College Program Parents Thread...

[Joanna71985]

Hi everyone, I'm new to all of this. My daughter just started the career start program last week. We drove down together from Minnesota and after getting her settled I flew home (crying all the way).
I was very impressed by everything I saw during the short time I was there. I felt the complex she'll be living in seemed very safe with the 24 hour security guards.
I have been peeking in on these discussions for the last few months and someone suggested family members stay at the Holiday Inn Sunspree Resort and I ended up staying there while my daughter got all checked in. I highly recommend this hotel. It's literally right across the road from the Vista Way complex and the Chatham is basically behind it. The staff was great too. While I was trying to check out of the hotel I was crying the whole time and they seemed so understanding and said I was definatly not the 1st parent they've seen crying when it was time to leave.

I talked to my daughter last night and she said she's been assigned to 3 seperate locations in Epcot with 3 seperate costumes. I was surprised by that. I thought she'd only be in one spot. But she was ok with it. I could tell she was tired and still a little overwhelmed but seems to be adjusting well.
She thought the traditions class was a lot of fun and is especially excited now that she can go to any of the parks for free.
She ended up with 5 other roommates. I met 3 of them and they seemed very sweet.
To all of you parents who have kids in the program I look forward to hearing more about theirs and your experience with the program.

God Bless, crazylena

Welcome!!

Glad to hear your daughter is doing well. Where is she working at Epcot?

 

[crazylena]

Hi Joanna, thank you for the nice welcome. I hope you won't be offended but because I'm an overprotective mama I'm not comfortable saying exactly where she's working. I'm not very computer literate.
I just talked with her last night and she said yesterday was the 1st day she really had a lot of fun at work. It was her first day not in training and I think she was glad to be doing more. Today she has the day off and she said she wants to go over to Epcot and just explore the park. She said a lot of people ask questions and because she had never been to Epcot before she wants to get more familiar with the park.
I wish I was there! I've never been to Epcot myself but I went on the Sorren (bad spelling,sorry) ride at DL and it will definatly go down as my all time favorite ride! When we go to visit my daughter in November we will definatly be going to Epcot!

 

[onelostsockie]

Wow! I bet that is pretty crazy to see half of the apartment leave. Not sure if you will even know the answer, but did they leave on their own choice (homesick, injured themselves, didn't enjoy the experience, etc.) or were they actually termed by Disney?

It isn't that crazy to see that many people leave. You seem curious why people leave the program, so I thought I would share here!
I went through a lot roommates in my 3 bedroom apartment in Vista. Luckily, I was never moved. My immediate roommate and I filled out a "please don't move us" form when we got to 50% occupancy.
My roommates reasons for leaving: #1 got injured in apartment kitchen and was wheelchair bound. Her job would not accommodate her since it wasn't a work-related injury. #2 had breast cancer and needed testing #3 Left with the roomie who had breast cancer. #4 Left because she was trained to be a chef and got stuck cutting fruit on all her shifts. #5 Got fired for blowing up and drunkenly attacking me (I'm was ok). #6 Was raped by coworker/had emotional problems. & #7 I got my certificate of completition and left 2 weeks early.

The 1 out of the original 8 that lasted the whole time pretty much stayed in her room the whole time (her other bed remained empty and good bit of the time too!). The cool thing was, every time there was a new roommate expected, they would clean the entire apartment! Not once did I scrub a shower, toilet, or vacuum my carpet!
I had a good friend who had a similar experience with so many roomies leaving, except his were all termed due to job-related things (missing too many days, cursing, etc.)

Even with all the bad stuff, I don't think there was one person who didn't have fun on the program! There are always going to be "questionable" people (I think I just proved that). It's the real world. Just because people are in WDW, doesn't mean they are sheltered from the bad stuff. Some people seem to think that way, but my mother and I had realistic expectations. She knew there would be lots of "temptations" as she referred to it. She called me EVERYDAY (how annoying for me--the "ignore" button on my phone became my best friend).

There are going to be sucky days on the program. I called my parents on the phone at like 3am on several occasions. I found myself pretty well adjusted, but it is totally normal for CPs to get upset, especially when first starting out. I saw it happen a lot!

