments. And don't let the "retirement home" reputation scare you away. It was nice there. Everything just felt nicer. Their pool area was nicer. Their apartments felt homier. Security was friendlier. It was just nice. And there were plenty of people out and about, walking around, hanging out. I even went to a couple of parties at Patterson, believe it or not. A lot of my friends lived there, including Nicole, and I was a little jealous. Had I had my own car or they had their own bus stop, I would have been so jealous of that place. Everything seemed perfect. Their walls were not stark white but a welcoming yellow, their furniture was a better color, their appliances were newer. Everything was just so. Pleasant. (But they are refurbing Vista and Blond Luke lived in a refurb apartment and it seemed pretty nice.)
And lastly, the Commons. I spent a bit of time in the Commons. That's where Luke lived, and Erin moved there for her extension, but I still don't really have an "opinion" on them. Luke lived in a two bedroom apartment that was HUGE. The bedrooms were big, the bathrooms were big, the living room was huge, the dining area was spacious, and the laundry space was great. Erin also moved into a two bedroom in the Commons. However, it was nothing like Luke's two bedroom. The living/dining space was cramped and on top of each other. The front door literally could not open all the way because of the weird way the coat closet was behind it. Erin's bathroom door was unusually narrow and the way the room was laid out made it impossible to have two beds in their comfortably, although there were two beds in there. (Erin moved in first and got lucky, but her roommate was not so fortunate. Her bed was situated so weird to accommodate the closet door and bathroom door). And their closets were so small. Oh, and they had a stacked washer dryer in the pantry or something weird? Luke's weren't stacked and they had an almost laundry room like space. So that kinda freaks me out about the Commons is how vastly different the two apartments were from one another although they were both two bedrooms in the same complex. And I know that there can be a lot of parties in the Commons because, although it is no longer exclusively ICPs, it still has a lot of them and those foreign kids can party and they can party hard because it is a lot harder for Disney to term an ICP than a domestic. Also, major plus, like Vista, the bus stop is INSIDE the complex. Not in front like Chatham. But a drawback is that not all the busses go to the Commons so you either have to take a bus to Vista and transfer or walk to Chatham to catch your bus.
So it really all depends. It's up to you. None of them are terrible. And although Vista has a reputation of being rundown, they are working hard at renovating them, and from what I saw, Chatham was the most rundown of the apartments with the Commons in a close second. But I guess it all depends. I don't know. Do what thou wilt.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Currently... In... Submission
If there is anyone that I feel for out of all the applicants in the Facebook group, it's the poor kids that end up "in submission." It is a weird state that no one has any explanation for, not even Disney. My first application season in Fall 2013 for Spring 2014 was the first known occurrence of people ending up sitting "in submission" for the entire application season with a lot of them just getting "NLIC'd" before they even gotten a chance to take the WBI. The thing that sucks is that it seems like that there is no rhyme or reason for it. No one knows how you end up "in submission" or how you get out. Some people do end up getting their WBIs and others do not.
I never really was "in submission." On both my first time applying and this time applying, I got my WBI within a couple of hours of submitting my application. Both times I applied on the first day, although I did apply later in the afternoon both times. This time, my sister and I applied at the same time, together, and both of us got our WBIs at the same time too. There is no reason. And it's frustrating, because a lot of people don't even get a fair shot.
That's the irritating thing about it is how "unfair" it feels. How do they determine based off of a basic application that you're not worthy of an interview? And I know that a lot of "real" jobs do the same thing. There are a lot of applications and resumes in the real world that never warrant an interview, but I feel like that's different because they look for experiences that would make you qualified for the job and if you don't have that experience, you don't get an interview because you probably can't do the job. But for the college program? There are plenty of people who do get WBIs and phone interviews AND ACCEPTED that have never had a single job their entire life. I lived with THREE GIRLS on my first program that never had jobs before coming to Disney. So how did Disney decide that they should move on to the WBI?
