You've Been Pended... Now What?

Yesterday a wave of emails hit the internet telling College Program hopefuls, they are still being considered, but no decision has been made so they are "Pended" or in other words, they are on hold. This has been devastating to many who applied the very first day and had their phone interview shortly thereafter.

This is by no means an NLIC, but it just means that the wait is drawn out and terribly painful. I personally have not had this happen to me either time applying, but I can imagine how they feel. So what can you do for someone that has been pended, or better yet, what can you do if you are the one in this situation?


Justify:

The first thing you'll feel is a drop in your stomach. Your heart skips a beat in the not so good kind of way. You think you said something wrong in the phone interview, or the web-based interview was just borderline and now they are looking for people that are better than you and then they'll get back to you. Whatever the case may be, you'll want to try to make sense of it all by justifying why this happened to you. I have heard quite a few different theories as to why someone is pended, but it does nothing to really help. So don't try to justify Disney's choice on your status, it does no good.

Anger:

Many start to cope with this as though they have been cut from the program altogether. They will start to lash out at others, especially those that got accepted. This is where the groups split. It was a bit bad before when there were few accepted and many still in progress, but now with pended status, anger and then dissension. This is very natural for people to feel this way, so if your friend got pended, be patient with them.

Phantom:

Another way people cope with this is the flee. As anger is the fight, this is the flight. You don't want to have anything to do with your new found friends, because, most likely they are accepted and you are not. Those that were normally quite boisterous go radio silent or you don't see them anymore. They'll come back at some point, but give them some space.

What to do:

We all understand that waiting to find out, sucks. It's not easy to wait that long to find out if you are about to change your life, or if you are going to have to go to school like normal. Don't think about what you're going to do if you don't make it. This is going to get you super depressed. Here is a little exercise that will help with the depression... say to yourself, "I was born for this!" as you imagine what it will be like sitting on your favorite ride or experiencing your favorite Disney thing (go watch a youtube video to find one if you've never been there). Feel the movement, smell the smells, hear the sounds. Really go there. Take a deep breath and know, really know, that's what it's going to be like and SMILE! Anytime the sadness comes, just retreat to that special place.

Another thing that really helps is to start your Disney training now. For those that believe in Karma, this is a great way to get a quicker acceptance. Two words... MAKE MAGIC! Go and find chances to serve those around you. Create a special moment for someone.

For those that got pending emails. I'm sorry. I wish you the best and I hope to meet you all soon.

What helps you cope?