Learning: The Education Component

In my opinion, the learning component of the Disney College Program is the most special part of the program. When else do you have the opportunity to take classes from one of the largest, most successful companies in the world—for free?! At the Disney College Program in Florida, classes are optional, unlike at the Disney College Program in California. You can take two classes per program for Spring and Fall and four for Spring Advantage and Fall Advantage.

There are two types of courses offered: Collegiate and Seminar. Collegiate offerings can be recommended for credit by the American Council on Education (ACE), unlike Seminars. Collegiate offerings have the same academic rigor of a college/university course and have required textbooks (that are a minimum charge), papers and projects.

Here is a list of Collegiate Offerings:

Advanced Studies in Hospitality Management
Human Resource Management
Corporate Analysis*
Interactive Learning Program
Corporate Communications
Marketing You: Personal and Career Development Strategies*
Creativity & Innovation: Gaining the Edge
Organizational Leadership
Experiential Learning

*These are the Collegiate Offerings available at the Disneyland Resort. However, all are available at the Walt Disney World Resort.

Seminar Offerings often include guest speakers, field experiences, etc. 

Here’s a list of Seminar Offerings at the Disneyland Resort:

Blended Learning Series
Leadership Speaker’s Series
Professional Development Study: The Business of Show Business

Seminar Offerings at the Walt Disney World Resort (these last for eight weeks and are once a week for two hours):

Exploring Disney Heritage
Exploring Marketing
Exploring Guest Service
Exploring Cast Engagement & Human Resources
Exploring Leadership
Environmentally and Sustainability Pilot

Finally, there’s a Professional Development Studies available at the Walt Disney World Resort and are major-specific.You can only be enrolled in these courses if you are declared in majors in the following fields of study. These classes meet for two-three hours, once a week, for eightt weeks.

Here’s a list of the Professional Development Studies:

Engineering
Entertainment Show Production
Security

They Disney College Program website provides all the syllabi for all of its courses offered. You can view them here.

Disney strongly recommends bringing a computer with you if you are planning on taking an education course. While there are computer labs available at the Walt Disney World resort, a personal computer might be a more reliable and convenient resource for students.

In addition, the Disney College Program offers exam proctoring if you are taking online classes at your university. These proctoring services are available at the Vista Way Disney Learning Center. 

To find out even more about the Learning component of the Disney College Program, check out the Education Overview on the Onboarding website. 

Living: DCP Apartment Complexes

There are four apartment complexes available to students participating in the Disney College Program. They are pretty much right on Disney World Resort property. The four complexes are: The Commons, Patterson Court, Vista Way, and Chatham Square.

The Commons



From what I've heard, this is the first year the The Commons are available to all CPers, up until that point they were specifically for International Program students. According to the Facebook group, they are the only complex with IN-UNIT washers and driers and this has NOT changed even with the change to who can live in The Commons. It is located in the same vicinity as Patterson Court, Chatham Square and Mickey's Retreat. The bus stop stops at The Commons for all three of these apartment complexes. From what I've seen on YouTube of apartment tours of The Commons, they look very similar to Chatham Square bedrooms. There is also a pool, fitness center, sand volleyball court, and tennis courts. According to the Onboarding website, weekly rent for The Commons is:

1BR - 4BR

$105 - $93

Patterson Court

Located in the same area as Chatham Square and The Commons, Patterson Court has four on-site laundry units, which use credit/debit cards and offer text message alerts, a fitness center, pool, and outdoor pool table. Students who live here must take the bus stop from Chatham square. According to the Onboarding website, weekly rent for Patterson Court is:

1BR - 3BR

$101 - $91

Vista Way

Vista Way is located about five minutes from the other three apartment complexes but within walking distance from Chik-Fil-A, Wendy's, Starbucks, etc. There is one mail kiosk, a fitness center (rumor on Facebook says they have the best fitness center), a laundry facility in each building, two pools, san volleyball court, outdoor pool table, tennis court, basketball court, and two hot tubs. Vista Way has its own bus stop. Vista Way also has the "party" reputation, although this kind of seems silly to me because it really just depends on the people that live there. According to the Onboarding website, weekly rent for Patterson Court is:

