Stephanie's College Program Blog

2010-04-17T14:43:00.000-07:00

I am switching from AM Housekeeping to PM Housekeeping in a couple of weeks until the end of my program (June 4th). I really really hate the job I have now (AM Housekeeping) and I've asked my manager probably like a million times to see if there were any alternatives to doing what I was doing.

Well I finally had it about a week ago when I FAILED a room inspection because there were some coffee grinds in the inside/back of the coffee maker (where the water goes) in a suite. I had spent TWO HOURS doing that checkout, busting my ass to make sure it was PERFECT because my manager told me the inspectors were going to be there that day. And what do I get for it? A failed room inspection. On something I didn't even know I was SUPPOSED to do! See, in training, they told me I had to clean the pot and the thing the filter goes into etc, and showed me how to do that. Never once was I told or showed how to clean the inside of the maker. Well apparently there is this powdery chemical stuff and I am "supposed to" put it inside the coffee maker and run the coffee pot twice and that cleans the inside. WTF. Thanks for telling me this when I was BEING TRAINED. And thanks for failing me on a room inspection. WTF.

So basically I HAD IT. I am sick of being at a job where NOTHING I do is EVER good enough, no matter HOW HARD I work. I bust my ass ALL DAY LONG cleaning and cleaning and cleaning, and then they will always find SOMETHING to make me feel like crap about, like I am not working hard and I'm being LAZY because I missed a teeny tiny water spot on the bottom corner of the mirror or because there is some dust inside the vent or because I missed one little hair behind the door in an occupied room. It just seems like nothing is ever good enough and it doesn't matter how hard I work. So, yeah, I HAD IT.

I was sick of feeling like crap every day at work (physically and mentally) so I went to my manager's office to self-terminate because well...yeah, my job was basically ruining my time here. But he talked to his boss and they are letting me switch to PM housekeeping which is apparently MUCH better, still involves cleaning rooms (but less than AM housekeeping). But will also involve running things to rooms upon request (towels, fridges etc) and they said can also involve being resort custodial. This seems like it will be way less hard on me and like I'll be much happier. It apparently involves a LOT more guest interaction (housekeeping...yeah, barely any) and I probably won't be as tired and I'll actually get to go out and DO THINGS.

So I am really happy they finally took into consideration how housekeeping was definitely NOT a good fit for me...I'm still technically going to be in the housekeeping role, but doing different things than I was. Hopefully this is a lot less stressful, upsetting, and painful!

I am still alive!

2010-03-03T07:17:00.001-08:00

OK, so I haven't really posted in this since I arrived at Disney. I think it is probably because the excitement of actually arriving here is gone, and I am just SO BUSY all the time now! I am having so much fun on my program.

Let's start out with the negatives so I can end this on a happy note! (don't worry, the positives FAR outweigh the negatives!!!)
-My roommate. My goodness she is absolutely horrible. She is dirty, and loud, and rude, and just generally disrespectful to EVERYONE else who lives in the apartment (there are 6 of us)
-My job. But that's okay because I already knew I was going to absolutely hate housekeeping.
-I miss my boyfriend so much!

The positives:
-Even though I hate housekeeping, the hours are REALLY good! When I work, it's from 8am-4:30pm. Most CPs get varied hours every day of the week, sometimes they work early in the morning, and sometimes they are at work until 3am. Mine are steady!

-They allow us to accept tips in housekeeping, which is really nice! Some days I don't get anything, sometimes just a couple dollars, sometimes $20 or more. The extra money really helps! I have barely been using my actual paycheck to buy things, because I've just been using the cash from tips. Yay! So I guess there are a couple of good things about housekeeping (but I would still take the crappy hours and low pay that other CPs get working in merchandise or something ANY DAY over housekeeping! They actually get to interact with guests and have fun at their job! I pretty much break down and cry every day at work)

-Other roommates besides the one I share a room with! Considering there are 6 of us in the apartment I think it is pretty awesome that 5 of us generally get along! And out of the 5 of us, I am really good friends with 2 of the other girls! The 3 of us do almost everything together and we always have a bunch of fun. We go to the parks, out to eat, shopping, to the beach, etc all the time! I feel really lucky that I got in an apartment with people who don't suck (except for my roommate but OH WELL the good outweighs the bad!)

