A PIXAR Recruitment Story!

[gwenstacy]

First off I want to say thanks to everyone who is reading my post and leaving kind comments! It's so cool to see people's reactions and being able to truthfully share my experiences.

Now, onto DAY 4: preference rounds!!

I thought it was strange how confident I was going into preference rounds. (I mean, just look at the beginning paragraphs of my last few posts… nerves everywhere!!) I felt comfortable with the five houses I visited the day before and, although I definitely had favorites, I would be happy no matter my home. I remember telling my mom the night before that “if I get back The Good Dinosaur, WALL-E, or Toy Story, even one of those tomorrow, I’ll be on top of the world.” The long hours and chants and deodorant and hairspray would hopefully all pay off after today. When my recruitment counselors finally handed me my schedule I felt like I was holding something a million pounds in my hands! My mind was going in every direction at once as I opened my list and received:
















The Good Dinosaur
Toy Story



I was absolutely over the moon about my preference rounds houses!! I knew the moment I opened that list and I was more excited about seeing Toy Story than I was sad about the absence of WALL-E that things were going to go well no matter what. I thought it was so funny that going into the process, I would have never ever thought these two houses would be my pref houses and that one of them could be my home! If you can imagine the little pink Energizer bunny, that was basically me right now.

I was so excited for pref rounds and after a minute to gather my thoughts, it was off to The Good Dinosaur. And they did not fail to pull out all the stops - this house was gorgeous today. It looked like and felt like I’ve always imagined preference feeling like, in some ideal world. I was met with the girl I hit it off with the day before, and there were just a ton of weird coincidences in our conversation - signs, maybe?? We found out we were both obsessed with the same musicals. I mentioned I loved a certain song from one of them and she said her sisters would be singing that song for us later during our preference round. The whole experience/ceremony was so moving and sincere and I couldn’t believe it was all actually happening. Even a few tears were shed as I walked around the room and saw the love coming from everyone. (And how could I ever not cry when they started singing?) I left not knowing what to feel or expect next. I was having strong feelings already! This house was a special one, for sure, and I felt so honored to be one of the few they chose to return on preference day.

But I couldn’t judge anything yet, because right after I left The Good Dinosaur, it was time for Toy Story. As I walked in the door, I was greeted by the girl I connected so well with from the day before. She looked so excited for me to be there, and I was, too! I loved this conversation because it was more than just talking about our experiences, or about our pref days, or how excited we were for bid day. She asked about what I wanted to do when I got out of college, and I talked about why my career path means so much to me and the impact I want to make on the world because of it. I talked about what I really, truly wanted in a house and an experience. The girl told me that she was so happy that I was there and how I could find those things I wanted in Toy Story. There was never a dull moment here, and never any awkward pauses or topics. To top it all off, one of the girls I connected so much with on the second day (when I started to really feel comfortable in Toy Story) even came and said joined our conversation! Once everyone started singing, I felt such a deep connection to the entire organization and how I could make an impact on the future of a house, no matter who they might be.

For me, these two houses each had catered to different parts of myself and what I wanted in my Greek experience. How was I supposed to decide when they were both, in different ways, so amazing? As much as I hated not completely basing my decision off of logic, I had to decide based on how I felt throughout the entire process: which group of women I could see myself having movie nights with, doing recruitment next year with, having froyo dates with.

From day one, I thought it was going to be a tough decision coming out of my preference rounds. Everyone I talked to always said how difficult it was coming this far and having two amazing houses to choose from - for some, I heard it took hours to decide. But I wasn’t one of those people: I knew, even before my preference rounds were fully over, where I wanted to be. Where I was supposed to be.

Any guesses before the big reveal? Did I find my home?