Disney College Program, Application and Interview Tips

Hey everyone! I thought this might be helpful if I posted the powerpoint information I got from the Disney at Uconn club. It has info about the application (including the web application) and the interview with tips on how to do well and actual questions people from the club were asked. Enjoy and Happy New Year!!

Application

• Live Presentation/ View E-Presenation (will be given a code to submit for application)

• Basic Information – short, should not take very long

• School attending/major

• Past work experience

• Hobbies

• Skills/language skills

Web-based Interview

• Immediately after submitting initial portion of application

• TIMED – set aside about an hour so you can finish this uninteruppted

• More of a personality test, i.e. “Do you think you work faster than the average person?”, “Compared to an average employee, do you work harder?”, “Are you late or miss work more often or less often than others?”

• You answer these questions based on a scale system (1-5)

• Good rule of thumb to choose either 2 or 4 if an awkward question

Phone Interview-Example Questions 

• WHY DO YOU WANT TO DO THE COLLEGE PROGRAM?-HUGELY important. Think about this, even write it out before the interview!

 Basic Information

• Ever worked for Disney in the past?

• When would I be applying for (Fall, Fall Advantage,Spring, Spring Advantage, etc.)?

• Receptive to the pay of appx. $7.25-8?

• Receptive to “Disney Look”?

• Have tattoos/piercings/etc. that are not able to be covered?

• Criminal record?

 Work-Focused Questions

• Past work experience:
  
  • Discuss your past jobs
  • Hardest part of your job, how it was resolved?
  • The most rewarding aspect of your job?
  • What is the pace you work at?
  • Do you work best by yourself or with others?
   

 Living With Others

• Would you be okay with living in an apartment with anywhere from 1 to seven roommates?

• What are problems you could foresee as being an issue between roommates?

• What would you do if no one was cleaning the apartment?

Roles

• Might really push the Quick Service role, SAY NO IF YOU DON'T WANT IT (and have a reason why, example: "I've worked in Quick Service in the past and want to try something new."

• Rate which roles you want the most

• Be sure you have reasons for why you WANT the roles you picked

• Be sure you can back this up by saying why Disney should want YOU to have this as a role (TIP:Go over the role sheet to see the responsibilities associated with each of the roles you are applying for: be sure to discuss that you are capable of fulfilling these responsibilities)

Situational Questions

• What would you do if a child was too short to go on a ride?

• What would you say to a guest if they were having trouble finding something in your store?

• What would you say to an unhappy guest if there were long lines on a popular ride?

• If, in the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique the appointments were running very late, what is something you could say to the waiting guests?

Wrapping up the interview....

• When is your favorite time of year to visit Disney?

• Would you mind working outside?

• What is your favorite thing about Disney?

• What is your favorite attraction at Disney?

• Do you have any questions for the interviewer? ALWAYS ASK SOMETHING (it shows interest) (examples: Possibility to extend? How long for a decision? ect)

 Total Time: 21-22 minutes

10 random facts

I was tagged by Kryssy so here's 10 randoms things you might not know about me!

1. I've been playing the violin for 12 years and am putting on my first recital (for school) at the end of March before I graduate from college.
2. I've never had a boyfriend. My first date (and only date so far) was to my senior prom with a guy I've known since 3rd grade. I've been asked out by people since, just not by anyone who interests me. I secretly hope my first real boyfriend will be my prince charming....I've waited long enough! :)
3. I have a shopping addiction....take me into a store and I will almost always find something to buy.
4. I'm really bad at making decisions, if you're ever with me when I have to decide between 2 things, brace yourself, I'll go back and forth for at least 5-10 minutes.
5. I was born a preemie at 1 pound, 11 oz. Eventually I went down to 1 pound 2 oz because of the lose of water weight. I was in the hospital for 3 months and my parents visited me every single day.
6. I have the entire series of I Love Lucy on DVD. Ever since I was little I've loved Lucille Ball and can't get enough of her. I also collect her other shows and specials on DVD as well as I Love Lucy barbie dolls. I've come to the conclusion that when I move into my own house I'm going to need to have a separate room just for my Lucy stuff lol.
7. I was extremely shy in school and didn't talk to anyone until 5th grade. Now that I look back on it I realize how stupid and weird it was but at the time I was just too afraid to talk to anyone. I think it's genetic because now my 10 year old sister is the exact same way and doesn't talk to anyone at school.
8. I love country music and I'm a member of the official Carrie Underwood fan club. It sounds dorky but I get amazing seats at her concerts. The best I've gotten so far is 6th row, dead center. Oh and I got free tickets to see her at the Hard Rock Cafe in NYC for a Thanksgiving Day Parade taping she did for CBS. 
9. I've been to Disney World 18 times. The last time I went was in May with 2 friends for my birthday. Lets just say it didn't go well and I'm never going on vacation with friends again...or at least ones I haven't spent a ton of time with. You don't know people until you've lived with them that's for sure!
10. I'm half Puerto Rican and half Italian. Holidays are awesome cause my grandma on my moms side brings the Spanish food and my grandma on my dads brings the Italian food, yummm.

