Daughter is going to College Intern Program

[mirmatt]

Does anyone have anyone they know who went to Disney for this program? My daughter is so excited to work and be there for seven months. Is there any discount for hotels as I am taking her there in June and wondered if I can get a discount since she will be a cast member. Love to hear from anyone about this. Thanks, Marla

 

[BethR]

Don't know about any discounts - but Congratulations and Good Luck to your DD.
I am sure that it will be a wonderful 7 months for her!

 

[jk1]

First, congratulations to your daughter! I hope the experience is everything she hopes it to be.

My daughter is down at WDW right now on the WDWCP. After your daughter is checked in and finishes Traditions, she will get her WDW CM ID and be able to get resort rooms at a very nice CM discount. But that won't help you any when you are taking her there to check-in.

What job role did your daughter get? My daughter is loving her time on the WDWCP!

 

[mirmatt]

She isn't sure exactly what the job is, but it seems to be hostessing. I guess they don't give the exact info. until they are there. Did you fly in with your daughter? How old is she. (My daughter will be 19 in May) My daughter is not driving so she is relying on the buses...... This will be by daughters first time away from home as she attends college in town. We are quite familiar with the parks since we go atleast once a year. Did the rooming setup work out well for your daughter? How many others does she room with? Do you visit much? How long has she been and will she be there? (My d is going from June to January.) Thanks for getting back to me. I would love to hear about the experience and possibly things that might help to know. Marla

 

[safetymom]

My daughter is in the program now. She loves it. This was her first time away from home.

No they don't offer hotel discounts when you take them down. We stayed at the Courtyard by Marriott Downtown because it is very close to where they have to check in.

She loved the CP program so much that she extended for another term and is looking into the advanced internship program.

If she knows anyone else that is going down be sure to have them check in together. Otherwise you are assigned roommates by the people in line behind you.

Her first apartment the roommates weren't very nice but this time she went for a 2 bedroom instead of a 3 bedroom. That was the only time I was worried.

My daughter didn't take a car and the bus service to work and school is great. They also have transporation to different stores for shopping.

My daughter is a Rescue Ranger at Epcot, that means she goes where they need her. She loves it.

We have been down to Disney 5 times since she got on the program. Several times a year they get 2 free 1 day Park Hopper passes.

 

[jk1]

My daughter has her car there. So I drove down with her and then flew home. I have been down there every month since she started. It's great having such an excuse to go to WDW!

She is in attractions in Fantasyland and loves it. One of her roommates is a hostess at the Crystal Palace.

Her roommates worked out great. They are in a 2 bedroom apartment. One of the roommates did leave the program early and return home, but not due to roommate problems.

Although my daughter has a car there, the majority of WDWCP'ers do not and do fine with the bus transportation. Plus you make friends with those that have cars!

My daughter turned 20 while on the program. She spent her first year of college away from home, so she had no problem being away for the program. Besides, I keep going back down to visit and take her boyfriend with me! LOL

My daughter is on the Spring program so she'll only be there for 4 months. But she is auditioning for a character role and if she gets that will go back for the Fall Program. She is also planning on an advanced internship later in college.

Feel free to email me. DOn't want to bore others on this board.

 

[safetymom]

I would like to see others post to this board. I am sure there are others that are interested and posting would help them.

I don't think that folks would find this topic any more boring than some of the others topics.

 

[jk1]

True safetymom, it might even inspire somebody to apply for the program!

 

[safetymom]

I can remember my daughter sitting at CBR at Christmas 2001 wishing she could work for WDW.

Her wish came true. Disney truly is a magical place.

 

[nancyv58]

My daughter did the program from August until Jan. she loved it, she had 7 roommates. She decided not to go back to school in Indiana and now she is going to school in Orlando. She is still working for Disney part-time while going to school. Of her 7 roommates I believe 3 others transferred to schools in Florida and one more will be coming back in August. So don't be surprised if your daughter decides she likes it so much that she wants to stay LOL. I went down only once while she was on the program (for fall break) and went in December to bring her some furniture for her new apartment and just got back last week for our Spring Break. The only problem is how far it is from Indiana. She is 19 and had already spent one year away from home in college so she had no problems being away.

 

[disneyfan551]

Its hard to believe it as I type it, but...it was 13 years ago that I was on the CP! And, it was truly the best time of my life! She will learn so much and will also be able to have a blast while she is there! And, it doesn't hurt that it will look great on her resume! In every interview that I have had, the Disney ? always comes up!