The only thing I can think of is it comes down to what roles you put interest in. If you put extremely limited interests in only a few roles, maybe you are more likely to flip into "submission"? But maybe that's not true too. I don't know. No one knows. It even sounds like Disney Recruiting doesn't know. People say that they call casting and casting just kind of shrugs and says it's the computer system. How fucked is that? Ugh.
So listen to me, the potentially one person who may ever read this in coming years, if you are currently in submission, I FEEL FOR YOU AND I HOPE THAT YOU GET YOUR CHANCE TO SHINE.
I never really was "in submission." On both my first time applying and this time applying, I got my WBI within a couple of hours of submitting my application. Both times I applied on the first day, although I did apply later in the afternoon both times. This time, my sister and I applied at the same time, together, and both of us got our WBIs at the same time too. There is no reason. And it's frustrating, because a lot of people don't even get a fair shot.
That's the irritating thing about it is how "unfair" it feels. How do they determine based off of a basic application that you're not worthy of an interview? And I know that a lot of "real" jobs do the same thing. There are a lot of applications and resumes in the real world that never warrant an interview, but I feel like that's different because they look for experiences that would make you qualified for the job and if you don't have that experience, you don't get an interview because you probably can't do the job. But for the college program? There are plenty of people who do get WBIs and phone interviews AND ACCEPTED that have never had a single job their entire life. I lived with THREE GIRLS on my first program that never had jobs before coming to Disney. So how did Disney decide that they should move on to the WBI?
The only thing I can think of is it comes down to what roles you put interest in. If you put extremely limited interests in only a few roles, maybe you are more likely to flip into "submission"? But maybe that's not true too. I don't know. No one knows. It even sounds like Disney Recruiting doesn't know. People say that they call casting and casting just kind of shrugs and says it's the computer system. How fucked is that? Ugh.
So listen to me, the potentially one person who may ever read this in coming years, if you are currently in submission, I FEEL FOR YOU AND I HOPE THAT YOU GET YOUR CHANCE TO SHINE.
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Pended to Death
I am so frustrated with the Facebook group. I realize that I do not have all the answers, and I also realize that I just don't care as much as most people in that group, but I am so. Fucking. Done. Hearing about "pended" statuses and what it means. And yes, I know that I have already posted a thing about people getting a "pending a final decision" but whatever. This is my blog that no one reads and I can say WHATEVER I WANT.
Here's the thing on "pending" statuses. They do mean something. Yes, they DO mean something. There are people in the Facebook group right now saying that people "never" go from interview to accepted without being pended. That is 100% false. In fact, most people who get accepted do not get pended. Do you want to know why? Because they were instantly identified as someone who would be a good cast member. And that's not saying that people who are "pended" or NLIC'd would be bad cast members, but Disney just thinks that they are not what they are looking for at that time.
People are pended are usually good, but Disney thinks their might be someone better. And that is a hard pill to swallow. People say that "pending" means that you are in no different position than you were before you got your "pending a final decision" email, but you are! It means that you might not be exactly what they are looking for! They think there might be someone else out there that is better, but there might not so they are just going to wait before giving you a yes or a no. That's what it means! It's like applying to college, some people get accepted, some people get flat out rejected, and some people get waitlisted for a few months before they decide that they could use someone like you or you're just not going to cut it. And that's what I want people to realize.
And its a harsh reality and that is why people don't want to come right out and say it to each other, but it's the fucking truth as far as I see it. There could be someone better than you and Disney wants to wait it out to see if they find that person, and if they don't, you're good enough.
And yes, I am a bitch. But I'm a bitch with conviction.
Here's the thing on "pending" statuses. They do mean something. Yes, they DO mean something. There are people in the Facebook group right now saying that people "never" go from interview to accepted without being pended. That is 100% false. In fact, most people who get accepted do not get pended. Do you want to know why? Because they were instantly identified as someone who would be a good cast member. And that's not saying that people who are "pended" or NLIC'd would be bad cast members, but Disney just thinks that they are not what they are looking for at that time.
