College Program Parents Thread...

[checkwriter]

Thanks, BadDad, Traveliz, AnnaS, and leeg229! That's very helpful info! Fortunately DS has learned to be very frugal and so it sounds as though he should be fine.

 

[jobro912]

I will probably go with the Walmart Gift Cards...My son is frugal, but occasionally will make some random, and I mean really random purchase online. Hopefully with the gift cards he will buy something useful...like food.

 

[edk35]

Just wondering to what extent our DS is going to need to tap the old parental piggybank during his time at WDW? He was accepted on Monday, in Recreation, and there's no question he's going (Fall Advantage), and of course we're very excited/jealous for him. But at minimum wage, with living expenses and a car (paid for by M&D), phone (paid for by M&D), and health insurance (paid for by M&D) . . . wait a minute, he's already tapping us plenty . . .

That said, do any of you anticipate chipping in on a regular basis and, if so, what are we looking at here? $50/week? More??? (Please say less . . .)

We basically reimbursed our daughter for some things. She got sick SEVERAL times while doing the program. So I always reimbursed her checking acct. for copays and meds. My parents sent her gift cards to restaurants and they gave her a Disney gift card for her to use in the parks. IF she needed anything we made sure she had it. She did really well on her small salary while there though. When we went down with her to get her settled, we bought her lots of groceries, toiletries and things so she had lasted a good while too.

 

[checkwriter]

Fortunately he's been living on his own at school since sophomore year, even over one summer when he had an (unpaid) internship. He's pretty good at fending for himself, though I do wish he'd do more actual cooking in place of pizza-popped-in-the-ovening. But this feedback is very helpful in letting us know what to expect. Thanks!

 

[BadDad]

He's pretty good at fending for himself, though I do wish he'd do more actual cooking in place of pizza-popped-in-the-ovening.

LOL!

To this day, My S states he never wants to eat another "Healthy Choice" or "Hungry Man" microwave meal.

He did Spring Adv

 

[checkwriter]

Well he and his housemates do grill quite a bit - burgers, mostly, but chicken when they're feeling ambitios. Do the apartments have grills on site?

 

[RogerRadcliffe]

Well let me use my own experience as an example. I had monthly bills consisting of Car $175, Cell $50, Credit Card ~$70 and a tank of gas every other week $60 (gas was $3.97 and I don't exactly drive an efficient car). My average check was $160 (after rent) and I entered the program with $1000 in savings. Every month I was able to pay off all of my responsibilities and still have enough money to buy food, go out, buy souvenirs etc.... and I ended the program with $700 in the bank because towards the end I went nuts buying things for my family. This time around I'll be going down with 0 credit card debt and I will have finished paying off my car sometime in October so I'll have it much easier! So if all he has to do is buy his own gas/food there should be no need for you to send him money.

If you just want to send him extra spending money $50 is more than enough!

This is definitely a great sign! I'm planning on buying a new(er) car beforehand, and having to pay for insurance and gas on a monthly basis had me slightly worried since I'm not going to have much help. I'd much rather not delve farther into my savings then I have to, you know?

Even greater if I have spending money!

We basically reimbursed our daughter for some things. She got sick SEVERAL times while doing the program. So I always reimbursed her checking acct. for copays and meds. My parents sent her gift cards to restaurants and they gave her a Disney gift card for her to use in the parks. IF she needed anything we made sure she had it. She did really well on her small salary while there though. When we went down with her to get her settled, we bought her lots of groceries, toiletries and things so she had lasted a good while too.

If your daughter hasn't already told you, you're excellently wonderful parents for helping her out with everything! Especially the gift cards would be a tremendous help with everything. Maybe I can convince them for my birthday.

Mine are going to be helping with my medical-related expenses while I'm in Florida, which is really great. They're still trying to figure it out in how they'll reimburse me with everything, even though I'll have an account still at home. Any advice on reimbursing checking accounts?

Thanks, and Have a magical day!

 

[jobro912]

My son and I have accounts at the same bank, and I am able to transfer funds to his account from mine pretty easily...so you might look into that.

 

[Hollsey]

This is definitely a great sign! I'm planning on buying a new(er) car beforehand, and having to pay for insurance and gas on a monthly basis had me slightly worried since I'm not going to have much help. I'd much rather not delve farther into my savings then I have to, you know?

Even greater if I have spending money!


If your daughter hasn't already told you, you're excellently wonderful parents for helping her out with everything! Especially the gift cards would be a tremendous help with everything. Maybe I can convince them for my birthday.

Mine are going to be helping with my medical-related expenses while I'm in Florida, which is really great. They're still trying to figure it out in how they'll reimburse me with everything, even though I'll have an account still at home. Any advice on reimbursing checking accounts?

Thanks, and Have a magical day!