-I am somehow managing to get by making barely any money...I was really worried about this, because at my job at home, where I waitressed, I would make between $20-$30 an hour on average. Even though my Disney paycheck ($150-$200) is what I would make on the average Saturday morning (working 8am-3pm waiting tables) at home, I'm not doing too bad! I thought I would be freaked out because I would go from having a ton of money all the time to having no money ever, but I am doing okay! I'm just not being as frivolous with it as I am at home, but luckily it isn't affecting me like I thought it would

-My boyfriend is visiting next week!!! He is coming on Friday night and staying until Monday night! I am super excited!!! I miss him so much, I can't wait until he gets here. And I got all of my days off approved for when he is visiting :)

-I LIVE AT DISNEY WORLD. Enough said!!!!

I'm Here!

2010-01-30T19:17:00.001-08:00

I checked in on Monday :) I live in a 3 Bedroom at Patterson Court, and it is really nice! I love all of my roommates except for one of them, which is funny because when I was researching stuff about the CP, one of the things I read about a lot was that everyone in the apartment would get along and be friends but that there would be one person that nobody liked and it's totally true unfortunately.

I work at All Star Music in housekeeping and I am in the Jazz building. I haven't started doing the physical work yet (I start doing the housekeeping part on Monday...this week has been ALL boring classes and such) but I don't hate the idea of it as much as I did before. Our costumes aren't horrible and the hours are WONDERFUL (8am-4:30pm any day we are working! CPs who work in other roles can potentially be working until 3am at the MK or overnight if they are at front desk. AND when I was taking the housekeeping core class, the trainers told us we are allowed to keep tips. The trainers were so sassy and wonderful.

I went to the Magic Kingdom the other day with my roommates and then we just went again today. I love just going to the Magic Kingdom after work and riding rides and eating dole whip floats and seeing the smiles on kids' faces when they watch the fireworks.

I am pretty homesick and miss my family and boyfriend a lot, but I need to take advantage of this awesome opportunity and living at the most magical place on earth!

Meltdown!

2010-01-17T04:35:00.000-08:00

Aaaah last night I had a MAJOR meltdown/panic attack. I can't wait until I am on the road! Packing and getting ready to go has been so stressful, but once we're on the road, most of the major stress will be GONE!

I finished packing for the most part last night around 8pm and then my boyfriend and I were being crafty and making some soap to give as presents to his relatives in Ohio when we get there. I absolutely couldn't even concentrate slightly enough to figure out how to make soap (it isn't hard at all) and I ended up being a crying mess on the floor for most of the night. I am pretty embarrassed about it now, though! I ended up getting up at 5:30 this morning to finish making soap because we probably got a total of like 6 bars made last night, and we need about 40. But it's done! Whoo!

Tonight my mom is having a dinner party after I get out of work, and then we're hitting the road around 7pm! Thank god for adderall.

Packpackpack

2010-01-14T11:19:00.000-08:00

Well, I made some progress since yesterday! All of my clothes and bedding and kitchen stuff is packed now, and in my car to boot! The rest of what I have to pack is basically stuff that I am still using, like my computer and makeup etc. And my shoes. But the bulk of it is done. I just hope I don't forget anything. Whoo progress!

Packing!

2010-01-13T10:26:00.000-08:00

Packing is so overwhelming...I don't even feel like I am taking all that much stuff considering it's for four months, but it sure LOOKS like a lot! And I've barely even started yet...

Brian and I are leaving on Sunday night, and heading to Ohio to visit his family for a few days and then we are planning on getting to Florida on Friday afternoon. I can't believe it's already here, and it's really scary! Earlier I felt so overwhelmed with attempting to pack that I ended up just curling up in a ball on my bed and holding my cat and hysterically crying...what a scene that would have been if anybody had seen it.

I am really, really excited for the awesome opportunity to live at Disney World, but I feel like I am such a downer because I am so nervous about it. I feel really homesick and I didn't even leave yet. I feel like I am being so negative about everything, but I'm just really scared.