People are pended are usually good, but Disney thinks their might be someone better. And that is a hard pill to swallow. People say that "pending" means that you are in no different position than you were before you got your "pending a final decision" email, but you are! It means that you might not be exactly what they are looking for! They think there might be someone else out there that is better, but there might not so they are just going to wait before giving you a yes or a no. That's what it means! It's like applying to college, some people get accepted, some people get flat out rejected, and some people get waitlisted for a few months before they decide that they could use someone like you or you're just not going to cut it. And that's what I want people to realize.
And its a harsh reality and that is why people don't want to come right out and say it to each other, but it's the fucking truth as far as I see it. There could be someone better than you and Disney wants to wait it out to see if they find that person, and if they don't, you're good enough.
And yes, I am a bitch. But I'm a bitch with conviction.
Monday, February 9, 2015
There Are No Small Roles (only Roles that Don't Take a Ton of CPs)
Are you looking for a helpful blog post (or series of posts) all about the different kinds of roles that you could have while working on the college program? Well, this is not the place to find it. This is the place to find that information. Kaela is wonderful and funny and she knows her shit. Of course, she hasn't been a CP for two years and now a lot of her blog no longer revolves around the CP like it used to but she is wonderful and if you go back in the archives, you will find a mountain of information that is really helpful and lacks any kind of cynicism. And don't think she's totally out of the loop, because after her CP she went seasonal, then moved down there and now works full time in Front Desk at Pop Century! She is really sweet and lovely! Go there!
But that's not all I have to say. If you thought that I was posting an entire post just to promo someone else's blog, you clearly do not know me. I am too self centered and also too lazy to just promo other people (although she is a flawless person). Besides, she does not need to be promo-ed. She is kinda "tumblr famous" amongst CPs, especially Tumblr CPs. But now, here are my thoughts flowing from my head.
People are going to be painfully disappointed when they get their roles, I have decided. It happens every season. There are very glamorous "this is what I dreamed of" roles on the DCP, but there are many more roles that are so undesirable people never could have ever thought that they would end up in that role. Sometimes it is heartbreaking, and sometimes I do feel bad for a person, but more often than not, I find people who are "devastated" annoying.
So, this is what I have to say. Be realistic. (Isn't that what I always say?) For some reason, it always seems like the most sought after roles are also the roles that have the fewest slots to offer to CPs. Hundreds of kids get accepted in custodial and quick serve, but few people actually want to be in custodial or quick serve (although my sister does dream of being in quick serve, but whatevs). And there are actually a lot of people who do want custodial, because when you get past the cleaning toilets part, it is actually really awesome. There is a lot of freedom in the role. I lived with two girls who worked in custodial and they LOVED it. And one of those girls was someone you would never expect to love custodial. Kateland was a five foot nothing, hundred pound blonde cheerleader who upon looking at her you would automatically assume she was a diva (false, though. Kateland was absolutely amazing and I love her) but she was in custodial and she loved it so much. She even applied to extend in custodial (and got it) but had to turn it down in the end. But no one dreams of being in custodial. Just like no one dreams of running a cash register in a fast food joint or running an outdoor food cart (which I hear painfully sucks). But those are the most readily available roles for CPs.
The second level of readily available roles is probably merch and attractions. A lot of people get accepted into those roles. I actually second choiced merch on my first program, mostly because I wanted to get in so bad and I have three years experience at Target. And a lot of people do want to do merch, but I feel like people who want to do merch are a special kind of reasonable that you don't often find on the program. Also, A LOT of people say they want to do attractions, and they do want that role. But when they say they want attractions, what they are really saying is that there are certain attractions they want. They want things like Space Mountain or Haunted Mansion or Tower of Terror or Jungle Cruise. No one wants to be Innoventions, but alas that is where some attractions people get stuck (like me but I loved it in the end and it was amazing and Inno I love you, let me come back). No one wants Speedway. No one wants Disney Quest. No one wants Indiana Jones (unless you're a huge Swoozie fan). No one longs for a lot of things that are considered attractions that they could never imagine because a lot of times they don't even know that thing exists (like me and Inno, but Inno come back, you can blame it all one me).
