The Dilemma

[Crownvalier]

I'm currently a sophomore in Mechanical Engineering who applied for a Spring 2011 CP and have been offered Main Gate Operations, but I'm not sure whether or not I should actually go next semester. I was worried about ending up behind a semester in school because of it, but I talked to my advisor today and we figured out a way to make most of it work, but I'm still worried about missing out on important opportunities in my engineering and extracurricular activities. I'm also in my first relationship, and things are in a great place right now, but I've heard that CPs can really test the strength of that bond, and I'm not sure we need to go through that at the moment.... In short, I don't want to screw things up at home an inordinate amount by taking the semester away.

On the other hand.... I've wanted to be an Imagineer ever since I knew what the word meant, and I know I definitely want to take advantage of what Disney internships have to offer at some point in my college career. I don't know how easy it would be to re-apply for another semester in the future and get in though, so if this is my one shot, I don't want to miss out....

Unfortunately, I need to make my decision by next Wednesday, hopefully sooner, so I can get back to preparing for the end of the semester. If anybody has any advice, I'd be glad for the help.

 

[YesIStillLoveDisney]

You can always apply again later however, if you want to do another professional internship later (they do have engineering ones, they actually have an engineering co-op program as well), many require doing the CP first or at the very least it is a huge step up.

You do have to think about your home life but in terms of opportunities, if you eventually want to end up as an imagineer, the activities and networking opportunities that the program gives you are huge. You may have to give up the extra-curriculars back at school for a semester but they will still be there when you return. I struggled with that because I was involved in a group who was planning a large competition that I had originally been behind but I worked it out so that I could go back the weekend of the competition and I kept in touch during my program so when I returned it wasn't that hard to pick it back up.

 

[ZeroToHero]

There is a class that only Engineering students can take, and I hear it is a fantastic opportunity to network.

 

[Crownvalier]

So, it's getting close to my deadline, but I'm still not entirely convinced I should undertake the CP at this point in my collegiate career, so my new question is, if I choose to decline now and reapply for a later semester, say Fall 2011, will my previous offered-and-declined status affect my application in any positive or negative way? I'm just not entirely sure that missing a whole semester would be a good idea, especially since I didn't actually expect to get an offer when I initially applied...

 

[bellaDisneydncr]

So, it's getting close to my deadline, but I'm still not entirely convinced I should undertake the CP at this point in my collegiate career, so my new question is, if I choose to decline now and reapply for a later semester, say Fall 2011, will my previous offered-and-declined status affect my application in any positive or negative way? I'm just not entirely sure that missing a whole semester would be a good idea, especially since I didn't actually expect to get an offer when I initially applied...

I have heard that it doesn't affect you either way. Someone else may be able to confirm that...

If you feel it's not a good time- then it's not a good time. I wanted to do the program my freshman year, but I decided that it would mess up my college career too much and I wouldn't be able to graduate on time. I waited and am looking forward to applying for Fall 2011, the semester after I graduate. At a time when I was regretting not going to Disney earlier, someone who works for the company gave me some of the best advice. She said "Disney will always be here, the opportunities at home might not."