Last night I met up with some friends in Cambridge for a going away sort of thing. We went to Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage in Harvard Square, which is something of a landmark in Cambridge. It's really touristy and uncomfortable and really not all that wonderful, but it is totally a Boston thing so I wanted to go there before I left.

Afterwards, we went to The People's Republik in Central Square, which is a bar that has a Soviet Russian theme and is awesome and cheap. I had a really good time, and I am going to miss all of my friends so much! I know I will make new friends in Disney, but it's so hard to leave the ones up here.

I think I just am worrying too much and over analyzing everything!

Time is FLYING by!

2010-01-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

Wow, time is flying by sooo fast! 18 days until check-in. I'm leaving next Sunday night. Everything is coming up so fast!

I'm still wondering how I am possibly going to be able to do everything I want to do before I leave....like see all my friends and my family and pack everything up.

I still need to book a hotel for the nights I'll be in Orlando before check-in...22nd, 23rd, 24th. I guess that I can get around to that at pretty much any time, though, since January is slow there.

BUT WOW...I leave next Sunday! It's so scary and exciting! I'm even already a little bit homesick.

Work Location

2009-12-21T06:33:00.001-08:00

Sooo I think I *might* know my work location. A girl who I used to work with is seasonal at WDW, and said that my work location is listed on The Hub as All-Star Resorts. Obviously this *could* change, but I am a little disappointed. I got the job I wanted the very least at the hotels I wanted the very least :(

So CLOSE!

2009-12-18T19:48:00.000-08:00

This morning I bought my boyfriend, Brian, his plane ticket from Orlando back to Boston!

He is pretty much absolutely amazing and is using precious vacation time from work to drive with me to Orlando. I bought him the latest departure flight I could find for Sunday, January 24th. Buying his plane ticket made it seem SO much more real. I am probably going to be a big crying mess that night after I drop him off at the airport. But, at least the next morning is CP check-in!

Now I just want him to buy plane tickets to come see me at the end of February/beginning of March!

Things I want to do during my CP...

2009-12-14T15:36:00.000-08:00

-Ride all the rides, see all the shows!
-Drive around WDW property aimlessly...I don't know why but I have always wanted to be able to do this haha.
-Visit all the resorts!
-HARRY POTTTTTEEEERRR
-Backstage tours
-See Florida!

Vista Way, maybe?

2009-12-07T14:13:00.000-08:00

I keep feeling like I am see-sawing between where I want to live-Patterson or Vista?

I originally wanted Patterson because I was going to bring my hookah and smoke it on the balcony, but since Disney won't allow them in the apartments I am considering Vista Way. I feel pretty indifferent about Chatham at this point. Apparently all of the apartments in Vista have been renovated and aren't disgusting like I've heard they once were, and everyone claims that all the fun is at Vista Way. Oh, and it's the cheapest.

I really can't seem to make up my mind on this!

To anyone who is reading this, Where are YOU living, and why?

Second Thoughts...

2009-11-18T10:40:00.000-08:00

The CP seems to be getting closer and closer and closer every day, and even though I am really excited about it I keep finding myself getting LESS excited about it and more afraid, I guess.

The other day I budgeted out pretty much exactly how I am going to be spending my money from now until I leave for the CP in order to get all of my debts settled by then so that I don't have to worry about any more bills until May. Things are looking pretty tight until then.

And then the other thing is that I am afraid to be in a place so far away for four months. I don't want to not see my family or my friends or especially my boyfriend for all that time. Sure, visits are a possibility, but I know that they won't happen often enough to really keep me happy. And it's not like I will be making enough money to be able to afford a plane ticket to go home and visit if I want to.

I don't even know if I am actually going to be able to SAVE any money to have money to use for the first couple of weeks that I'm there. Just getting there is going to cost a bunch of money...gas, tolls, hotels, food, and not to mention the plane ticket that I have to buy for my boyfriend so that he can get back to Massachusetts after he leaves me all alone in Florida after accompanying me on the road :(

I guess this all sounds really negative. I know that things will probably be fun and awesome once I get there and I will meet people and make friends and everything will probably be fine, but every now and then I will think about doing the CP and start getting really irrationally upset about it and start crying and thinking about how I don't know if I can actually live on my own in Florida for four months. But at the same time, it's only four months and I need to get out of Boston for a little bit and I think it will be an overall good experience.

