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.

The Perils of Overpacking

I am full of advice about the college program. Of course, most of my advice is really bad. Like really bad advice. I think it's because I am so jaded. But once in a while I do have some semi-decent advice that I do wish to pass along to those who are willing to receive it. My advice is, unfortunately not unique to me, but my words to pass along regardless. Do not overpack. Look at what you're bringing and then half it. There will be so many "cute" outfits you'll never wear, so many "activities" that you do every day that will go untouched after week one. Just don't bring it. There is not enough room.

A girl just posted in the Facebook group (ah yes, there I go again on a fb group issue) who is talking about bringing her sewing machine. And then there were other girls who were like "I AM BRINGING MY TOO! YAY!" Don't. Don't bring your sewing machine. Those take up a lot of space. Space that just does not exist. Not to mention the fact that you will not have time to sew anything. When you do have free time, you will need to grocery shop or go to the parks! You don't want to squander a day off working on pillows and quilt tops and whatever else it is people sew. (I only quilt, so I have limited knowledge.) Right now, people think that they will have time for everything, but that's just not the case. You're only there for five to eight months. Even when you do have the energy to sew, you should be doing something that you can never do again. Go see Wishes or hang out with your friends!

I am a huge crocheter/knitter and my entire program I managed to make two granny squares and a hat. That's it! And I made those in February and then my bag of yarn and needles disappeared until I packed up to move because I just did not have time! Don't bring stuff like that. It takes up valuable space collecting. 

And the clothes. Five to six days a week you will be wearing your costume and pajamas, nothing else. Of course, this depends on the person, but for a lot of people that is the case. You either don't have the energy to go out after work or you just do not have the option because it's four in the morning and everything is closed. So you go home and put your pajamas on and sit around until you go to sleep, then you sleep until it's just about time to leave for work, you wake up, shower, put on your costume and start over again. Cut back on the clothes you bring. I don't even own as many clothes as most girls and yet, I still only wore half of what I brought. And I went out after work a lot of days. You have your standards, and that is what you wear. 

But, here's further advice, bring twice as many socks and underwear as you could ever imagine needing. I went down there and I ended up buying a lot more underwear just so I could further put off doing laundry. Since I only really wore my costumes and pajamas, laundry was something that could be put off until I ran out of socks and underwear. When my costumes got gross, I returned them to costuming and got new costumes, which meant that I seriously did not need to do laundry. I could go two weeks, which was great for me. My roommate could go longer. I was so envious of that.

So pack light. Please. I beg of you. Pack light.