I'm going to be tagging Amanda Quintal and Diana Kelly. Hopefully they haven't been tagged yet?!?

Disney at Uconn-Semester in Review

Members of Disney at Uconn

Now that the Fall semester is over, I finally have time to update my blog. I'm gonna start by saying there's only 23 more days until I can apply for the College Program and I'm sooo excited!! :) Pretty soon I'll have more to talk about on my blog because the application process will finally start! Today I went through the binder I put together with my papers from the Disney at Uconn club I joined which went fabulously by the way!! I was kind of nervous about joining a club since the only activity I've done in college is orchestra (which is required of me as a music major) but I'm so glad I did join!

The first meeting was sharing Disney stories and they told us all about the college program and what roles there were. Then we had another meeting about the application process which was super helpful. The girls who run the club are going to Disney in January for Spring 2011 and they put together a really helpful powerpoint going over the questions they were asked during the phone interview (which they wrote down so they would remember them) and how we should prepare for them. I'll post the information from that in a separate post because I'm sure it might help anyone reading this as well.

There were a few meetings I didn't go to because they were doing things like voting for elections (which I would have loved to participate in but I'm a senior and didn't see the point in trying for a position when I wouldn't even be there for a year) or talking about how to get college credits through Uconn which didn't apply to me either since I'm graduating. What I did go to were the bonding nights we had. I missed one of them because I had to study for exams but I attended 2 of the other bonding nights as well as the Disney themed fundraiser we did!

The bonding nights were usually themed. The first one I went to was "Disney at Uconn's Not So Scary Halloween Party". We ended up coming in costumes (I was a cat, some people went with nondisney costumes and a lot went with disney costumes. tinkerbell, indiana jones, and minnie mouse were all there!), watching Halloweentown, tye dying tshirts (my first time!), and eating candy! :) It was so much fun and made me happy knowing I had found people at my school who also love Disney. The other bonding night I went to was "Disney at Uconn's Very Merry Christmas Party". At this meeting, we listened to Disney Christmas Music, made gingerbread men, and picked presents out of a grab bag. I got Disney fruit snacks lol.

The other event I also participated in was the "Disney at Uconn's Bibbidi Bobbidi Nail Boutique". I volunteered and showed up to paint nails. It was $5 for people to get their nails painted. I had a lot of fun and got to talk to the other group members more which was nice.

Anyways, next semester should be even better since a bunch of us will be applying for next Fall! We can (hopefully) celebrate our acceptances together! :)

Disney at Uconn

Sorry I haven't posted in such a long time but I finally have Disney news to share!!! :)

I started my senior year at the University of Connecticut about a month ago (makes it that much closer to applying/being in Disney World!!!). Over the summer I found out there's actually a club here for people who want to do the Disney College Program or just have a love for all things Disney! The first info meeting was last Tuesday night and it was pretty magical!! haha There was a few kids there who either work at Disney seasonally or did the CP and we basically sat there for an hour listening to stories about the CP. It was the best meeting I've ever been to because I found people who love Disney as much as I do, who feel the magic every single time they go back and when they're not there miss it and want to go back. I loved hearing the stories about the CP and the interactions they had with guests, celebrities, and roommates. Not to mention they help you prepare for applying and your phone interview by doing mock interviews! We're also going to have bonding nights with Disney movies/Disney trivia/ect which I'm super excited about. Even though I live pretty far from Disney World, the meeting made me feel a little closer to the happiest place on earth :) It just confirmed that my decision to take a semester off next Fall before going to grad school is the right decision because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and who knows what doors will open for me! :)

Well I have to go get ready for class but I just wanted to share this awesome experience with you all! 120 days until applications (might) go up! Have a magical day!