I just hope that once I get down there, I can make myself STAY down there.

Where to LIVE? And hookah rant...

2009-10-12T06:19:00.001-07:00

Well, I got accepted, paid my $100 fee and picked my arrival date. I'm coming on January 25th. I am nervous because not many people are signed up for that day yet, but many people still haven't even applied so I think I'll be okay!

I want to figure out where I want to live. I originally wanted any apartment in any complex so long as it had a balcony. I assume that smoking isn't allowed inside the apartments themselves, but I figured a balcony would be nice because I could go out there and relax and unwind after work or in the evenings and smoke a hookah. But when I logged into the CP site, there was a very short list of what NOT to bring.

And yep...they very specifically say NO HOOKAHS. This is really disappointing. I am not blind and I know their reasoning behind the rule. I know that it is because it looks like paraphernalia and that in the past, most people who went there with hookahs were probably smoking weed out of it and being drunk and probably knocking it over and having the coals ruin carpets/floors/furniture/hurt someone/etc. I never smoke anything that isn't shisha (flavored tobacco, for hookahs) out of my hookah and I would never let a bunch of really messed up people around it because that is pretty much a recipe for disaster. It's really disappointing that people who are dumb about things ruin them for responsible people who use things the way they are MEANT to be used!

The only humor in this is that I complained about it on a hookah related forum and someone who is on that forum is the reason why they specifically say NO HOOKAHS. Here's a part his post:

"So how does this really surprise me? It appears they took one of my suggestions to heart. During the meeting I explained to them that those that smoke hookahs for legitimate purposes do not believe they are paraphernalia. Since hookahs were not specified in the documents provided for moving in, I assumed I would be alright, but Disney views them as paraphernalia. As a result, I suggested to them that they make it clear (spelled out) in their policies that hookahs are not permitted."

Basically what happened was he left his hookah on the balcony at his apt when he went to work while doing the PI, and an inspection happened that day and they found it and said it wasn't allowed and made him do a housing meeting. He said he checked the paperwork before he moved in and it didn't say not to bring hookahs so he suggested they make it clear...and they took his suggestion.

I pretty much hate the no hookah rule, but I am going to bring it and just keep it in my car trunk and find other places to smoke that are off Disney property. So...this basically means I don't really care where I live anymore. I think I might just go for Vista Way since it seems way more fun over there.

Well I guess I will stop complaining about this now.

Accepted!

2009-10-06T18:24:00.000-07:00

ACCEPTED TO HOUSEKEEPING

Adding Additional Roles...

2009-10-05T07:38:00.001-07:00

A week or two ago, I sent WDW CP an email requesting to add additional roles to my application. I didn't think it would do anything since I read about someone who had pending asking to do that last year and getting denied, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask. I put a bunch of jobs on the list that I should have just done in the first place, but oh well.

I asked to add: attractions, custodial, hopper, full service food and beverage, housekeeping, lifeguard and recreation. And the roles I already had were BBB, Hospitality, Concierge and Vacation Planner.

At the end of last week, I got a phone call from the WDW CP in regards to my email and they wanted to ask me questions relating to the roles I wanted to add. So, I got asked one question for each role I wanted to add, and that was it. It was only 8 minutes long, but my first interview was around 20 minutes long. And, this interview was ONLY for questions related to the roles.

At the end of the call I asked what interviewing for additional roles did to my pending status, and she said it basically "goes away" and I am back at square one, like my application hasn't even been reviewed or processed or anything yet. So I am really excited at my "second chance"!