2BR - 3BR

$96 - $86

Chatham Square

Right across from Mickey's Retreat, Chatham Square has the only bus stop for Patterson Court and The Commons, two mail kiosks, four laundry facilities, which take debit/credit cards, fitness center, pool, sand volleyball court, outdoor pool table, and tennis courts. According to the Onboarding website, weekly rent for Patterson Court is:

1BR - 4BR

$101 - $91

Mickey's Retreat

Located between Chatham Square and The Commons, Mickey's Retreat is Disney World's cast member only recreation facility. It has two swimming pools, a marina with canoe and paddle boat rentals, children's play area, picnic pavilions, four sand volleyball courts, a banquet room, and much more.

Housing Amenities

Below is a list of amenities including in the price of your rent:

• All utilities, including water, electricity, waste disposal
• High-speed Internet access in all apartments (additional information below)
• Local phone service and one central phone
• Centrally located laundry facilities
• Maintenance of the apartments, including pest control
• Onsite security
• Cable television hook-up
• Computer labs
• Wireless Internet Lounge, Clubroom Thirteen501
• Swimming pools
• Weight rooms
• Tennis, basketball and racquetball courts
• Fully furnished apartment
• Bedroom
  
  • Dresser w/ mirror
  • Nightstand
  • (2) twin beds
  Dining Room
  • Table w/ four chairs
  Living Room (Cable hook-up only available in this common area)
  • Couch
  • Chair
  • Two end tables
  Additional Items Provided
  • Shower curtain liner
  • Two vanity wastebaskets
  • Kitchen wastebasket
  • Recycling bin
  Kitchen Appliances
  • Refrigerator w/ ice maker
  • Stove, oven, & microwave
  • Dishwasher
  Kitchen Utensils and Dishes
  • Assortment of pots & pans w/lids
  • Mixing bowl set
  • Measuring cups
  • Cutting board
  • Spatula
  • Can opener
  • Cutting knife
  • Ladle
  • Tea kettle
  • Serving spoons
  • Cookie sheets
  • Dinner plates
  • Salad plates
  • Cereal bowls
  • Drinking glasses
  • Coffee cups
  • Set of knives, spoons and forks

*Each complex and apartment layout is unique. Amenities may differ between apartments.
All apartments have wired, high-speed Internet access. However, there are a few computer requirements:

• Anti-virus software that runs constantly and automatically updates its virus definitions.
• Ethernet card
• CAT5 cable
• A firewall program or router that serves as a firewall

The DSL modem has four ports and is located in the living room; so, many cast members also bring a wireless router. There are also multiple locations around the housing properties that have wireless Internet access. Computer labs also are available at the housing complexes and Disney Learning Centers across Walt Disney World® Resort property.

Overview of the Disney College Program

The main question I always get from people is, “so basically, what is it?” or at least some variation of that question. (I also am always asked the sarcastic question of, “So you’re gonna be a Disney princess?” to which I face palm myself and move on with my life). If time is limited or I don’t feel like going into detail, the short answer I usually give is usually one of the following:

“It’s basically like studying abroad, but in Florida…at Disney World.”

“It’s a paid internship with Disney.”

“It’s a minimum wage internship at Disney World.”

“I work and study at Disney World.”

In reality, the Disney College Program is so much more. If you really are interested, I highly recommend poking around the Disney College Program website and the Disney Programs Blog if you haven’t already. They, obviously, have much more insight than I could ever give. But since you’re already here, let me give you some information.

The Disney College Program boasts three major components: Living, Learning, and Earning. Let me break down these three parts.

Living

CPs (College Program-ers) live in one of the four apartment complexes used specifically by CPs. These apartment complexes are located on Walt Disney World property. If you have never been to Disney World before…brace yourself. Disney World is like a whole city in itself, it spans across 47 square miles, that’s about the size of Manhattan, people! Rent is taken out of your weekly paycheck (remember EPCOT: every paycheck comes on Thursday). There are many different apartment sizes and each room holds two people, so prepare for roommates.