One thing I appreciated that my mom always told me it was OK if I wanted to come home. Nobody was forcing me to be there. That put things in perspective and made it totally my choice to stay, no matter how bad things got (I was sooo tempted to come home when I was out for sick 8 days after 1 day of training). Some CPs I talked to seemed more forced to be there...like it was a waste or failure if they didn't finish.

The CP is supposed to be all about experience and learning. I say advise your DD or DS to have FUN first, all that other stuff the program promises will come in time.

 

[deadtoaster2]

My roommates reasons for leaving: #1 got injured in apartment kitchen and was wheelchair bound. Her job would not accommodate her since it wasn't a work-related injury. #2 had breast cancer and needed testing #3 Left with the roomie who had breast cancer. #4 Left because she was trained to be a chef and got stuck cutting fruit on all her shifts. #5 Got fired for blowing up and drunkenly attacking me (I'm was ok). #6 Was raped by coworker/had emotional problems. & #7 I got my certificate of completition and left 2 weeks early.

In of themselves, most of them sound like pretty typical reasons for leaving (except #6... that is just terrible! But I guess it could happen anywhere). However when you consider that all of them occurred in such a short period of time AND the fact that they all happened to people living in the same apartment it starts to seem less like coincidence and more like something else came into play (for lack of a better word). Also if you don't mind me asking, how did #1 injure herself that badly in the kitchen? I mean, again, sure its possible for all of these things to have occurred, but when they all happen in the same place and at relatively the same time.... I don't know, It just seems a little off to me.

 

[onelostsockie]

In of themselves, most of them sound like pretty typical reasons for leaving (except #6... that is just terrible! But I guess it could happen anywhere). However when you consider that all of them occurred in such a short period of time AND the fact that they all happened to people living in the same apartment it starts to seem less like coincidence and more like something else came into play (for lack of a better word). Also if you don't mind me asking, how did #1 injure herself that badly in the kitchen? I mean, again, sure its possible for all of these things to have occurred, but when they all happen in the same place and at relatively the same time.... I don't know, It just seems a little off to me.

It was a short period of time. I didn't do advantage, just plain ol' fall! Supposedly a lot of people get fired for underage drinking, but I personally never knew anybody that happened to. Most of the people outside my apartment I knew got fired for getting too many points (calling out too much).

I'm not sure what else came into play. Except that they were living in the same apartment as me. I didn't do anything to them! I swear! I tried to be friends with the rotating roomies.

#1 was my immediate roommate and best friend, she's somewhere around these boards too. I hope she doesn't mind me telling this story! She fell in the tiny kitchen in Vista and hurt her knee somehow. I wasn't there when it happened, but an ambulance came and checked her out. She didn't have to go to the ER. The next day she was in extreme pain and I drove her to that urgent care place near Vista. The doctor at the urgent care gave her the wrong kind of knee/leg brace, and the specialist she went to was a quack. Disney gave her a date to come back to work and she was unable to recover in time. She is eligible for rehire and applied to do the program again spring 09. Hope she gets in!

...The weird thing about the whole thing is we were already assigned to a handicap accessible apartment. We had a walk in shower with a chair, bars by our toilet, and wood floors. Those came in handy!

To be on topic with the parents thing... It is good for CPs to have some kind of insurance while there! Accidents do happen! I am covered under my parents, but hate doctors and hardly ever go. I got the flu when I first got there and was out of work for 8 days. I'm not sure they would have been as cool about letting me back to work if I hadn't had that paperwork from the urgent care center.

 

[Joanna71985]

Hi Joanna, thank you for the nice welcome. I hope you won't be offended but because I'm an overprotective mama I'm not comfortable saying exactly where she's working. I'm not very computer literate.

Of course not!

 

[tnmom25]

I have just started looking into this program. My dd is a hs Sr. this year and we're exploring our options for the future. I'm still reading on page one, so I have some catchup up to do, but just wanted to subscribe so I could find this thread later

 

[tlynk]

Hello-my DD is interviewing this evening for the Disney College Program and I have many questions (apologies in advance ):

1) If DD gets accepted for the Spring 2009 CP does anyone know the exact date in January that she would start?

2) Do you know if she would be able to take online courses from the college she is currently attending now? I know she will be super busy, but I'd like to keep her moving towards her degree by at least taking 1-2 online courses.