I really want to get in, I want do to something that is actually productive next semester since I won't be in school again until next fall when I transfer to a state school (private school is TOO EXPENSIVE! I only went to a private college because no state schools had my major...but I finished my associates for that and can get my bachelor's in something else at a state school)

Anyways, back on topic...if I don't get accepted I will probably want to hide in a closet forever. It will be really humiliating if I can't even get accepted into Full Service Food and Beverage, which I grew up in as my family owns a restaurant, or into custodial or housekeeping or merchandise which really seem like dime a dozen jobs! The only job I really DO NOT WANT is QSFB...which I didn't even add the second time around.

Disneyland

2009-09-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

Well, I applied for Disneyland too. I'd prefer to be in Florida for a lot of reasons, but I'll take California if that's what I get. Besides, I think a West-Coast Adventure would probably be pretty nice, since it isn't someplace that I am really interested in spending a lot of time traveling to and definitely not interested in living there over the long term. But 6 months? I can do that, and it would probably be JUST enough time for me to enjoy it without getting sick of it.

Now, why couldn't my interview for the Disney World program have gone as good as my Disneyland interview?

The woman who interviewed me was SO sweet and nice. In between questions she talked to me about her kids and being from non-California states and she was just really friendly and personable. I liked her MUCH better than the person who did my Disney World interview. For DL, I checked off every role I would be willing to work in any capacity at all, and I said my top choices were custodial and full service restaurant.

She asked me around 10 questions relating to full service restaurant, so I think that if I get in, that is the job I am going to get. I have worked in a restaurant FOREVER, and my dad owns it which means that I am pretty much a slave there and have done EVERY SINGLE JOB that there is at our restaurant. Which, in interview terms means that I have a LOT of experience working in a restaurant.

I have heard that the Disneyland program is way more competitive since it is such a smaller place in general, but the irony of this is that I think I have a way better chance of being accepted by Disneyland than Disney World. I just have to wait and see!

Pending!

2009-09-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

Well I got this email yesterday...

Dear Stephanie,

Thank you for your interest in the Disney College Program!

We were so excited you took the time to see our presentation and interview with us. We hope you find this opportunity to be as exciting as we do.

We are currently processing your application for the Spring 2010 Season, and at this time, your status is pending a final decision.

The Disney College Program is a competitive internship and we receive thousands of applications every program season. Our team is evaluating your qualifications, and you will be contacted with an update on the status of your application by December 1st, 2009. If you are not contacted within this timeframe, please contact our office at wdw.college.recruiting@disney.com.

We sincerely thank you for your enthusiasm and interest in the Disney College Program. We will be in contact with you as noted above.

Sincerely,
Disney College Recruiting
wdw.college.recruiting@disney.com

If I don't hear back in a month (the original date for 6 weeks) I am going to call...I know it says December 1st, but I'm sure that like many others who applied early, I need to figure out what I'll be doing in January. I mean, many of us DID apply early for a reason!

11 Days

2009-09-21T06:37:00.000-07:00

11 days since my interview! It seems like it's been taking ~3 weeks for people to hear back. I really wish I didn't know how to use the internet sometimes. It's just feeding my paranoia, reading the disboards college section and the facebook group! But at least all of the people in those groups who haven't heard back yet are in the same boat as me!

I HATE WAITING

2009-09-17T10:59:00.001-07:00

I am so impatient! I just want to know already! It's only been seven days, though. I'm really afraid I won't get accepted, because from what I've read, ALL of the roles I selected are highly competitive and selective. Man, why didn't I pick Quick Service Food & Beverage, Merchandise, and Attractions? Ahhh

Waiting

2009-09-13T12:16:00.000-07:00

Waiting is killing me, and it has only been three days since my interview! Aaah I don't know how I will last four to six weeks! At least from what I have been reading, most people have been hearing back in two or three weeks .Just gotta take it day by day!

I had a pretty good talk with my boyfriend last night about what we are going to do if I get accepted, because I am DEFINITELY going to go if I get in! He is really encouraging me to do it if I get in and not worry about people back home (including him...) forgetting about me. I never had to worry about those things when I went to college, because I live 45 minutes away from Boston, the biggest college city in the world. So, I ended up staying around here for school. This basically means that even when I went to college (and lived the for a year!) the experience was totally different than if I had gone to school in another city and had to learn how to "Fend for myself" more.

