Which Program was Better?
As I’m sure all of you know, since I mention it any chance I get, I completed two Disney College Programs at the Disneyland Resort. Here’s a quick rundown to show the differences on a surface level:
Spring 2017
January 2017 - August 2017
Quick Service Food & Beverage Cashier at Pacific Wharf Cafe in DCA
No car, lots of bus trips
Lots of friends outside of roommates
Fall 2018
August 2018 - January 2019
Retail Sales Clerk at World of Disney in Downtown Disney
Yes car, few bus trips
Close friendship to roommates
So, what’s the verdict?
Which DCP did I like better? The answer is:
Neither. I hate this question. I never know how to answer. I’m stumped. Both programs offered new and exciting experiences, great friendships, and magic.
My first program was truly my dream come true. I applied five times (yes, five) before I was finally accepted into the program. And at Disneyland. It’s harder to get accepted into the Disneyland program than it is at the Walt Disney World program. I was beyond excited and happy. My photo in my first company-issued ID makes me look crazy because I was so giddy with excitement and joy.
I also completed the program with my best friend from high school, who coincidentally got accepted the same time as me (call it fate). We chose to room with some wonderful girls from the Facebook page, and have been great friends ever since. We formed a fun friendship group that had hung out nearly every night. Yes, we had our ups and downs, but we all support and love each other at the end of the day. I also met up with a friend I made online a couple years prior to the program. We’re still best friends to this day.
My work location was great. Reflecting back on it now, I love the ability to be able to work in a variety of different restaurants (although I didn’t like it at the time). I should’ve taken more opportunities to step outside my comfort zone. But at the end of the day, the food service industry is not for me.
In my second program, I decided to apply after graduating college in the hopes of building a career with The Walt Disney Company (still a work in progress!). I came into the program with little friends (everyone had moved back home) and virtually no support system. I just got my own car, but was a new and nervous driver.
I went completely random when it came to roommates in our college program housing. The four girls Disney bunked me with have had to have been the best roommates I’ve ever had. It was a little awkward and scary at first, living with complete strangers. Little by little, we all hung out and got to know a little more about each other, and ourselves as well. We grew a strong friendship and bond that made moving out incredibly sad and lonely. I still talk to them daily, sending memes, vines, and funny Snapchats of my daily life. I told them before moving out that when they move back to SoCal, let’s all agree to be roommates again.
My work location is interesting. I have a very biased opinion of it now, since I am now working there without all my college program friends that I spent the past few months getting close with. I’ll just say that retail in general is very easy. Easier than food service. I could definitely spend the rest of my life working here, but that would be disingenuous to myself and my goals in life. I have to continue moving forward and striving to achieve greater things.
To sum, it’s hard to compare between the two when your first program if it’s your literal dream come true, and your second program is you moving away from home to achieve your goals in life. There is no comparison. Both were pivotal moments in my life, helping me to define and discover myself.
But we’re getting too meta.
Let’s get back to Disneyland.