Learning

At the Walt Disney World College Program, the educational component of the program is optional. There are two different types of courses one can take: collegiate and seminar. Collegiate courses can be recommended for college credit if your university accepts them. Remember that kicker: IF your university accepts them. These courses are like actual college courses, they have homework, project, etc. and they cost the minimal fees for required textbooks and materials (generally around $30). On the flip side, seminars are completely free and do not have homework or anything of the sort. They cannot be recommended for college credit either. All courses are offered through Disney University—yes this is a real thing. Keep in mind, Disney is one of the top companies in the world, and to learn from them is a once in a lifetime opportunity (at least in my opinion). 

Earning

The majority of people I talk to about the program automatically assume that the Disney College Program is filled with nutty, Disney-obsessed wackos, like myself. While this may be true—the DCP does have its fair share of weirdos, there are a lot of people that are drawn to the program simply because it is a paid internship, these are often few and far between. You’re likely to get paid minimum wage, but with the extensive hours you’re working, you could potentially be bringing home a hefty paycheck depending on your budgeting and your expectations.

This is just a brief overview of the program for those who are just starting to look into the program or for those who are interested in what I’m doing for the whole spring semester.

Just One Month Left

Time really does fly! In exactly one month from today I will be at Vista Way, checking in for my program. Although the next month will fly by even more quickly and THE day will be upon me before I know it, it still feels very, very surreal.

When I set out to make this blog, I wanted it to be the very thing that I was looking for when I was looking into the program. I have spent hours and hours scouring the internet for every detail that I could find, I suppose I envisioned my blog would be the best place to go to find, well, everything. While the spectrum of things I can write about are pretty limited for now, because my program has not started yet, I figured I would start working on making this blog exactly what I wanted it to be. What a more perfect time now that I’m done with school and am counting down the days until everything begins.

So here goes nothing…

Broke a Thousand Page Views

I finally broke one thousand page views, and exciting milestone for me and my blog! Obviously I'd love nothing more than to have a lot more page views than that so I know that I have actual readers! Keep reading my blog and telling others about it, I hope that it can eventually be and helpful outlet for potential applicants to the Disney College Program! Thank you for reading!

Email Timeline: Post-Acceptance

Here is my personal timeline of all the emails I have received since being accepted, obviously they differ greatly from person to person. I will update the timeline as I receive more emails.

November 4:  Submit Program Fees
November 4:  Select Program Dates
November 4:  Request for Additional Information
November 4:  Welcome to the Team
November 8:  Congratulations on Your Offer--email from my Disney Campus Reps
November 11: Education Course Registration Confirmation
November 19:  The Disney Look
November 27:  The Walt Disney Company New Hire Account Information
November 27:  The Walt Disney Company New Hire Portal Instructions
December 4:  Education Opportunities
December 9:  Email from Disney Campus Reps with a list of fellow DCPer's from my university with contact information
December 19: Prepare for your arrival
December 29: See Ya' Real Soon!
January 7: Disney Housing Pre-Registration - Message 1 of 2 (Link to registration)
January 7: Disney Housing Pre-Registration - Message 2 of 2 (Password)
January 7: Disney Housing You've Been Linked-Leader (after I requested all my roommates)
January 7: Disney Housing Boarding Pass
January 8: Final Reminders
January 10: You are now enrolled in Exploring Marketing - Thursday
January 10: You are now enrolled in Exploring Disney Heritage - Tuesday

That's all I've received so far!

Life Updates: 36 Days and Counting

I am a little over a month away until my check-in date in Orlando and, of course, I couldn't be more excited. Just like everything in life, I expect these next five weeks to fly by, here's what I have in store:

Week 1:  Last week of school--two finals left!

Week 2:  Christmas week and leave to visit my dad in Colorado

Week 3:  Finish up vacation in Colorado, New Years Eve celebration, leave for Disneyland

Week 4:  Week in Disneyland!!!

Week 5:  Last week at home, leave for Florida!

To give you some updates on my life, I have actually moved out of my home and into my God-brother's home. Over Thanksgiving my roommates and I had our house broken into, no one was hurt and not too, too much was taken. Two days later, somebody (who I assume to be the same person) tried to break in while we were all home sleeping. Needless to say, it was enough to scare us out of our home as three young women. 