I've worked for my dad since I was 10 (!!!) and I still do. I've never had a real job anywhere else, either, and since I still live with my parents, my only bills have been my car and car insurance bills. This is my last semester at Mount Ida College, finishing my associates in Funeral Service, and next September I'm hoping to go to UMass or someplace to finish my bachelor's in nursing-one degree helps me take care of the living, and one degree helps me take care of the dead! The timing seems perfect for me to do something like this, and I'd rather not spend January-September in Massachusetts working and doing the things I normally do. This is a good opportunity to try something like this, and probably the only chance I'll ever have.

I really hope I get in, because not only will I get to live and work at my FAVORITE PLACE for four months, but I'll also learn a lot of the responsibilities I've never really had to deal with before. I've never had to pay rent or be on a real budget, and the job I have right now (waitressing!) pays SO GOOD. I seriously make like $500 in a weekend serving breakfast and lunch on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and dinner every other Friday. So, $500 CASH under the table, in 18-22 hours of work. And the only bills I have are about $370 a month for car and insurance. I'm going to pay my car and insurance DOUBLE from now until December so I don't have to worry about those bills while I'm in Florida if I get in, because I've heard paychecks are only $80 or so a week after rent is taken out. Even though I am sure it will be AWFUL to be on that tight of a budget working nearly double what I'm working now for less than 25% of what I make now, I think it will be worthwhile and a situation I NEED to experience so I can teach myself how to be more careful with money. Because, right now, I plow through my money like crazy and have NO savings, I just SPEND SPEND SPEND, and I need to learn how to be on a real BUDGET. That part of it might not be fun, but I am looking forward to the challenge.

Phone Interview!

2009-09-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

I had my phone interview today, scheduled for 12:15! I just applied yesterday (completely on a whim!) and didn't really have time to prepare for it. I read up on the interview process a little bit online and hoped for the best.

The girl I talked to seemed pretty nice.

First, she verified some information on my application, and then verified the roles I was interested in. She asked me some questions about work experience, and what I like best about my job and worst, and best and worst experiences.

I told her the best thing I like about my job is it is "wholesome". I said my family owns it and it is a nice place to work, and rambled on about that a little more. I feel like I did a lot of rambling during it!

I told her the worst worst experiences are basically when a customer is unhappy and no matter what you try to do to make their experience better, they refuse to be receptive at all and just want to be negative about things even though you're trying to help. I hope this answer doesn't make me seem pessimistic and like I'm not good at working with people, ahhh.

Then she asked some questions that were specifically about the positions I was interested in.

Since BBB was my #1 choice, she asked about that first.

1-Asked what kind of experience I had doing hair/nails/makeup.
I feel like my answer to this might break my chances of getting into the CP completely if they are discriminatory at all. I said that I didn't have experience in the traditional sense (salon) but a big part of my training at school is doing hair and cosmetics for people to be viewed at their funerals. I said that I've done a lot of this from helping at school and at a funeral home in Worcester. I said that it is really important that their hair and makeup and nails all look really good, because people are going to be staring at it for hours and will complain if it doesn't look good! LOL so I may have freaked them out with my answer and completely turned them off from any chance at accepting me by saying I TOUCH DEAD PEOPLE. I hope they don't!

2-Asked what I would do if a little girl was hesitant about getting her Princess makeover and didn't want to go through with it.
First, let me say that when I was looking up information about interview questions for BBB, nobody had any info on them besides the first question, because it seems like they don't consider you at all if you don't have relative experience. So at least I got more than one question in it!!! For this one, I said that I would ask her about who her favorite princess is, and if we have that costume available offer it to her, and then tell her she will look sooo beautiful when her makeover is done, and if she gets to meet that princess that day, the princess will really love how she looks.

3-How do you feel about working in a busy/stressful environment?
I said that my current job at a diner is like that, and we are always busy with tons of customers so I'm used to it and would be able to pick up the pace at a new job really quickly due to the fact that I already know how to handle those situations!