Sorryyy!

Hey anyone who reads this! Sorry I haven't posted in such a long time but I unfortunately haven't had any Disney news to share :( I'm kind of thinking about making my blog about Disney AND regular things that go on in my life but I'm not sure people would want to read about my life as a Music major lol. If you do, comment on this post and let me know and I'll start posting more. If not, I'll just continue with a strictly Disney blog!

Anyways, the WDW CP Applications for Spring 2011 went live a few days ago, so exciting for those applying! Next it will be my turn! I can't wait. I watched the epresentation yesterday for fun.....it was kind of corny and I don't think I'll be watching it again until I have to apply lol. It was heavily scripted and totally obvious because of the bad acting (sorry if anyone was in it? haha). But even though it had some corny moments it was really awesome to hear about peoples experiences in different roles.....and it further pulled me into wanting FSFB but I'm still not sure about it!

I am definitely going to be adding a role to my application which will be Main Entrance Operations. I figured it'd be an easy job even though there might be some late nights, I'm gonna have to expect that even if I don't want them haha. Plus potentially driving or spieling for the parking trams sounds too much fun to care about hours!

I think any of the roles I check off will be cool jobs I think its why I have a hard time picking a top 3 or 4 lol.

Anyways, that's about it for Disney related things, I hope everyones having a magical day/week and good luck to those applying for Spring 2011! I'm super jealous! lol

Cast Member Role

So I’m still not sure what my top choice for a role in Disney World would be! I’ve narrowed my choices down to a few…..

• Full Service Food and Beverage- This role is basically where you work in one of the sit down restaurants in Disney seating people,taking reservations, ect. I heard people like this one because you’re almost guaranteed to be in ac and the hours aren’t too crazy because the restaurants close earlier.

• Attractions-This is where you operate and work the rides. I’m on the fence about this one because it would be really awesome if you got a good ride (Great Movie Ride,Rockin Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror!)(or show like AI) but the hours seem like they might be long and crazy depending on which park you’re in. But I heard you can request a park or ride, it’s not guaranteed but I think they try to make it possible. I'd probably request Hollywood Studios or Animal Kingdom.
  

• Character Attendant-You follow the characters around, help with any guest issues, take pictures if there's not Photopass Photographer, ect. I’ve heard nothing but good opinions about this job.

• PhotoPass Photographer- This role is self explanatory. You're a Photographer for the guests. I heard this one is kind of tiring because you have to carry heavy equipment around in the hot weather but I also heard people really enjoy it.
  

• Lifeguard-I used to be on the swim team in high school but I’ve never been a lifeguard, I heard it doesn’t matter because they make you get certified down there. But I heard you have to make a certain amount of saves per day or you can get fired which sounded stressfull to me at first but I heard they’re easy things…like telling people to swim away from the slide after they go down lol. It’d be a nice job, I’d just hate to go down there to get certified and fail :/ If you fail they give you another job but it’d probably be something I didn't want. They tell you the requirements online though so I’m sure if I practiced over the summer I’d be good :)

• Transportation-In this role you have the opportunity to help with boats,buses,or monorails&possibly drive them. This one seems cool depending on what you’re assigned to do. I heard someone absolutely loved driving the boats and driving the monorails everyone always loves. I heard the hours are usually at night though which I'm not really a fan of. I also don’t have any experience with that kind of stuff but apparently nobody does so it doesn’t really matter :)

• Vacation Planner-I actually like planning vacations so I think this one might be fun. I think you get to sit in ac cause you sit in the ticket booths in the parks. I guess they have quotas to fill but I heard they get rewards and perks for meeting their goals. I wish I knew what kind of rewards and perks? lol

• Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Hostess-In this role you're basically a hair/makeup stylist for little girls and turn them into their favorite princess! :) This one would be really fun for me because I love working with kids and have a lot of experience with them. I heard you need salon experience but then I heard a lot of people say they didn’t and just had a lot of experience with children. I think this job would be awesome but I heard the hours are long.