3) There is no way she can bring her car from the West Coast to Florida? I'm nervous about when she will need to buy groceries, or go to a store such as Walmart- does a bus stop directly in front of the stores and then return to pick up?

4) How safe did your DS/DD feel and did you feel pretty good about safety as a parent?

5) Did Disney ever schedule an occasional beach trip or other trips to give the students a break?

6) Last question for now- If DD is accepted- is there a roommate questionnaire that she would fill out? Does Disney try to place students who are compatible together?? For example it might be hard to share with someone who is messy or visa versa, or with someone who wants to party all night or visa versa??

Sorry for all the questions. I really appreciate any feed back you can give this nervous mother.

 

[Joanna71985]

Hello-my DD is interviewing this evening for the Disney College Program and I have many questions (apologies in advance ):

1) If DD gets accepted for the Spring 2009 CP does anyone know the exact date in January that she would start?

2) Do you know if she would be able to take online courses from the college she is currently attending now? I know she will be super busy, but I'd like to keep her moving towards her degree by at least taking 1-2 online courses.

3) There is no way she can bring her car from the West Coast to Florida? I'm nervous about when she will need to buy groceries, or go to a store such as Walmart- does a bus stop directly in front of the stores and then return to pick up?

4) How safe did your DS/DD feel and did you feel pretty good about safety as a parent?

5) Did Disney ever schedule an occasional beach trip or other trips to give the students a break?

6) Last question for now- If DD is accepted- is there a roommate questionnaire that she would fill out? Does Disney try to place students who are compatible together?? For example it might be hard to share with someone who is messy or visa versa, or with someone who wants to party all night or visa versa??

Sorry for all the questions. I really appreciate any feed back you can give this nervous mother.

1. The dates vary. Spring dates start around early-mid Jan, and Spring Advantage dates start later in Jan up to early Feb. When I did Spring 2005, my check-in date was Jan 12.

2. I think it could be possible. She would need to discuss it with her school, as every school does credits and stuff differently.

3. The CP buses go to Walmart. And there is a Walgreens next to Vista, if she needed to get something quickly.

4. I have felt pretty safe on all of my CPs. Security does a good job there.

5. Yes. Housing does different stuff. They have done beach trips in the past.

6. There is a roomie notification system. You can be paired up with 1 roomie. I have never done it (I always got my roomie randomly, at check-in). But it's pretty good.

 

[tlynk]

Thanks Joanna71985 for the quick reply!!! I feel a little better now. The next step is to wait to see if she gets into the program. I think she is hoping for the Jan-May session. Again- thank you!

 

[Joanna71985]

Thanks Joanna71985 for the quick reply!!! I feel a little better now. The next step is to wait to see if she gets into the program. I think she is hoping for the Jan-May session. Again- thank you!

No problem!

 

[MsFGIT]

It isn't that crazy to see that many people leave. You seem curious why people leave the program, so I thought I would share here!
I went through a lot roommates in my 3 bedroom apartment in Vista. Luckily, I was never moved. My immediate roommate and I filled out a "please don't move us" form when we got to 50% occupancy.
My roommates reasons for leaving: #1 got injured in apartment kitchen and was wheelchair bound. Her job would not accommodate her since it wasn't a work-related injury. #2 had breast cancer and needed testing #3 Left with the roomie who had breast cancer. #4 Left because she was trained to be a chef and got stuck cutting fruit on all her shifts. #5 Got fired for blowing up and drunkenly attacking me (I'm was ok). #6 Was raped by coworker/had emotional problems. & #7 I got my certificate of completition and left 2 weeks early.

The 1 out of the original 8 that lasted the whole time pretty much stayed in her room the whole time (her other bed remained empty and good bit of the time too!). The cool thing was, every time there was a new roommate expected, they would clean the entire apartment! Not once did I scrub a shower, toilet, or vacuum my carpet!
I had a good friend who had a similar experience with so many roomies leaving, except his were all termed due to job-related things (missing too many days, cursing, etc.)

Even with all the bad stuff, I don't think there was one person who didn't have fun on the program! There are always going to be "questionable" people (I think I just proved that). It's the real world. Just because people are in WDW, doesn't mean they are sheltered from the bad stuff. Some people seem to think that way, but my mother and I had realistic expectations. She knew there would be lots of "temptations" as she referred to it. She called me EVERYDAY (how annoying for me--the "ignore" button on my phone became my best friend).