The other questions I got asked were about hospitality and concierge, so they were a little more generic...
1-What would you do if a guest selected a certain room view but you were sold out of it?
I said I would offer them alternative room views and offer to call them and offer a room change during their stay at the first chance the room they wanted became available.

2-How would you make guests feel welcome?
I said I'd smile and welcome them, and offer to point them in the direction of where they need to be because they are at an unfamiliar place, or ask if there was anything I could help them do to make their stay better, and overall just let them know that the employees are there to help make their stay enjoyable!

There were some other questions too, but they were basically generic interview questions. Really, the only reason I can see myself getting rejected is because my major is really creepy. It might freak them out a little. I hope it doesn't, because I swear that funeral directors and kids who are in school to be funeral directors are NOT creepy at all! I thought I would show up at funeral school and be surrounded by a bunch of rejects who looked like Hot Topic threw up on them, but I was luckily completely wrong(besides like 2 kids who changed majors because it wasn't what they thought it would be...they don't let you start embalming from day one, lol)! There were a lot professional adults changing careers, and most of the kids were pretty normal 18 year olds, if anyone walked into that classroom they would have just assumed it was a normal business class!

So anyways...I hope I get in! And I hope I get to work at Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique!!!

I applied for the College Program!

2009-09-10T11:38:00.000-07:00

I applied for the College Program at Walt Disney World yesterday! It is something I have been interested in for a while, but never really had an opportune time to just take a semester off and do it. Well, right now I am in my last semester of school at Mount Ida College in Newton, MA. I don't have a job in my field (funeral service) lined up for after graduation, and I think I might finish up my bachelor's degree at another school starting next fall. That leaves me without any real plans this spring semester. I could easily get more hours at work or a second job and just save money, or I could go down to Disney World, live & work there for 5 months and make hopefully enough money to pay for my car and living expenses!

The Walt Disney World College Program is basically a program for college students where you do an internship at Disney for a semester instead of going to school (they do, however, have classes you can take there, which may or may not count as credits from your school...). During that program, you live and work at Disney. They have their own apartments that participants get to live in while they work at WDW and rent comes out of your paycheck, and I hear the rent is between $80-100 a week. You have a roommate and live with up to 7 other people. They also provide transportation to/from work and to places on Disney property, as well as grocery stores and shopping malls etc.

So, I sort of decided to do this on a whim. I read some forums about the program yesterday and it seemed to me like a lot of people had been seriously considering applying for months and months and knew everything they were supposed to do and were freaking out over it. I kind of got the gist of what I was supposed to do. They have this informational video about it on the website, which I watched. After you watch it they give you a code which allows you to fill out the application, which is kind of like a basic job application, but you also fill out information on your college.

The application lets you check off the types of jobs you would be interested in doing while you are working there. There are a bunch to choose from, but these are what I picked...

Concierge-it seems like in this job, you work concierge at a hotel or park, and do concierge things such as helping guests buy tickets, greeting people, etc.

Hospitality-check people in/out of hotels, luggage service, answering phones, etc.

Vacation Planner-your job is basically to sit in a booth at the front of the theme parks and sell tickets

annnnnd last but certainly not least, and the job I want THE MOST if I get picked...

Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique Fairy Godmother in Training-In this job, you get to work at the BBB in either Downtown Disney or inside Cinderella Castle itself (!!!). BBB is like a salon where parents bring their daughters to get all dressed up like either Disney Princesses or Hannah Montana. You do their hair, nails, and makeup, and make them feel like a princess. I really want this job the most, but I'll be happy if I just get into the program! But I am keeping my fingers crossed!

After I finished filling out the application, there was an "online interview" which was like one of those internet personality tests where it asks a question and asks you to rate how you feel about it on a scale of 1-5 if you strongly agree (1) or strongly disagree (5). You only have like 20 seconds to pick an answer for each one, so you don't really have time to think about what the employer wants to hear!

After I finished the "online interview" they gave me a phone number to call to schedule a phone interview*! I got my interview for the next day (Today!!!) at 12:15 pm, which left me with little time to prepare!

*Apparently, you can fail the online interview and they won't even let you do a phone interview. It seems really inefficient! But at least I "passed"