What people really want are things that only take like thirty CPs out of thousands that get accepted. People want Bibbidi Boppidi Boutique and people want to be concierge and people want to be full serve (although I'm pretty sure that everyone thinks you'll be waiting tables although they make it very clear that YOU WILL NOT. Disney has a really, really long wait list for servers because they make such good bank in tips and they would NEVER put a CP in that role). People want these roles and then when they don't get them, they are SHOCKED. Right now in the Facebook group, there is ~100 girls proclaiming that BBB is their first choice role, and those are just the girls in the group. There is no telling how many other girls are just dying for that role. On my program, there were only 35 CPs that worked BBB or Pirate's League combined (I think that's what I heard through my 'extensive' research and chatting around). And that's across the DTD, Castle, and Pirate's League locations. 35. Out of nearly ten thousand kids. Those are like lottery winner odds (small state lotteries, but lotteries nonetheless). Most people who end up in BBB have a ton of experience in day cares or salons (or children's salons? are those a thing?).
And this will never change. Every season people are going to be dying to get these smaller roles and no one is gonna be thinking about the ones that they are statistically far more likely to get accepted into. And I get it. It's far better to dream of being a Fairy God Mother in Training or working at the front desk of the Grand Floridian instead of dealing with code Vs at Downtown Disney. I don't have a snappy ending, or a life lesson. I just have crushed hopes and dreams. I have actually sufficiently bummed myself out over this one because I really want to be concierge and now I am realizing how stupid that was for me to get my hopes up.
But that's not all I have to say. If you thought that I was posting an entire post just to promo someone else's blog, you clearly do not know me. I am too self centered and also too lazy to just promo other people (although she is a flawless person). Besides, she does not need to be promo-ed. She is kinda "tumblr famous" amongst CPs, especially Tumblr CPs. But now, here are my thoughts flowing from my head.
People are going to be painfully disappointed when they get their roles, I have decided. It happens every season. There are very glamorous "this is what I dreamed of" roles on the DCP, but there are many more roles that are so undesirable people never could have ever thought that they would end up in that role. Sometimes it is heartbreaking, and sometimes I do feel bad for a person, but more often than not, I find people who are "devastated" annoying.
So, this is what I have to say. Be realistic. (Isn't that what I always say?) For some reason, it always seems like the most sought after roles are also the roles that have the fewest slots to offer to CPs. Hundreds of kids get accepted in custodial and quick serve, but few people actually want to be in custodial or quick serve (although my sister does dream of being in quick serve, but whatevs). And there are actually a lot of people who do want custodial, because when you get past the cleaning toilets part, it is actually really awesome. There is a lot of freedom in the role. I lived with two girls who worked in custodial and they LOVED it. And one of those girls was someone you would never expect to love custodial. Kateland was a five foot nothing, hundred pound blonde cheerleader who upon looking at her you would automatically assume she was a diva (false, though. Kateland was absolutely amazing and I love her) but she was in custodial and she loved it so much. She even applied to extend in custodial (and got it) but had to turn it down in the end. But no one dreams of being in custodial. Just like no one dreams of running a cash register in a fast food joint or running an outdoor food cart (which I hear painfully sucks). But those are the most readily available roles for CPs.
The second level of readily available roles is probably merch and attractions. A lot of people get accepted into those roles. I actually second choiced merch on my first program, mostly because I wanted to get in so bad and I have three years experience at Target. And a lot of people do want to do merch, but I feel like people who want to do merch are a special kind of reasonable that you don't often find on the program. Also, A LOT of people say they want to do attractions, and they do want that role. But when they say they want attractions, what they are really saying is that there are certain attractions they want. They want things like Space Mountain or Haunted Mansion or Tower of Terror or Jungle Cruise. No one wants to be Innoventions, but alas that is where some attractions people get stuck (like me but I loved it in the end and it was amazing and Inno I love you, let me come back). No one wants Speedway. No one wants Disney Quest. No one wants Indiana Jones (unless you're a huge Swoozie fan). No one longs for a lot of things that are considered attractions that they could never imagine because a lot of times they don't even know that thing exists (like me and Inno, but Inno come back, you can blame it all one me).