Congrats to your daughter! There is a huge pool of applicants and she's one of the lucky few (1,000.. )!

Don't worry about her, Disney thinks of everything. She will be in good hands...

 

[BuzzMe]

My daughter has been "in the program" since January. She's due to come home mid-May, but she's already talking about staying longer! She works as a "Merchandise Hostess"(read salesperson) in the Emporium in MK and absolutely loves it. She's 19 and has been away at college for a year so she's used to being away from home. She lives in an apartment for eight, though 2 roomates quit and one moved out. The housing that Disney provides is terrific-gated/guarded, transportation to work and shopping, pool. DD is rooming with her best friend from college and another college friend is doing the program also. DD doesn't have a car, but one of the roomates does and she finds the bus system quite adequate. DD is taking one of the courses offered by Disney. Her dean wouldn't approve the program for college credit but her roomate (same school, different dean) is getting 12 credits for an independent study. This has been such a fabulous experience for Jen! We've been to visit twice and have 2 more trips planned before she's finished.

 

[jk1]

OMG BuzzMe! What a small world! One of my daughter's roommates was also in the Emporium! That's the one who quit the program. And I am going down the same time you are for a visit with my daughter! I've been to visit once since I left her there and also have 2 more trips planned!

Is your daughter in Vista or Chatham? My daughter is also scheduled to come home in mid-May, but is talking about doing the character auditions so she can go back in the fall.

Sing together now....it's a small world after all!

 

[house_of_princesses]

If I may ask, what is this program and to what benefit does one temporarily leave college for it? (Especially if credits aren't awarded.) Our oldest is only 10, but I can hear the requst coming already.... but I want to work for Mickey!

 

[prince of thieves]

there is a great benefit to the college program. It isn't exactly true about college credit not being rewarded, it all depends on the student's major and the school that they attend because they are the ones that decide if any credit is given.

To continue, there are classes that students can take. These classes are ranked as some of the best business classes in the world. They are pass/fail classes which means that a letter grade is not given. I've heard that some students are going back just so that they can take more classes. you are not required to take a class if you don't want to.

This is also a wonderful opportunity for the student to leave home for a bit and to discover who he/she really is. They will meet tons of new people make friends for life and all sorts of wonderful things. I myself have applied to the college program twice. The first time i was accepted into the program but decided not to go because i wanted to get a couple of college years behind me. The second time that i applied was this past wednesday. My interview was on thursday and should be getting my acceptance letter sometime really soon. I do not know yet if i want to take a class or not but if i do it will probably be a communications class (since i am a comm major).

If you want, do a simple search on this site for "college program" and you will pull up a few posts about it.


JAM

 

[safetymom]

My daughter has taken several of the Disney classes and this semester is taking two of them taught by Disney and UCF. Her home school would not give credit so she enrolled in Central Michigan Univ. so she would get the credits. She will probably go to Univ. of Central Florida in the fall because she wants to stay down there. She has really enjoyed the classes. Once our hourse sells here we are moving to FL.

 

[BuzzMe]

jk1, my daughter is living in Chatham. She spends alot of time over at the nearby outlet!! We were disappointed that her dean would not allow the credits-I feel that if the college allows Disney to recruit on the campus, than the program should be recognized for credit by all departments. However, the experience of working, studying, and living at WDW is an opportunity that we felt she couldn't pass up. I think we're going to have to drag her kicking and screaming onto the plane!

 

[prince of thieves]

i think that both my parents will be doing the same thing to me and i also think that my mom will be kicking and screaming b/c she won't be able to stay down there with me


JAM

 

[Kurry]

May I ask how hard the audition/interview process was? I am interested in applying next semester and I was just wondering what it is like.

Thanks!

 

[prince of thieves]

Just think of it as just another job interview. They are normally done as group interviews with a max of three people at one time. the first time that i was interviewed was with the recruiter but this past interview was with the manager of the confectionary which i thought was pretty interesting. They will ask you a few questions to get an idea of who you are and whether or not you are the right person to be there.

One specific question that i remember is this:

"Ok, John, here is the situation. You work at Rockn' Rollercoaster and it just shut down for some technical reason. Also, you just had a guest come up that has been waiting their whole life to ride that particular ride. What do you tell them?"

You then proceed to give them your answer to how you feel fit. For me personally, i was all about being creative and coming up with my own answers instead of the same generic answers that you give to any generic questions that they give you. I say that b/c when they look over all the transcripts (and they have a ton to look at after the day is done) they will be able to remember your face with that particular answer that you gave during your interview.

I hope this helps
JAM