Finals are going pretty well, as you read above, I only have two finals left, and I feel pretty confident about them. I'm excited to pack up all my stuff and head home to begin the holiday festivities! 

As far as Disney College Program news goes, I unfortunately had to miss my We're All Ears Disney College Program meet up for all the Fall/Fall Advantage 2104 DCPer's from my university because that was the day I got broken into again. However, I've been able to correspond with my peers participating via email and Facebook. I'll be excited to meet them when I get down to Florida.

I have sat down and mapped out our route for our road trip to Florida! It's about a 32 hour drive and we're planning on taking three days:

January 16:  Stay the night in Phoenix, AZ before we depart

January 17:  Depart from Phoenix, AZ to San Antonio, TX (~13 hours)

January 18:  Depart from San Antonio, TX to Mobile, AL (~10 hours)

January 19:  Depart from Mobile, AL to Orlando, FL (~8 hours)

Well those are all the updates I have for now. Look forward to more blog posts and more vlogs when I finally get home and don't have to worry about school!

Frozen: Review

I have to admit, I'm not a huge fan of movie reviews from regular ol' Joe's like you and I, or really anyone to be honest. And in case you had any misconceptions about what kind of person I am, I'll just go ahead and clear everything up for you: I'm not some rockstar movie critic. Sorry to break your heart. However, I wouldn't be the Disney-lover that I am if I didn't write a little bit about Disney's new movie: Frozen.

I'll be real honest, Frozen pretty much unceremoniously kicked Tangled (my favorite Disney movie prior to this one) off a cliff. I have a long list of reasons, which might not be that long after I type them out in reality so here it goes...

The Music
Okay haaaiii...you have Idina Menzel from Rent, Wicked, Glee, and her voice is like the combination of Fergie and Jesus. So thank you Disney for gracing our ears with that beautiful magic. ALSO, who knew Kristen Bell could sing? Well she can, and that too, is magical. All the songs are original compositions and they're awesome!

Kristen Bell
Yes, homeguurrll is getting her own category. First off, in my opinion, Kristen Bell is the most beautiful creature to ever grace this planet. Let's get something straight, I would literally jump into shark infested waters while simultaneously telling my boyfriend (bless his heart) to take a hike to swim to Kristen Bell and be with her for the rest of my life. Lezbehonest she's my severe lady crush. She's adorably obsessed with slots (please watch that Ellen video on YouTube if you haven't seen it). AND she perfectly portrays Anna perfectly, she's so perfectly awkward and hilarious. Okay I could write a whole blog about her so I'll just leave it at that.

Olaf
As movie sidekick, he takes the cake. He pretty much makes every other movie sidekick look like a joke in comparison--Pascal...ha, Mushu...byyyeee, basically Olaf owns every good line in the movie and his song "In Summer" is HILARIOUS.

Sven
Sevn is the dog you've always wanted but never got. And Kristoff portrays his voice perfectly.

Holy Plot Twist
I mean I kind of saw it coming, but it was good stuff. I won't spoil it if you haven't seen it.

Let It Go Scene
Dear Elsa, build me a beautiful ice palace while singing a whimsical, powerful, womanly song.

Alright, so it wasn't as long of a list as I thought it was gonna be. You might not know me very well, or maybe the only people that read this are my friends/people who want to make fun of me, I don't know, but regardless, take my word...go see Frozen. Disney has once again outdone itself, but I mean what would you expect? It's Disney!!! They're not gonna leave you with something awful.

 

New Hire Paperwork

This morning at 7:30am I received my log-in information to access my new hire paperwork. It was a long and tedious process filled with a lot of skimming and even some technical problems.

According to the Facebook group, it is suggested to do the new hire paperwork on Internet Explorer, however I own a MacBook so I don't have access to Internet Explorer. I was able to finish all the new hire paperwork on Safari by downloading Adobe Reader. If you're planning on going this route, you can follow the steps below to make it a little simpler.