What people really want are things that only take like thirty CPs out of thousands that get accepted. People want Bibbidi Boppidi Boutique and people want to be concierge and people want to be full serve (although I'm pretty sure that everyone thinks you'll be waiting tables although they make it very clear that YOU WILL NOT. Disney has a really, really long wait list for servers because they make such good bank in tips and they would NEVER put a CP in that role). People want these roles and then when they don't get them, they are SHOCKED. Right now in the Facebook group, there is ~100 girls proclaiming that BBB is their first choice role, and those are just the girls in the group. There is no telling how many other girls are just dying for that role. On my program, there were only 35 CPs that worked BBB or Pirate's League combined (I think that's what I heard through my 'extensive' research and chatting around). And that's across the DTD, Castle, and Pirate's League locations. 35. Out of nearly ten thousand kids. Those are like lottery winner odds (small state lotteries, but lotteries nonetheless). Most people who end up in BBB have a ton of experience in day cares or salons (or children's salons? are those a thing?).
And this will never change. Every season people are going to be dying to get these smaller roles and no one is gonna be thinking about the ones that they are statistically far more likely to get accepted into. And I get it. It's far better to dream of being a Fairy God Mother in Training or working at the front desk of the Grand Floridian instead of dealing with code Vs at Downtown Disney. I don't have a snappy ending, or a life lesson. I just have crushed hopes and dreams. I have actually sufficiently bummed myself out over this one because I really want to be concierge and now I am realizing how stupid that was for me to get my hopes up.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Apartment Living
I appreciate that security is provided for the college program. I cannot even imagine the creeps that would lurk around the apartment complexes knowing that there is just large concentration of stupid college kids that are left largely unprotected. What I am not looking forward to, though, if I were to do another program is how security acts as if YOU are the enemy.
I understand that they, by and large, have a shitty job. They have to stand around outside for eight to ten hours a day taking a lot of shit from college kids trying to pull one over on them. They have to field calls about everything from noise complaints to roommates narcing each other out for the smallest rule infraction. I get that they have to deal with the attitudes of the overly entitled who look at them as lesser people. I get all of that. But still, they are dicks.
I flew home for a few days on my first program, and the taxi driver who drove me from the airport back to the apartments on my first program even said to me "You know, your security guards here are NASTY. I feel bad for you guys having to deal with them." My taxi driver, a middle aged immigrant with broken English felt bad for ME because of security. But he wasn't wrong.
On the second day of my program, the day after check in, my mom and aunt were still in town and they were dropping me off for the last time before they were to leave for home. First of all, it was my second day so I knew nothing of the routine of checking guests in, so that irritated them. Then, my poor aunt could not find her driver's license for the life of her. She was digging around in her purse and just could not find it. The guy was getting so mad at her disorganization. In her defense, she had no idea she was going to be asked to produce it! She wasn't driving, so why would she have ever thought about it?! Since she couldn't find it, she had to sit at the front gate along a bench while my mom drove me in, helped me unload my groceries, and said goodbye to me.
I know they have to be strict on the rules, but they have to know when to be lenient, or at the very least, patient.
But it's not just security, it's the inspections, and how much we pay in rent considering the fact that we live double (or triple) occupancy in rundown apartment. For inspections, you get docked points IF YOUR BED IS NOT MADE. I shit you not. How fucked is that? These people are always like "We are not your parents, we allow you to live your life. You are adults." And then suddenly, you are at risk for failing your inspection (and receiving a fine) if YOUR BED IS NOT MADE. And you cannot, in theory, move any of the furniture (although it's easy to get away with as long as you don't move your chairs somewhere stupid). You cannot have ANY trash in your trash can at all during inspections. And you don't know when they are coming, you just get a two week window. So for TWO SOLID WEEKS you cannot leave a single tissue in your trash can without risking getting points on your inspection.