So I’m not really sure what kind of order to put these in! lol I guess it’s good I have like 6 months to decide :) Comment and let me know your opinions to help me decide! (I'll probably check off all of them on my application but they usually ask in your interview which would be your first choice)

What is the Disney College Program?

I’m sitting in my US History summer class right now…..after the midterm I decided the notes I was taking during class were useless so I don’t take notes anymore :p At this point, going into my senior year of college, I’ve mastered the art of bsing haha.
Anyways, I’ve decided to make a post for people who might be reading my blog but don’t know what the Disney College Program is *gasp* I know, shocking.
The Disney College Program is a paid internship for students to work (and play) in Disney for a semester or more, making connections for future work opportunities. There are special classes (they’re optional) you can take at Disney University which teach you about different aspects of the company. I’ve always wanted to do the program but never had the opportunity because I needed to take classes for my major each semester (which aren’t offered over the summer) and couldn’t lose a semester or it would delay my graduation. However, if you apply the semester before you graduation, they allow you to participate in the program, you just have to be a student when you apply. So this is what I’m going to be doing and hopefully I’ll be in Florida for Fall 2011 after I graduate from Uconn! :)
This is how the process works, to the best of my knowledge, since I haven’t actually applied yet. Basically you fill out an online application where you choose your top job choices. My top choices so far are Full Service Food&Beverage (basically being a hostess/seater), Character Attendant (walking around w the characters, controling lines, taking pics for guests, ect), and Attractions (working at one of the rides). I also might check off PhotoPass Photographer. I know I won’t be checking off Housekeeping,Custodial, or Quick Service Food&Beverage because I’ve heard that if you check them off they WILL give you one of them since they’re jobs that nobody really wants lol. I’ve decided I’d rather be down there and have a job I enjoy than be there and be miserable. Anyways, after that they call and you do a phone interview, they ask you pretty easy questions about yourself and how you would handle different situations while working (such as what you would tell a child if they were too short to ride a ride). Then the waiting begins. It takes a few weeks to hear from them about if you’re accepted or not, but hopefully when the times comes and you check your mailbox you’ll find a purple folder and probably an email telling you you’re accepted and your role!
The best part of the College Program is that on your days off you get to play in the parks for free and get 3 free tickets for family/friends! You also get discounts on food, souveniers, and hotel reservations for family (I heard up to 50% off! Polynesian here I come! lol)
Oh and if you’re wondering where you live while in the program, Disney provides apartments. There are 3 different apartment complexes and your rent is taken out of your paycheck each week so you don’t need to worry about it. The apartments are Vista Way, Patterson Court, and Chatham Square. Patterson is supposed to be the nicest because it’s newly renovated. Vista is supposed to be old and where the partiers live. I guess Chatham is kind of the in between, it’s newer than Vista but not as new as Patterson. So I’m hoping to get Patterson or Chatham but I won’t know where I’ll be living until I get there :)
Yeah so that’s basically it, wish me luck! ;) I hope I get in! lol

Welcome to my Blog!

Note: I started this on tumblr but decided I didn't like it there because people can't comment on your posts. So the next few posts are imported from my tumblr.

Welcome!

Alright guys n gals, this is my new blog! yayyyy *cue applause*

I’ll be writing here every now and then to yall know what I’m up to, how school is going, what I’m planning, how life is going in general. I’ve never used tumblr before so I’ll probably be playing around with all the features& figuring things out.

Right now I’m home for the summer, taking 2 summer classes (not at the same time) and starting work regularly in July at the bus company (my fav, love it there). I’m going to be starting my senior year at Uconn in the Fall and applying to grad school and the Disney College Program after Christmas. Cross your fingers I get into that, it’s been my dream to work with Disney since middle school :) When I start applying and everything my blog will probably primarily be about Disney but for now it’s about life and my anticipation for the program lol.

So that’s it for now, I’m being called for dinner….blueberry pancakes yummm.

Have a magical evening! ;)