As cliche as it sounds, you really do only live once. So if I'm given just one life to live, then I should try everything with no regrets, right? In fact, what about if it's trying out something totally far-fetched and you have no idea where it'll take you? Well then, do I have quite the story for you... *ahem*

My name is Haley Albin, and I recently applied to the Disney College Program on a complete whim.

Now let me tell you, I've heard countless stories about the good ol' Disney College Program. In fact, a lot of my friends from my university got the chance to participate in it, and I've heard wonderful things about their stays - whether it was what they learned about while on duty or just getting to play in the parks all day. I would have applied myself while I was a student, but it didn't really fit into my schedule and I was under pressure to graduate within four years. Additionally, I've applied to a few Disney Professional Internships in the past and have been rejected by all of them, so the fear of being rejected by Disney, yet again, haunted me.

Luckily, there is now a loophole for post-grads like me as people who've graduated within the past six months are now eligible to apply! So when the applications went live earlier this month, I had to ponder for a while, "Is it really worth it? Am I just applying because I want to live and play at Walt Disney World? Or am I just applying because I haven't been having any luck with finding full-time employment?"

Nonetheless, I knew there was this hidden desire inside me that wanted to give it a go before it was too late, and at this rate, this was my very last chance to be considered a DCP candidate.

So a few nights ago I took my precious time with the application - I filled out all of my work experience as detailed as possible, thought carefully about which roles I found the most interesting and most applicable to my experience, and so on. As soon as I clicked that "Finish" button, all of my candidacy information was all in Disney's hands.

When I got the confirmation email, they did mention how some applicants may not move onto the interview process due the high volumes of applications and limited amount of opportunities. Although the thought of not moving forward was terrifying, I had to have some hope... And miraculously, another email from Disney was sent to my inbox inviting me to the [probably most dreaded part of the DCP application process,] Web-Based Interview.

As soon as I saw the WBI invite, I froze. I remembered a few cases when people have made it to the WBI, but didn't get a phone interview because they weren't a strong enough candidate. While I did have three days to complete my WBI, the thought of not making passed it terrified me. I immediately texted one of my DCP alumni friends (who coincidentally was in Walt Disney World at the moment!) and boyfriend for advice, and both said to go for it if it's going to keep me up all night.

After a grueling and nerve-wracking thirty minutes, I saw the message I never thought I was going to see: "Congratulations - you have been identified as a strong candidate! Your next step is to schedule a phone interview."

I was shocked. I was flabbergasted. But at the same time, I had an overwhelming sense of pride for taking a whim at something I was debating about doing for months. I proceeded by scheduling my phone interview, and my options were a tad bit limited as a lot of the desired times have been taken. Luckily, I was able to snag an late morning/early afternoon slot on September 7th.

And now, the waiting game and interview preparation process begins... And to answer your question, yes...

I AM NERVOUS BEYOND BELIEF AND HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA HOW WELL IT'S GOING TO GO.

Although I've been on a few interviews this summer, I guess the fact of being interviewed by a HUGE company and franchise like Disney is the most scary part. I've watched countless DCP phone interviews on YouTube to get the gist of what it's like, but I definitely know relying on what I see on social media is not the key to help me go through this phone interview.

As for my top roles, while they're in no particular order for now, I put down Character Attendant, Convention Guide, and Attractions as my highest interests. While it's not my choice where I want to be placed in Walt Disney World, I'm kind of hoping it's Epcot because I indicated in my application I was fluent in Japanese. It may not happen, but hey, a girl can dream! To be honest, I just want a role with the most interaction with all of the guests. Seeing people happy makes me really happy! So If there's one thing I look forward to the most about being a possible participant of the DCP, I'm most excited about making the parents and the children extremely happy with their stay so they'll want come back to the parks again and again.

For fellow applicants that are still waiting on their WBI invites, I'll give you the same advice my DCP alumni friend gave me: Be consistent.

The WBI is basically an career aptitude test and examines how you work in certain situations. In fact, a lot of the questions they ask are the same questions, but they're just re-worded. Try to align each answer as similarly as possible and give definite answers.

Another small-tip I'd like to mention is to figure out if you're better with working in groups or independently. Personally, I'm good in both situations. But for the sake of consistency, most of my answers leaned towards "I'm better at working independently." As I mentioned before, Disney likes to see candidates who can make definite answers. So if you can figure that out right before you take the WBI, it'll be a breeze!

Peter Pan was right, "All it takes is faith, trust, and a just a little bit of pixie dust!" With that and all of the good and heart-warming Disney magic in mind, I'm using it as my support to get through the wait and preparation for the phone interview.

Wherever you're from, and whether you're a college student or post-grad like myself, I wish you the best of luck with your application process! And to go by my absolute favorite Walt Disney quote that got me through life the most...

"If you can dream, you can do it!"