Disney College Program for Parents Thread...

[Aiden]

Does anyone know if you can take classes when participating in the Spring Advantage Quarter?

 

[brigadoon]

Hi. My daughter arrived from Scotland this week and has been told she'll be a lifeguard at Wilderness Lodge, which is fine by her. As she understandably wants to spend all her free time sightseeing, shopping and partying with her new friends, she's only giving us minimal info by email.

I'd just like to know what hours lifeguards work, how many days per week and also if they can change location at any point. I'm sure she'd like to experience working at other hotels and one of the water parks, but I'm not sure if it would be possible.

 

[mickey4ever]

Hi! My daughter and I are very very close. We will be taking her to Disneyworld to start her intership on Aug. 8th. She has to be checked in by Aug. 12th. We go to Disney every year so she is familiar with the parks and the way of the World. I know it is going to be hard to leave her there and say goodbye on the 16th. and that 5 months isn't that long. Please give me any advice that will help me make it easier on us.

 

[kikiq]

Hi! My daughter and I are very very close. We will be taking her to Disneyworld to start her intership on Aug. 8th. She has to be checked in by Aug. 12th. We go to Disney every year so she is familiar with the parks and the way of the World. I know it is going to be hard to leave her there and say goodbye on the 16th. and that 5 months isn't that long. Please give me any advice that will help me make it easier on us.

We leave in a week to check my youngest daughter in on June 15th. And she turns 21 while at the World. So far, we have scheduled the whole family for WDW in August and we will video chat between our two macs. I plan on sending her care packages and snail mail letters with pictures of her dog. I don't know that it will be any easier to leave them when your family is so close. My oldest is expecting in Nov and my youngest is upset that she will not be here when the baby is born. All I can say is thank goodness for our macs and video chatting.

 

[tlynk]

Hi! My daughter and I are very very close. We will be taking her to Disneyworld to start her internship on Aug. 8th. She has to be checked in by Aug. 12th. We go to Disney every year so she is familiar with the parks and the way of the World. I know it is going to be hard to leave her there and say goodbye on the 16th. and that 5 months isn't that long. Please give me any advice that will help me make it easier on us.

I'm taking my DD in August as well. It still hasn't really sank in yet! I could use some advice as well- I feel for you. I'm sooo nervous about DD using the bus system in the wee hours (if she works late). There is no way she can bring her car this trip.

Does anyone know if there are lots of students on the buses? I'm worried about where she will be picked up and dropped off and if there will be people around in well lighted areas? Does the bus pick up and drop off students in the apartment complex or do they have to walk in? The unknown is not sitting well with me.

 

[Joanna71985]

I'm taking my DD in August as well. It still hasn't really sank in yet! I could use some advice as well- I feel for you. I'm sooo nervous about DD using the bus system in the wee hours (if she works late). There is no way she can bring her car this trip.

Does anyone know if there are lots of students on the buses? I'm worried about where she will be picked up and dropped off and if there will be people around in well lighted areas? Does the bus pick up and drop off students in the apartment complex or do they have to walk in? The unknown is not sitting well with me.

For all of my CPs (and will be for my upcoming CP), I didn't have a car, so had to use the buses. I never had too many problems with them (for the most part), and there were always other people on the buses. The buses drop off inside of Vista, and drop off right in front of Chatham. However, those at Patterson have to walk back (the buses do not stop at Patterson).

 

[tlynk]

For all of my CPs (and will be for my upcoming CP), I didn't have a car, so had to use the buses. I never had too many problems with them (for the most part), and there were always other people on the buses. The buses drop off inside of Vista, and drop off right in front of Chatham. However, those at Patterson have to walk back (the buses do not stop at Patterson).

Thank you! I will need to make sure she tries to stay at Vista or Chathom.

 

[GreatWideSomewhere]

Another thing to consider is that whenever I was getting off the buses after working into the early morning hours, there were always other people getting off with me, not to mention others out and around the complex.

My Mom worried about me at first too, but we did okay. Although, when one of my friend's parents learned we had to walk through the complex to get to our apartment, she told us to use the jugs of milk we had just bought to defend ourselves... It was pretty funny imagining what that might look like! Thank goodness we never ran into any problems.

 

[tlynk]

Another thing to consider is that whenever I was getting off the buses after working into the early morning hours, there were always other people getting off with me, not to mention others out and around the complex.

My Mom worried about me at first too, but we did okay. Although, when one of my friend's parents learned we had to walk through the complex to get to our apartment, she told us to use the jugs of milk we had just bought to defend ourselves... It was pretty funny imagining what that might look like! Thank goodness we never ran into any problems.

Milk jugs! I like that one!