There are going to be sucky days on the program. I called my parents on the phone at like 3am on several occasions. I found myself pretty well adjusted, but it is totally normal for CPs to get upset, especially when first starting out. I saw it happen a lot!

One thing I appreciated that my mom always told me it was OK if I wanted to come home. Nobody was forcing me to be there. That put things in perspective and made it totally my choice to stay, no matter how bad things got (I was sooo tempted to come home when I was out for sick 8 days after 1 day of training). Some CPs I talked to seemed more forced to be there...like it was a waste or failure if they didn't finish.

The CP is supposed to be all about experience and learning. I say advise your DD or DS to have FUN first, all that other stuff the program promises will come in time.

were you roommates with sadie and april?

 

[kroberts]

Hey, I was just looking over some housing stuff and noticed that they've raised the costs since the last time I looked. Some places it still says prices range from $75-$97 a week, but it seems the official prices are now between $80-$105. That's a considerable raise if you consider the fact that they haven't raised CP wages at all. Anybody heard any reasons for the increase?

JFYI: If you worked 30 hours a week at Disney's minimum, you'd have less than $100 a week after rent (assuming you're living in the $105 apartment).

 

[Joanna71985]

Hey, I was just looking over some housing stuff and noticed that they've raised the costs since the last time I looked. Some places it still says prices range from $75-$97 a week, but it seems the official prices are now between $80-$105. That's a considerable raise if you consider the fact that they haven't raised CP wages at all. Anybody heard any reasons for the increase?

JFYI: If you worked 30 hours a week at Disney's minimum, you'd have less than $100 a week after rent (assuming you're living in the $105 apartment).

None of the complexes are $105. The most expensive is around $91.

 

[khancock]

That's a considerable raise if you consider the fact that they haven't raised CP wages at all. Anybody heard any reasons for the increase?

Last time this happened, there was a wage increase. Bet one is coming.

 

[khancock]

None of the complexes are $105. The most expensive is around $91.

Actually...
http://www.wdwcollegeprogram.com/sap/its/mimes/zh_wdwcp/students/housing/housing_costs.html

Looks like that activities fee went up to. Wasn't it like $75? Now it is $100. That is a pretty big increase.

 

[Joanna71985]

Then it must be going up in Jan, since it wasn't that high for the Fall program.

 

[Berlioz70]

Actually...
http://www.wdwcollegeprogram.com/sap/its/mimes/zh_wdwcp/students/housing/housing_costs.html

Looks like that activities fee went up to. Wasn't it like $75? Now it is $100. That is a pretty big increase.

I'm not sure the last time that housing was increased, but wages were just increased January 2008. If the wages go up again, the students will get an e-mail telling them that, and how much the increase for their offered role will be.

 

[HarleyMom]

Hello all! My DS (19) is currently a CP and is having roommate troubles. There are 4 guys total in the apartment, and one of them (my DS's roommate) seems to be a trouble maker. He has been very hard to live with from day 1, but recently has also been breaking the rules. Lately, my DS has been woken up in the middle of the night (2:00 am or later) when this guy brings girls into the room and proceeds to sleep with them with my son in the room. I know that Disney does not allow guests after 1:00 am, so I know there's rules being broken here (not to mention how rude this is). My DS has also gotten up in the morning to find unknown girls sleeping on their couch, too. My DS doesn't want to say anything to the roommate for fear of retaliation (has happened before), but I don't want him or his other 2 roommates to get in trouble for the actions of this guy. Should I say something to Disney? Or to security? Should I convice my DS to talk to someone? Or should I stay out of it? What would you do?

 

[graygables]

My DD was a CP and said if roomie gets caught, they will ALL get a warning (3 warnings, you're out) if they did not report it. He needs to GO to security and bring them back so they can see the infraction and report it. That way, HE will be the one warned. The problem is, that will make for an ugly situation.

He does need to start keeping a log of dates/times this is going on to indicate a pattern of disrespect. He also needs to see how the other roommates feel about it and make sure they understand that THEY are on the chopping block, too.

If it were me, I'd tell the roommate that having relations with someone in the room is simply unacceptable and he is to take that kind of activity somewhere else. I also think he should go talk to someone about the situation (in his packet, there should be a number he can call, or he can call the Commons front desk)