1. Download Adobe Reader.
2. Open Adobe Reader.
3. Select Adobe Reader to be your primary PDF viewer instead of Preview.
4. Click one of the "Sign and Submit" documents under the Forms tab.
5. Right click the document when it loads and click "Open with Adobe Reader."
6. Click the "Sign and Submit" button in the Adobe Reader version of the document.
7. An "Error" message with appear.
8. Click "Okay."
9. X out of the Adobe Reader document.
10. Click "Close" on the document on the new hire website.
11. You will now notice the document is completed under your list.

Just like my acceptance email, I had been waiting with bated breath for my paperwork and got especially antsy when everyone on the Facebook page started freaking out about it. Now that I have received it, it is just one more reminder that my arrival date is quickly approaching and before I know it, I will be in Florida starting my program!

Bloglovin'

To all of you who have ever read my blog, skimmed through it, glanced at it, or even accidentally clicked on it on your way to what might be, in your opinion, a more exciting website, I highly encourage you to follow my blog on Bloglovin'. Scroll down until you see the "Follow this blog with Bloglovin'" button and click away! If you're actually interested in keeping up with my Disney College Program happenings, it will help you with this endeavor. PLUS, by following me, I will be able to see that I'm not just typing into the abyss of the internet, which I so often feel! Thanks again!

The Disney Look

Today I received an email the Disney College Recruiting and Cast Image and Appearance Team about the "Disney Look." While I'm pretty familiar with the Disney Look, I figured I would outline it for potential applicants looking to learn more information.

Guidelines for Females

• Fingernails: Fingernails should be clean. If polish is used, it should be an appropriate, neutral color. This includes deeper, richer shades of polish. Polishes that are not permitted include black, gold, silver, multicolored or neon. Charms or decals on fingernails are not permitted. Fingernails should not exceed one-fourth of an inch (approximately 6 mm) beyond the fingertip.
• Hairstyling: 
• Hair should be neatly combed and arranged in a classic, easy-to-maintain style. Extreme styles are not permitted.
• Hair below shoulder length should be confined if it falls forward over the face while working.
• Conservative braided hairstyles without beads or ornamentation are permitted.
• Hair products may be used to create a soft, natural hairstyle within these guidelines.
• Shaving of the head or any portion of the head or eyebrows is not permitted.
• Artificial hair is permitted if it looks natural and meets all of the above requirements
• Hair Coloring: The Disney Look does not permit extremes in dyeing, bleaching or coloring. If the hair color is changed, it must be natural-looking and well maintained. Subtle highlighting or frosting is permitted as long as it creates a uniform look over the whole head and meets all of the previously listed guidelines.
• Makeup: If makeup is worn, it should be applied in a blended manner and in appropriate, neutral colors.

Guidelines for Males

Facial Hair: For all male Cast Members, a fully grown in, well-maintained mustache, beard, or goatee is permitted, unless otherwise restricted by regulatory codes and standards.

• Facial hair must be neatly trimmed and may not present an unkempt appearance. Extreme styles are prohibited.
• All facial hair (beards, goatees and mustaches) must create an overall neat, polished and professional look.
• All facial hair must be fully grown in, neatly groomed and well maintained at no longer than a quarter of an inch in length. Mustaches may extend below the corners of the mouth to meet with the facial beard.
• Shaping the mustache or beard to a particular style is not permitted. Mustaches (without lower facial hair) must not extend onto or over the upper lip and must extend to the corners of the mouth, but not beyond or below the corners.
• Cast Members without a mustache, beard, or goatee are expected to be clean-shaven every day.
• For clarification on whether a mustache, beard or goatee is acceptable, please consult your area leader or contact the Cast Image and Appearance team.

Acceptable

Not Acceptable

Fingernails: Clean, presentable fingernails are a must. Fingernails should not extend beyond the tip of the finger.

Hairstyling: Following are the Disney Look guidelines for hairstyles:

• Hair must be neatly cut on the back and sides, forming a smooth, symmetrical appearance so that it does not extend beyond or cover any part of the ears or the shirt collar. The overall style must be neat, natural and balanced proportionally.
• A shaved head is permitted, as well as a very short military-style cut. Shaving of the eyebrows is not permitted.
• Conservative braided hairstyles for men without beads or ornamentation are permitted. They must be styled above the ears and cut above the collar and be neatly braided close to the scalp in straight rows.
• Tucking hair behind the ears, or pinning or tucking it under a hat to conceal an unacceptable hairstyle will not be permitted.
• Extreme or bi-level styles are not permitted.
• Hair products may be used to create a soft, natural hairstyle within these guidelines.
• Artificial hair is permitted if it looks natural and meets all of the above requirements.