 

[mrsmith]

My daughter just finished the college program. She said riding on the bus was very safe, but........ if we had to do it over again, we would let her take a car. She was a character performer and went to all the parks. Sometimes it would take her over 90 minutes to get from her apartment at Chatham to her work spot, especially during the busy season. She had a great time and her only complaint was the bus system. Sometimes the bus would be late, one time it didn't show up at all, and the drivers were unkind (definately not Disney employees). She knew other cp's who had voiced their concerns to Disney, but nothing was ever done about it, and evidently it has been a problem for many years. CP's are just told to leave 2 hours early. On the plus side, she did read a lot of books sitting on the bus for so many hours! We are from a small town where you can drive anywhere in 10 minutes. She said she would never live in the big city because of the transportation.

 

[tlynk]

My daughter just finished the college program. She said riding on the bus was very safe, but........ if we had to do it over again, we would let her take a car. She was a character performer and went to all the parks. Sometimes it would take her over 90 minutes to get from her apartment at Chatham to her work spot, especially during the busy season. She had a great time and her only complaint was the bus system. Sometimes the bus would be late, one time it didn't show up at all, and the drivers were unkind (definately not Disney employees). She knew other cp's who had voiced their concerns to Disney, but nothing was ever done about it, and evidently it has been a problem for many years. CP's are just told to leave 2 hours early. On the plus side, she did read a lot of books sitting on the bus for so many hours! We are from a small town where you can drive anywhere in 10 minutes. She said she would never live in the big city because of the transportation.

This is what I was afraid of. There is no way DD can bring her car- I wish she could. Having a bus driver not show up is a scary thought. I'm going to turn gray before she returns home. I know this is her choice to do this program and she is excited and thankful she got accepted, but as a parent it is going to be hard for me.

 

[balletskater]

HI, my daughter is there now and has been since January .She is there till August and has always used the bus system She is also a Character Performer and said yes it could be some extra time getting to your set but all in all she was is just fine with it. She has never encountered any unkind drivers and no matter her hours were she always had people around .So dont anyone worry they will be safe .I do recomend asking for Chatham since the bus stop is right there and there is plenty of security watching as you walk past the gate .Your id must be shown before you can pass. Also,do arrive early for check in so your request may be honored if possible.

 

[Mommy Ursula]

I have a question for someone who knows these things. When will my new CPer be able to have access to park discounts? We got an e-mail saying her free main gate passes will be mailed to her after she completes her first week of work. But does this include discounted park tickets, or is she able to access ticket discounts in the Hub??

 

[balletskater]

The main gate pass will indeed be mailed to your cper .At that time she will have access to 6 free entrys to any park total of 3 guests a day. She will then be able to use her card for dining discounts and other things that are available to them Nothing else as far as i know will be mailed . Hope this helps a little.

 

[Joanna71985]

I have a question for someone who knows these things. When will my new CPer be able to have access to park discounts? We got an e-mail saying her free main gate passes will be mailed to her after she completes her first week of work. But does this include discounted park tickets, or is she able to access ticket discounts in the Hub??

The Maingate is mailed, aprox 2 weeks later (I believe). As for other discounts, those are available from the ID (which is received at Traditions, on Day 3). So once she gets the ID, she can purchase tickets at Company D.

 

[Moeluv4u7]

I came here to look for info on the program as a whole- My son is a Senior in HS- He would love to be an Imaginer and I have been looking as to how he can get into a program/internship to learn all that the Imagineers do.
Also, Does Disney still do the Y.E.S. Program? I thought that was open to HS students.
We live in NC and which college/university he will be attending is still up in the air- He can about go anywhere he wants- & it may even be an out of state school.

What do you have to do to get info on the program and how would it effect his courses/schedule during the normal school year?

I will hope to see an answer here before I do a seperate post- Thx to anyone with info for a green newbie to the College Program.

 

[Berlioz70]

I came here to look for info on the program as a whole- My son is a Senior in HS- He would love to be an Imaginer and I have been looking as to how he can get into a program/internship to learn all that the Imagineers do.

There are a couple Imagineering specific things... first is the Imagineering internships: http://disney.go.com/disneycareers/internships/walt_disney_imagineering.html

The second is the ImaginNations, the imagineering competition: http://disney.go.com/disneycareers/imaginations/

Also, Does Disney still do the Y.E.S. Program? I thought that was open to HS students.

Yes, they still do the YES program. Do you mean open to HS students as guests or presenters? It would not be open to them to be presenters, however, he can participate (grades k-12).

What do you have to do to get info on the program and how would it effect his courses/schedule during the normal school year?

To get info follow the webiste. Here is the website for the College Program: http://disney.go.com/disneycareers/disneycollegeprogram/

Here is the webiste for other professional internships: http://disney.go.com/disneycareers/internships/home.html

School respond differently to the different internship programs offered. Some love the CPs and send lots of students who can maintain full time status through internship credits or on-line courses, etc. Others do not recognize it and will require the student takes a semester off in order to participate.

