College Program Parents Thread...

[photoluvsmom]

I was wondering if anyone can give me any information on the procedure when a cast member is returning home? Do they get help sending things home, do they have transportation from their housing to the airport, what time do they need to be out by, etc. Any and all information is appreciated.

 

[Berlioz70]

I was wondering if anyone can give me any information on the procedure when a cast member is returning home? Do they get help sending things home, do they have transportation from their housing to the airport, what time do they need to be out by, etc. Any and all information is appreciated.

They need to be out by 11, everything else is on their own.

 

[mickeys#1fan]

DD is a rising high school senior. She wants to major in theme park management, and Rosen is her top pick. We toured last week, and it looks great! Does CP count toward their requirement to work in a paid internship? Has it been a worthwhile experience for your kids?

 

[Traveliz]

DD is a rising high school senior. She wants to major in theme park management, and Rosen is her top pick. We toured last week, and it looks great! Does CP count toward their requirement to work in a paid internship? Has it been a worthwhile experience for your kids?

My daughter is a Senior at Rosen. The paid internships only count once you are a student but if she does a CP and then is a student at Rosen she can change her status to part time and count it as the paid internship from then out.

My daughter did junior college, then the CP for two semesters, then back here to do a couple of summer classes and then transferred to UCF Rosen. Some of the teachers she has had have been phenomenal - one was the former VP of entertainment at Disney, another a GM at Universal, lots of great experiences. Some of her field trips have included Halloween Horror Nights at Universal, a visit at the Peabody, gosh my mind is going blank. And there is a required guest lectures class that has had some really interesting speakers - one was the owner of the Mexican Cantina (and all of the other stuff she owns at Disney) before they started the renovations and she shared with the class what they were going to be doing.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me. We are an out of state (tuition) family also and I can share what I know about that with you as well.

Liz

 

[glendalais]

My daughter is a Senior at Rosen. The paid internships only count once you are a student but if she does a CP and then is a student at Rosen she can change her status to part time and count it as the paid internship from then out.

My daughter did junior college, then the CP for two semesters, then back here to do a couple of summer classes and then transferred to UCF Rosen. Some of the teachers she has had have been phenomenal - one was the former VP of entertainment at Disney, another a GM at Universal, lots of great experiences. Some of her field trips have included Halloween Horror Nights at Universal, a visit at the Peabody, gosh my mind is going blank. And there is a required guest lectures class that has had some really interesting speakers - one was the owner of the Mexican Cantina (and all of the other stuff she owns at Disney) before they started the renovations and she shared with the class what they were going to be doing.

If you have any questions feel free to PM me. We are an out of state (tuition) family also and I can share what I know about that with you as well.

Liz

This is all completely right. However let me just add that Rosen requires you work a certain number of hours per week or in the semester for it to count as credit. The exact number escapes me at the moment, but it's reasonable.

Rosen's a good school, and it fully utilizes its geographic situation to its advantage, which benefits the students.

Out of State tuition is absolutely ridiculous, though, and only getting worse. Florida Residency for Tuition Purposes is quite difficult to obtain (though not impossible), so you have to take that into consideration.

 

[Traveliz]

This is all completely right. However let me just add that Rosen requires you work a certain number of hours per week or in the semester for it to count as credit. The exact number escapes me at the moment, but it's reasonable.

Rosen's a good school, and it fully utilizes its geographic situation to its advantage, which benefits the students.

Out of State tuition is absolutely ridiculous, though, and only getting worse. Florida Residency for Tuition Purposes is quite difficult to obtain (though not impossible), so you have to take that into consideration.

I think its 16 hours - but I will say that my daughter was in the internships during the economic downturn yet was still employed at Disney and Rosen was very understanding of the fact students were not getting hours some weeks at all. They were equally understanding of all students who had gotten jobs but were not getting the hours.

Liz

 

[mickmom728]

FYI--if your DS or DD is going soon for Fall 2010--have them check the latest info about having renters insurance. I am reading that is required now. How do we show proof--would a copy of the policy be enough? Will they really be denied check-in if they don't have it?

 

[nltroxell]

Can any one tell me what is the most convenient Disney property for our family to stay at when we are checking our daughter in? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[kikiq]

Can any one tell me what is the most convenient Disney property for our family to stay at when we are checking our daughter in? Thanks in advance for your help.

We stayed at Saratoga Springs Resort which was just around the bend from Vista, or so it seemed. Old Key West and Port Orleans are also in that area. Closest value property would be POP.

 

[coorsie]

Can any one tell me what is the most convenient Disney property for our family to stay at when we are checking our daughter in? Thanks in advance for your help.

The Downtown Disney area is supposed to be the closest to where check-in is at Vista Way, so Disney hotels in that area would be your best bet. You'd still need to arrange for transportation to Vista Way the morning of, either by rental or taxi.

Most CPs that I've heard from have found it easiest to stay at the Holiday Inn Sunspree LBV if they're not interested in staying on-property, since it's right across the street from check-in.

 

[Lunchlady]

My daughter is planning on applying for 2011 spring. She would like to know more about the costuming role. Does anyone have any info on this role? Any words of advice would be great! Thanks

 

[Praise2Him]

My DD just did her CP in costuming this Spring and is still there working seasonally. From what I understand, you could be working in Cast Member Costuming (handing out costumes to cast members) or Entertainment Costuming (dressing cast members for parades, shows, etc.) You can request which one you want, but it's not guaranteed. It's a backstage role, so no contact with guests. It's pretty hard work - lots of heavy lifting, carrying, etc. For Entertainment Costuming the job includes getting all the costumes and accessories ready, helping dress the CM and then helping them undress afterwards, then laundering/cleaning everything and putting it away.
Hope that helps!