Some inspectors are more lenient than others, as is most things in life. We nearly failed our penultimate inspection except our one roommate was in the apartment at the time and literally sweet talked us out of a fail. We were so close to failing that on the form (which they leave you a copy of) they had marked that we failed, then scratched it out and gave us a pass. But our last inspection, we did not give a single fuck about failing or not. None of us got along, no one would pick up after themselves, we all just wanted to be done. And we passed with flying colors. Erin and mine trash was full in both our bedroom and bathroom, we had dirty clothes EVERYWHERE, and our shower had a weird stain from hair dye (that appeared mysteriously seven months into our program and neither of us dyed our hair). Our beds weren't made, nothing. Our roommates rooms were in worse condition because Erin and I were considered the "clean ones" and we passed, no problem. The only thing they docked us for was having not vacuumed. That's it.
Housing is ridiculous. I am not looking forward to it at all.
I understand that they, by and large, have a shitty job. They have to stand around outside for eight to ten hours a day taking a lot of shit from college kids trying to pull one over on them. They have to field calls about everything from noise complaints to roommates narcing each other out for the smallest rule infraction. I get that they have to deal with the attitudes of the overly entitled who look at them as lesser people. I get all of that. But still, they are dicks.
I flew home for a few days on my first program, and the taxi driver who drove me from the airport back to the apartments on my first program even said to me "You know, your security guards here are NASTY. I feel bad for you guys having to deal with them." My taxi driver, a middle aged immigrant with broken English felt bad for ME because of security. But he wasn't wrong.
On the second day of my program, the day after check in, my mom and aunt were still in town and they were dropping me off for the last time before they were to leave for home. First of all, it was my second day so I knew nothing of the routine of checking guests in, so that irritated them. Then, my poor aunt could not find her driver's license for the life of her. She was digging around in her purse and just could not find it. The guy was getting so mad at her disorganization. In her defense, she had no idea she was going to be asked to produce it! She wasn't driving, so why would she have ever thought about it?! Since she couldn't find it, she had to sit at the front gate along a bench while my mom drove me in, helped me unload my groceries, and said goodbye to me.
I know they have to be strict on the rules, but they have to know when to be lenient, or at the very least, patient.
But it's not just security, it's the inspections, and how much we pay in rent considering the fact that we live double (or triple) occupancy in rundown apartment. For inspections, you get docked points IF YOUR BED IS NOT MADE. I shit you not. How fucked is that? These people are always like "We are not your parents, we allow you to live your life. You are adults." And then suddenly, you are at risk for failing your inspection (and receiving a fine) if YOUR BED IS NOT MADE. And you cannot, in theory, move any of the furniture (although it's easy to get away with as long as you don't move your chairs somewhere stupid). You cannot have ANY trash in your trash can at all during inspections. And you don't know when they are coming, you just get a two week window. So for TWO SOLID WEEKS you cannot leave a single tissue in your trash can without risking getting points on your inspection.
Some inspectors are more lenient than others, as is most things in life. We nearly failed our penultimate inspection except our one roommate was in the apartment at the time and literally sweet talked us out of a fail. We were so close to failing that on the form (which they leave you a copy of) they had marked that we failed, then scratched it out and gave us a pass. But our last inspection, we did not give a single fuck about failing or not. None of us got along, no one would pick up after themselves, we all just wanted to be done. And we passed with flying colors. Erin and mine trash was full in both our bedroom and bathroom, we had dirty clothes EVERYWHERE, and our shower had a weird stain from hair dye (that appeared mysteriously seven months into our program and neither of us dyed our hair). Our beds weren't made, nothing. Our roommates rooms were in worse condition because Erin and I were considered the "clean ones" and we passed, no problem. The only thing they docked us for was having not vacuumed. That's it.
Housing is ridiculous. I am not looking forward to it at all.
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