The CP is a great foot into the company, it has little involvement with Imagineering, but it does get the student into front line work and as a current CM it is much appreciated if a person comes from the front line.

It's the PIs and MIs that will allow your son to get connected to Imagineering. Most students will do the CP before they do another internship, but some will jump straight into the internship option. Most interns are reserved for upperclassmen (juniors/seniors) whereas the CP is great for all ages and education levels (I did after getting my masters in fact).

If you've got some time... there are about a million posts between the three CP sticky threads, anything you can probably think to ask is probably answered somewhere in there. Of course, don't be afraid to ask again, things constantly change here at the mouse!

 

[kikiq]

Just wanted to quickly report on my daughter's June 15th check in. We arrived on Sunday from the west coast, checked in at AKV and my daughter slept most of the rest of the day. Recovering from finals and moving out of her apartment on Friday. Monday morning, we picked up two of her roommates from the airport. If any of you parents are sending your student by themselves, Disney has it covered. We saw the Mears service gather up the students and followed several vans back to Vista Way. Once in Vista Way, the students are dropped off behind the check in building where their luggage is stored until they're done. I made 2 trips to pick up roommates, left my daughter and her best friend plus roommates with tons of luggage at the tent. The staff assured me that once they checked in, that a shuttle would take them to their apartment at Chatham or golf carts would carry their luggage to their apartment. There was a tent for family and friends. I dropped them off around 11 am and by 2 they were on their way to their first meeting. The good news for my daughter is that she will be working QSFB at Animal Kingdom (where she wanted) but the bad news...she lost her phone on one of the shuttles, she thinks. But the roommates have "circled the wagons" so to speak and are checking everywhere. I talked to her this morning and she was on her way to another meeting for Animal Kingdom CPs and luckily one of the other roomies is also there.

A lot of security, once check in is completed, no one can enter the apartment complex without picture ID and going through the security gate.
Chatham is located inside a residential complex and Patterson is close by. Vista Way is closer to WDW property and near Walgreens.

Haven't had an update on the phone or today's training. If there are any other questions, I can attempt to answer them from a parent's point of view.
And yes, I am still a little teary eyed. My daughter told me no long good byes, gave me a big hug, whispered in my ear, "storing this hug in my heart" and sent me on my way. "Storing hugs in your heart" is something I used to tell my daughters when they were young and in school. Yep, cried a little on the flight home....still a little weepy now.

 

[Joanna71985]

Glad she got the location she wanted.

 

[tlynk]

Just wanted to quickly report on my daughter's June 15th check in. We arrived on Sunday from the west coast, checked in at AKV and my daughter slept most of the rest of the day. Recovering from finals and moving out of her apartment on Friday. Monday morning, we picked up two of her roommates from the airport. If any of you parents are sending your student by themselves, Disney has it covered. We saw the Mears service gather up the students and followed several vans back to Vista Way. Once in Vista Way, the students are dropped off behind the check in building where their luggage is stored until they're done. I made 2 trips to pick up roommates, left my daughter and her best friend plus roommates with tons of luggage at the tent. The staff assured me that once they checked in, that a shuttle would take them to their apartment at Chatham or golf carts would carry their luggage to their apartment. There was a tent for family and friends. I dropped them off around 11 am and by 2 they were on their way to their first meeting. The good news for my daughter is that she will be working QSFB at Animal Kingdom (where she wanted) but the bad news...she lost her phone on one of the shuttles, she thinks. But the roommates have "circled the wagons" so to speak and are checking everywhere. I talked to her this morning and she was on her way to another meeting for Animal Kingdom CPs and luckily one of the other roomies is also there.

A lot of security, once check in is completed, no one can enter the apartment complex without picture ID and going through the security gate.
Chatham is located inside a residential complex and Patterson is close by. Vista Way is closer to WDW property and near Walgreens.

Haven't had an update on the phone or today's training. If there are any other questions, I can attempt to answer them from a parent's point of view.
And yes, I am still a little teary eyed. My daughter told me no long good byes, gave me a big hug, whispered in my ear, "storing this hug in my heart" and sent me on my way. "Storing hugs in your heart" is something I used to tell my daughters when they were young and in school. Yep, cried a little on the flight home....still a little weepy now.

Reading this brought tears to my eyes. Is your daughter going to be using the Disney Bus System to go to and from work? So basically it looks like once the students are checked in they are taken to their first meeting? So I guess that is when I say good-bye??? I was hoping to take DD to Walmart after she checks in. I need to return my rental car by 5:30PM the first day, and then Magical Express takes me to the airport early the very next day. I wonder if I need to go to Walmart the day prior? DD is really starting to get cold feet. Thanks for sharing this info. with us.