Acceptable

Not Acceptable

Hair Coloring: The Disney Look does not permit extremes in dyeing, bleaching or coloring. If hair color is changed, it must be natural-looking and well maintained. Subtle highlighting or frosting is permitted as long as it creates a uniform look over the whole head and meets all of the previously listed guidelines.

Sideburns: Sideburns should be neatly trimmed, straight and even in width, and are permitted to extend to the bottom of the earlobe. They should blend naturally from the hairline and from the length of hair on the head. Flares or muttonchops are not permitted.

For a more in depth look at the Disney Look click here!

Roommates

So I have officially found all my roommates! We are hoping to live in a 3 bedroom in the Patterson Court apartments, so there will be six of us total. It all worked out really well and I couldn't be happier! I originally only wanted a two bedroom, but I figured...the more the merrier! Plus I can't imagine doing this program without diving in head first, which to me means having lots of roommates! I lived with 54 women in my sorority house my sophomore year of high school, so I can definitely manage 5! I can't wait to meet them all in person finally and enjoy the program with them by my side!

Disney Tag

Here is my ever cliché Disney Tag video. I was tagged by Jenny, you can view her blog here.

Finally Got My Postcard

To follow the trend of all my other interactions with the Disney College Program, I figured I'd just go check the mail today and low and behold, I got my postcard today! I'm super surprised because some people have been waiting MONTHS to get their's and here I am getting mine in eleven days! Thanks for pulling through Disney!

I'm sure I've said it before, but I'll say it again, it does NOT seem real that I will be moving to Florida in 65 days. I guess this postcard just makes it a little more real.

 

The DCP Facebook Page

I've read somewhere in regards to the Disney College Program Facebook Page: "use it to find your roommates and then get out." 

I didn't quite understand this because, what would be wrong with staying in a group of all your fellow DCPers? I have to admit, I wouldn't have known when to register for classes for if it wasn't for the group. But now I finally understand what was meant by the previous statement. Our Disney College Program Spring/Spring Advantage 2014 group is basically imploding on itself as people are getting more and more angry at others for what people decide to post on the page.

I will admit, there are some pretty personal posts on there and some inappropriate rants. I also will admit that it's pretty entertaining at times. But most of all I'll admit that I agree with the statement I read a while ago, and I extend the advice to potential future applicants of the Disney College Program:

Use the Disney College Program Facebook group(s) to find your roommates and then leave the group(s).

Mission Timekeeper

So the only thing I can really update you on now during the long, long wait until check-in is Mission Timekeeper. It's basically Disney's interactive game that helps you learn about Disney's roots, the company's branches, etc. in a fun way.

It takes a HOT MINUTE to be able to log into it after you accept your offer with the Disney College Program, I assume because they are processing your information. But when you finally are able to log in, you'll log in with your email address as your username and your candidate ID (given to you buy Disney in your "Welcome to the Team!" email) as your password.

From there you are brought into the world of Mission Timekeeper to save the "Disney galaxy" from this evil fellow and you do that by learning bits and pieces of Disney heritage, located on nine different planets, and answering questions about what you've learned.

I finished the game in a couple days and it was a good time killer, and to be honest I'll probably play it at least one more time over Christmas break before I go to Disney because then I'll definitely be dying over the wait. Monday marks nine weeks until check-in and I can't believe we're in the single digits of weeks left. I know it will go by so fast, just like everything seems to do in life, but it makes things hard to focus on!

Post Course Registration

Here I am four hours later and I was finally able to register for classes! The system was down for what felt like forever and finally at around 2:45am my time (that's Arizona time people) the system was up and I was able to get into both classes that I wanted: Exploring Disney Heritage and Exploring Marketing.

I will be taking Exploring Disney Heritage Tuesday's 4-6pm and Exploring Marketing Thursday's 8:30-10:30am. I am very, very, very excited to be learning from this company!