 

[kath2me]

this all seems pretty cool, how does one get into this vista thing, my DD took 12 Credits last spring semester at a Comm college and has enrolled into 12 credits for the fall, so what I'm asking is, how does one get into this set up ?
we Will be down to DW in Dec for 5 Days, and was wondering if I might be able to have her look at it ?

 

[bellaDisneydncr]

this all seems pretty cool, how does one get into this vista thing, my DD took 12 Credits last spring semester at a Comm college and has enrolled into 12 credits for the fall, so what I'm asking is, how does one get into this set up ?
we Will be down to DW in Dec for 5 Days, and was wondering if I might be able to have her look at it ?

Do you mean Vista Way? or the whole College Program?

Vista Way is one of the apartment complexes for the College Program. If she does the CP, she could possibly live at Vista Way.

To look into and apply for the college program- have her visit www.wdwcollegeprogram.com . There you both can see how it works and how to apply.

As for seeing things when your in WDW, your best way to learn about it is asking Cast Members in the parks who have colleges or universities listed on their nametags instead of hometowns- these are CP's. They'll be the best ones to ask, since I don't believe there is any way to actually go and hear about the CP in WDW. The first time I heard about it in WDW was talking to a CM who was on the program.

Hope that helped!

 

[Berlioz70]

this all seems pretty cool, how does one get into this vista thing, my DD took 12 Credits last spring semester at a Comm college and has enrolled into 12 credits for the fall, so what I'm asking is, how does one get into this set up ?
we Will be down to DW in Dec for 5 Days, and was wondering if I might be able to have her look at it ?

Unfortunately, Vista is a private residence that you cannot drive into. There are a couple threads with maps of the apartment complexes that you can drive by to see, you just will not be able to go inside.

To sign up for the CP, your DD first must attend a presentation. These are offered at a handful of higher education institutions around the world. The other option is to watch the presentation on-line.

After the presentation, the next step is to apply. This is an internship program so it works like a typical job application.

After applying she will participate in the web-based interview.

If she passes the web-based interview, then she'll be invited to a phone interview.

If she passes the phone interview, then she'll be offered a role for the program.

The program includes housing (cost is deducted from the weekly paychecks), as well as additional course work (which is optional).

Some students will take on-line course with their home institution so they can remain a student. Some will work out an agreement with their institution to take the Disney courses for credit (some colleges do not support the program so this may not be an option). Other students will take a semester off from college and just work.

That's a very high level overview - check out the official DCP website for more specific information.

 

[kath2me]

thanks that was alot of help I will look more into this.

 

[meganDCP2010]

this all seems pretty cool, how does one get into this vista thing, my DD took 12 Credits last spring semester at a Comm college and has enrolled into 12 credits for the fall, so what I'm asking is, how does one get into this set up ?
we Will be down to DW in Dec for 5 Days, and was wondering if I might be able to have her look at it ?

Since you can't go to see Vista or any of the other CP complexes, you could always talk to people who are doing the CP and ask them questions about the program, housing, etc.

Or if you or your DD happen to know someone, then maybe they can show you around.

 

[Itinkso]

this all seems pretty cool, how does one get into this vista thing, my DD took 12 Credits last spring semester at a Comm college and has enrolled into 12 credits for the fall, so what I'm asking is, how does one get into this set up ?
we Will be down to DW in Dec for 5 Days, and was wondering if I might be able to have her look at it ?

You or your daughter can also check YouTube for Vista Way videos. If you Google: Vista Way WDW College Program youtube or something similar you should be able to see a variety of videos. My daughter did this before arriving so she had a good idea of where she would pick. When she arrived in June, the available apartments were at Vista Way and Chatham - nothing was available at Patterson at that time; she chose Vista and is quite happy there. Good luck to your daughter!

 

[ptc]

My daughter is a CP Alum. She was in the program for most of 2009, then returned in May as an alum. She extended her program and will now be in DW until January 2011.

I was hoping that she could take five to seven days off at the end of August so I could fly her home for a "vacation"; I know -- a vacation from Disney sounds strange.

She says asking for time off has to be done months in advance. I can't believe this is so, since she wouldn't be getting paid for it. It would be basically her regular two days off plus three or four days.

What's the procedure for asking for time off? She seems to think that decisions are made in a very arbitrary way; I think that even if her immediate managers are sticklers for procedure, there must be someone at a high management position who she could appeal to.

Any suggestions?

 

[kikiq]

She says asking for time off has to be done months in advance. I can't believe this is so, since she wouldn't be getting paid for it. It would be basically her regular two days off plus three or four days.

What's the procedure for asking for time off? She seems to think that decisions are made in a very arbitrary way; I think that even if her immediate managers are sticklers for procedure, there must be someone at a high management position who she could appeal to.

Any suggestions?

When my DD came home to see her new niece in October 09, she had arranged that in June when she arrived. She also arranged for time off when we visited in Aug09 before she even left for Orlando. I don't think it's arbitrary but rather done as any large corporation would handle it. My suggestion would be that she work out trades with co workers so that she could get maybe get those days off but that would mean she would be working many days straight before and after her trip home. My DD did that and it's not something she was willing to do again anytime soon. Especially if the shifts turn into longer days and many days in a row.