I'd talk to your bank, like another poster said. My account is not linked to my dad's, but he was able to send me money when he needed. My sister, who doesn't even have the same bank as my own (at least, I don't think s) worked it out to send me money ahead of time when I got her discounted park tickets, so it's definitely possible. Not sure how they did it, but I know that they made it work.

 

[checkwriter]

Any advice on reimbursing checking accounts?

There are a couple of ways. One easy way is for your parents simply to deposit a check/cash in to your account - this works best if there is branch of your bank that is near them.

Second, many banks now have phone apps where all you need to do to deposit a check is to take a picture of the front and back of the check and the app deposits it for you. If your bank has this, they can just send you a check.

Third, they can 'snail mail' you a check and you can deposit it the old-fashioned way (in person or via ATM).

Fourth, if you both have PayPal accounts, they can send you money via PayPal. If their PayPal account is linked to their bank account, they can send the money for free. You can get a PayPal debit card and just use the balance in your PayPal account like a bank account. Or you can link your PayPal account to your bank account, and transfer the funds that way; though this can take a few days to process. (I'll just note that not everybody is a fan of PayPal; their policies can seem a bit arbitrary sometimes.)

Fifth, there is the whole account-linking thing mentioned above - if both of you have accounts at the same bank, they can just go on line and make a transfer.

 

[BadDad]

My son and I have accounts at the same bank, and I am able to transfer funds to his account from mine pretty easily...so you might look into that.

Disney has it's own banking system arrangment for paychecks.

Honestly, unless you're kid is going clubbing, you won't need to send them money. I only paid for cellphone and medical.

 

[carol-lamb]

The only money I have given my daughter since she has been there (end of January) was to reimburse her for things she bought with her discount for myself, my mom, sister and niece when we were there a couple of weeks ago. I did an online transfer into her account. She has not asked me for money and every time I ask her if she needs any, she says no. She went grocery shopping yesterday at Target and said she spent almost her entire check on food and toiletries. She does not eat out often and most days packs a lunch for work. She is a safari driver at AK and because the attraction closes at dusk, she doesn't get some of the crazy hours I have heard about other kids getting. For that reason, her paychecks might be a little less than others. I pay for her phone and her car is paid for. She does have her car with her and pays for her own gas. I do check every so often as to what she has in her account and I wouldn't hesitate to add some "extra" if her balance were to get fairly low. I can see what she is spending and buying and there is nothing out of the ordinary. So far she is doing well managing her money and spending.

 

[checkwriter]

My DS found this well-written "Disney College Program Survival Guide," apparently written for University of North Carolina - Wilmington. Well done, easy to read, and it includes a nice list of what to bring.

 

[jking6]

My daughter just applied this week to extend. She is supposed to be gone on May 31st. She wants to keep her current role - safari driver (Kilimanjaro Safari)! If she gets accepted, we will have some logistics to figure out as her brother is getting married on July 27th and she is a bridesmaid. She would end her college program on August 2nd. I would probably have to send her dress down to Florida to have it fitted. All the worries fall on me, but she is having so much fun down there and loves her job.

I see your daughter wants to switch roles if she extends. Out of 8 girls in my DD apartment 2 were offered extensions. My DD was one of them but she turned it down as they wanted her to stay in Photopass. But about a week or so later she got an email whch said she must reply with 24 hours and she was offered an extention as a character attendant. I felt sorry for the other girls who really wanted to stay. My DD loves it and is there until May 10th. She is ready to come home for a while but already talking about applying for a professional internship when the time comes.

My DD has asked in advance for time off and is coming home again next week for 8 days. One of her roommates last semester had to leave a week early for college and as long as it was no more than 10 days they let her sign out early. That is the most they can miss while there. Your DD may be able to leave before the wedding its worth a shot. they might approve it.

 

[jking6]

Is he 21 before the start of his program? If so he's eligible to choose between wellness and non-wellness. I'd honestly recommend non-wellness as it's 21+ and there's no concern for alcohol.

If he's not then he will be automatically placed in wellness, where the alcohol rule stands. He's honestly not the only one seriously concerned about the matter, but if you find the right group you'll be fine. There's always been the concern of "What if someone brings alcohol in" which won't be if you're with the right people.

Either way, I'd definitely recommend him checking out the Facebook Groups, Tumblr Roommates and here on the Disboards for roommates. Just find someone that you'll get along with well.

Have a Magical Day!

I totally agree. My DD is there now and the problem seems to be the under 21 with alcohol and some one in the apartment over 21. If someone under 21 brings in the alcohol the 21 year old gets the boot and full blame. At registration get there early I mean (5am) so he gets a better place to stay. Have him stay anywhere but VISTA. From what I hear from alot of people is that Vista is the party rooms. If you walk up to a cast member ask about the program that is the advice we got. Good luck

 

[Hollsey]

Disney has it's own banking system arrangment for paychecks.

Honestly, unless you're kid is going clubbing, you won't need to send them money. I only paid for cellphone and medical.

With all the respect in the world, I REALLY wouldn't recommend using Disney's system. I had issues with my direct deposit and all of my paychecks for my first month went onto my payroll card. I had enough money on my debit card to get me through, and I completely forgot about my payroll card and rarely used it aside from withdrawing money to use on my laundry. Basically all the money that I had on it was gone by the time I got home, and I know for a fact I had at least $50 on it. I've heard other people say the same thing, that it comes with hidden fees and everything. If you want your son/daughter to be good with his/her money without you needing to send anything, using Disney's payroll card is not the way to do it.

Some people like the convenience of it, but I think it's well worth figuring out direct deposit. My nearest bank was 30 minutes away, and I knew people with a car that could take me there if there were any emergencies, but I never needed to go there. (I could go way more in depth than this, but you get the basics I hope!)

Sorry I just get really nervous when people mention the convenience of those things because they are FAR from convenient.

 

[carol-lamb]

I see your daughter wants to switch roles if she extends. Out of 8 girls in my DD apartment 2 were offered extensions. My DD was one of them but she turned it down as they wanted her to stay in Photopass. But about a week or so later she got an email whch said she must reply with 24 hours and she was offered an extention as a character attendant. I felt sorry for the other girls who really wanted to stay. My DD loves it and is there until May 10th. She is ready to come home for a while but already talking about applying for a professional internship when the time comes.

My DD has asked in advance for time off and is coming home again next week for 8 days. One of her roommates last semester had to leave a week early for college and as long as it was no more than 10 days they let her sign out early. That is the most they can miss while there. Your DD may be able to leave before the wedding its worth a shot. they might approve it.

No - my daughter wants to keep her current role! She is a safari driver at Animal Kingdom and loves it. She has heard that you have a better chance of being offered an extension if you keep your current role. They will start notifying applicants around March 27th - so we shall see! I was down there two weeks ago and while I was waiting to ride on her safari, one of her managers came out to talk to me and she said my daughter was doing a good job. I have no idea how they decide who they offer extensions to or what it is based on.

 

[DISshopkeeper]

With all the respect in the world, I REALLY wouldn't recommend using Disney's system. I had issues with my direct deposit and all of my paychecks for my first month went onto my payroll card. I had enough money on my debit card to get me through, and I completely forgot about my payroll card and rarely used it aside from withdrawing money to use on my laundry. Basically all the money that I had on it was gone by the time I got home, and I know for a fact I had at least $50 on it. I've heard other people say the same thing, that it comes with hidden fees and everything. If you want your son/daughter to be good with his/her money without you needing to send anything, using Disney's payroll card is not the way to do it.

Some people like the convenience of it, but I think it's well worth figuring out direct deposit. My nearest bank was 30 minutes away, and I knew people with a car that could take me there if there were any emergencies, but I never needed to go there. (I could go way more in depth than this, but you get the basics I hope!)

Sorry I just get really nervous when people mention the convenience of those things because they are FAR from convenient.

ditto this. DD has some sort of trouble with that system, too, I can't remember the specifics. She could not WAIT to get direct deposit to her "regular" bank.

 

[jking6]

With all the respect in the world, I REALLY wouldn't recommend using Disney's system. I had issues with my direct deposit and all of my paychecks for my first month went onto my payroll card. I had enough money on my debit card to get me through, and I completely forgot about my payroll card and rarely used it aside from withdrawing money to use on my laundry. Basically all the money that I had on it was gone by the time I got home, and I know for a fact I had at least $50 on it. I've heard other people say the same thing, that it comes with hidden fees and everything. If you want your son/daughter to be good with his/her money without you needing to send anything, using Disney's payroll card is not the way to do it.

Some people like the convenience of it, but I think it's well worth figuring out direct deposit. My nearest bank was 30 minutes away, and I knew people with a car that could take me there if there were any emergencies, but I never needed to go there. (I could go way more in depth than this, but you get the basics I hope!)

Sorry I just get really nervous when people mention the convenience of those things because they are FAR from convenient.

I agree as well. If you use a credit union thats local to your home town they can use the Credit union ATM back stage and not get charged for withdrawals. Most credit unions work that way with each other. Thats what my daughter does now.

 

[jking6]

No - my daughter wants to keep her current role! She is a safari driver at Animal Kingdom and loves it. She has heard that you have a better chance of being offered an extension if you keep your current role. They will start notifying applicants around March 27th - so we shall see! I was down there two weeks ago and while I was waiting to ride on her safari, one of her managers came out to talk to me and she said my daughter was doing a good job. I have no idea how they decide who they offer extensions to or what it is based on.

I hope your daughter gets her extention. My daughter is now waiting to see if she can go seasonal. She extended in January and is done in May but wishes to stay seasonal.
Lets hope they both get what they want! Good Luck