Why I Quit The Disney College Program | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

Why I Quit The Disney College Program

Why I Quit The Disney College Program

904
Why I Quit The Disney College Program
Jennifer Leon

As a sophomore in college, I was so tired of going to class every day. I was tired of being broke and breaking nights studying. I was bored of being in the same city where I grew up and decided that The Disney College Program would be the best thing for my mental sanity. I mean, it was a job at the happiest place on earth. How bad could it really be?

I decided to do the Fall Advantage program which meant that I would leave home in June and stay in Florida until January. At the time this all sounded amazing, and too good of an opportunity to pass up. I packed my bags and went to Florida.

Upon arriving, I was greeted by awesome roommates. We all hit it off! By the way, we did not know eachother prior to that day because I had chosen to be 'spontaneous' and room with 5 strangers. I am so thankful they were normal.

I started working and became used to the routine of putting on an itchy costume every morning. I didn't mind the bus schedule or even the hot weather. My days were long and every night I would prepare my self for a 13 hour shift (or longer). It was cool having two days off out of the week to go to the Disney parks (which you can get in for free).

That was my life every day for 2 months. The last week of July, I received a very sad phone call from home. One of my close relatives was extremely sick. My heart broke and I went home for the funeral. Being home I realized something, I had spent my whole life trying to get away. At that very moment I wanted nothing more than to be with my family.

I knew I had to go back to Florida but it was tough to leave my family behind. In my mind, I knew I had made a commitment to WDW, but I also knew that this was a moment in my families lives that we needed each other the most. My whole family was proud of me for being bold on my decision of leaving home. I had little cousins who looked up to me. And I had a doubting father to prove wrong.

For weeks I was unable to sleep. I would toss and turn and even started having panic attacks. I was in the happiest place on earth, but I was no longer happy. I knew I was no longer where I was meant to be.

I loved my Disney College Program experience. I am so grateful to it for opening so many doors for me, and allowing me to get out of my comfort zone. It is because of the DCP that I now know that I can achieve any goal that I set out for myself. However, being there felt like I was a world away from the people I loved. I didn't quit because I was unhappy, I quit because I experienced it and felt as though it was right to go back home.I would have quit if I never tried. In end, I am happy with my decision because it took me leaving home to realize how good I had it.



Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
retail
Chor Ip / Flickr

I'm sure, like me, many of you received lots of gift cards over the holidays. After working retail seasonally, here are a few tips that I learned in order to make the employees at your favorite store just a little happier and not want to charge you extra on your purchase for being awful. Here are some times when you should be nicer to retail workers than you actually are!

Keep Reading...Show less
5 Untold Struggles Of The Short Friend

I'm the Short Friend. I've been the Short Friend since about the seventh grade. I'm the one who stands in the front of the photos, gets made fun of for their height, and still shops in the kids department.

This article is not for the Almost Short Friends, i.e. the 5'3" and 5'4" Friends. No no, this is for the Actually Short Friends, i.e. the Barely Scraping 5'1" and shorter Short Friends.

Keep Reading...Show less
fall
Pixabay

Myers/Briggs personalty types are a common psychological assessment that has gone mainstream in recent years and most people know theirs.

If you don’t, check it out

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

12 Thoughts You Have When You're Late to Your 9 AM (Again)

It's a daily struggle to make it on time, but everyone has those days where they just...don't.

1049
man running down on desert

You tried your best to avoid it, but that one statistics class that you need to take in order to graduate was only offered at 9 AM. Sound familiar? Now it's a daily struggle to make it on time, but everyone has those days where they just...don't. If that sounds relatable, then you may have experienced some (or all) of these thoughts.

Keep Reading...Show less
11 Things All Call Center Workers Can Empathize With Better Than Anyone
Youtube

This semester I started my journey as a member of my University's Alumni Outreach Team. This means a lot of things, but primarily it means that I get to make phone calls to parents and alumni two nights a week to update contact information, collect things like business cards and volunteer hours, and even ask for money.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments