Applications should be coming out in about 35 days! :)
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Saturday, December 28, 2013
Picture of the Week 12/22/13 & 35 Days!
Applications should be coming out in about 35 days! :)
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Wednesday, December 11, 2013
What is the Disney College Program?
I made a post a few weeks back about Frequently Asked Questions about the Disney College Program, but with application day getting closer I thought I'd make another post just saying what the program is.
The DCP (Disney College Program) is actually kind of difficult to describe to someone who doesn't know what it is. If you're still confused after reading this post I would suggest checking out the official DCP website (disneycollegeprogram.com).
The DCP website describes the program as:
"The incredible opportunity to advance [their] strengths and interests, meet guests and cast members from around the country and take part in educational opportunities students can't get anywhere else. This truly unique program allows participants to network with leaders, take part in personal and career development classes, and build transferable skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, guest service and effective communication."
Disney markets the program as having three main components: Living, earning, and learning. For most participants, this means living right outside of Disney property in Disney sponsored housing, working full time at any number of locations on Disney property, and taking classes (or attending lectures, volunteering, completing on the job training, etc).
I say for most participants because there are always a couple of exceptions. Students who live in the Orlando area, or who wish to live with roommates in their own apartments do not have to live in Disney housing. Disney also offers housing for married students, but I'm not quite sure how that works, I assume it is in the same apartment complexes and those students just live with their spouses rather than with roommates. Participants who live in Disney housing can have 1 to 7 roommates, and may be placed in any of the 4 apartment complexes: Vista Way, Chatham, Patterson, or the Commons. Each has its pros and cons, and are priced according to how new they are and how many roommates live there. Rent comes out of your paycheck automatically, so you never have to worry about putting money aside for it. For right now, I am thinking that I want to live in Vista Way because it is the cheapest option, and I'm not planning on spending too much time in the apartment anyways.
The learning aspect of the program also varies from person to person. For many students, the learning portion would come with taking classes through the program. Disney offers classes in a variety of fields that can often be completed for college credit for students to take during the program. A major perk of the Disney classes is that there are no tuition and fees, so the only real expense for the classes is textbooks, which usually do not go over $30. Disney also makes sure that work schedules and school schedules coincide well with each other, meaning that participants are guaranteed days off on the days when they have class. The learning aspect varies however, because not everyone participates in these classes. The DCP in Anaheim requires that students fulfill the education component, whereas it is optional for the Orlando program. I am still debating on whether or not I will take a class during my program. As I would be a college graduate, I will not need to take any classes to do the program, nor will I be able to receive any kind of credit for a class. There are some classes that interest me, particularly Marketing You, which is all about how to market yourself in your job search, and Disney Heritage, which is basically a history class on the Disney company, but since I do not need to take classes I am still weighing my options.
Because the program is an internship, there are still learning opportunities for students who do not take classes. Disney's training program is widely recognized among employers as one of the best employee learning experiences out there, meaning that by completing Disney training, participants will stand out from others on the job market. There are also lectures and networking events that participants can attend, as well as volunteer opportunities, which Disney refers to as "VoluntEARs."
The earning portion of the program comes, as you probably already know, with working for the company. The positions that the DCP offers are not necessarily the most highly sought after, however the program as a whole is extremely beneficial for one's resume. I am actually really looking forward to the earning part of the program, because it is very rare that an internship pays you, and guarantees that you'll have at least 30-40 hours/week.
I think I've pretty much covered everything now. I'll go into some more detail about the different roles offered in another post, but for now I really just wanted to plainly explain what the program is.
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The DCP (Disney College Program) is actually kind of difficult to describe to someone who doesn't know what it is. If you're still confused after reading this post I would suggest checking out the official DCP website (disneycollegeprogram.com).
The DCP website describes the program as:
"The incredible opportunity to advance [their] strengths and interests, meet guests and cast members from around the country and take part in educational opportunities students can't get anywhere else. This truly unique program allows participants to network with leaders, take part in personal and career development classes, and build transferable skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, guest service and effective communication."
Disney markets the program as having three main components: Living, earning, and learning. For most participants, this means living right outside of Disney property in Disney sponsored housing, working full time at any number of locations on Disney property, and taking classes (or attending lectures, volunteering, completing on the job training, etc).
I say for most participants because there are always a couple of exceptions. Students who live in the Orlando area, or who wish to live with roommates in their own apartments do not have to live in Disney housing. Disney also offers housing for married students, but I'm not quite sure how that works, I assume it is in the same apartment complexes and those students just live with their spouses rather than with roommates. Participants who live in Disney housing can have 1 to 7 roommates, and may be placed in any of the 4 apartment complexes: Vista Way, Chatham, Patterson, or the Commons. Each has its pros and cons, and are priced according to how new they are and how many roommates live there. Rent comes out of your paycheck automatically, so you never have to worry about putting money aside for it. For right now, I am thinking that I want to live in Vista Way because it is the cheapest option, and I'm not planning on spending too much time in the apartment anyways.
The learning aspect of the program also varies from person to person. For many students, the learning portion would come with taking classes through the program. Disney offers classes in a variety of fields that can often be completed for college credit for students to take during the program. A major perk of the Disney classes is that there are no tuition and fees, so the only real expense for the classes is textbooks, which usually do not go over $30. Disney also makes sure that work schedules and school schedules coincide well with each other, meaning that participants are guaranteed days off on the days when they have class. The learning aspect varies however, because not everyone participates in these classes. The DCP in Anaheim requires that students fulfill the education component, whereas it is optional for the Orlando program. I am still debating on whether or not I will take a class during my program. As I would be a college graduate, I will not need to take any classes to do the program, nor will I be able to receive any kind of credit for a class. There are some classes that interest me, particularly Marketing You, which is all about how to market yourself in your job search, and Disney Heritage, which is basically a history class on the Disney company, but since I do not need to take classes I am still weighing my options.
Because the program is an internship, there are still learning opportunities for students who do not take classes. Disney's training program is widely recognized among employers as one of the best employee learning experiences out there, meaning that by completing Disney training, participants will stand out from others on the job market. There are also lectures and networking events that participants can attend, as well as volunteer opportunities, which Disney refers to as "VoluntEARs."
The earning portion of the program comes, as you probably already know, with working for the company. The positions that the DCP offers are not necessarily the most highly sought after, however the program as a whole is extremely beneficial for one's resume. I am actually really looking forward to the earning part of the program, because it is very rare that an internship pays you, and guarantees that you'll have at least 30-40 hours/week.
I think I've pretty much covered everything now. I'll go into some more detail about the different roles offered in another post, but for now I really just wanted to plainly explain what the program is.
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Monday, December 9, 2013
Picture of the Week 12/8/13
This week's picture is from a 1999 Disney trip. (I've still never been on Tower of Terror, and I have no plans to in the future).
54 days until applications come out! I'm wondering if I should apply on the first day or not. I know that the whole application process is done on a rolling basis, but I can't help over-thinking it.
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Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Elsa & Anna: Disney Princess Line? & a Rant
Will Anna & Elsa become part of the Disney Princess collection? As of right now sources seem to suggest that it could go either way. It seems as though "Frozen" is doing very well, so any attempt at extra marketing for the characters would make sense, but at the same time the characters may be able to sell themselves without becoming part of the princess line. When Rapunzel and Merida became Disney princesses they had coronation ceremonies, and this just does not seem to go with the girls from Frozen. Technically, Rapunzel and Merida were already princesses and didn't really need to have coronation ceremonies, but this concept seems to work even less so with the characters from Frozen. Merida was supposed to have found a husband when she came of age, so perhaps that would have been her coronation ceremony right there if she did get married, so she just ended up having one regardless. In my opinion however, Merida's coronation was just a marketing scheme to show off the characters from the film and bring them to the parks. With the exception of the coronation ceremony she had and some products from the collection, Merida is more often seen on her own than with the rest of the Disney princesses. Rapunzel is similar to Merida in this sense. The two were already princesses, and didn't really require coronation ceremonies. One could argue that Rapunzel's may have been necessary because she didn't know she was a princess, but technically speaking the two were both already princesses.
Anna and Elsa too then are already princesses, though I would say that the Disney princess theme was underplayed in the film. Elsa just had a coronation ceremony and became queen, so having another for her to become a Disney princess seems odd to me. Is she reverting? She was a princess for the past 20 years, (according to the Disney Wiki), so it seems strange to me that she became queen in her film, but would then me sort of meshed into the Disney Princess Collection. I guess technically Anna could become part of the collection, but it still seems sort of weird to me. Actually the whole press and culture surrounding the Disney Princess Collection is weird to me, can I vent about this for a minute?
Slightly off topic rant:
Lets discuss the term "Disney Princess." Prior to the late 1990's, this was a generic term referring to any female character from any Disney film, who in one way or another was a princess. Even though back then characters like Aurora, Snow White, and Cinderella, came to mind, there was no collective group called the "Disney Princesses." Before that time, the term literally meant a Disney character, who due to the story in the film, was a princess. In the late 1990's, Andy Mooney, who was the President of Disney Consumer Products at the time, developed a marketing strategy for the princesses. This is when the collection termed "Disney Princesses," first began to appear, and you started seeing all of the princesses together in soundtracks, lunchboxes, clothing, etc... Before this occurred, you would have likely seen one princess per product. What I'm basically getting at here, is that the Disney Princesses are just a huge MARKETING STRATEGY. It is often said that part of the inspiration for the collection was that Andy Mooney noticed lots of knock off Disney princess costumes on young girls, so he just wanted to package it better. So the whole point of terming them "Disney Princesses" and trademarking it and whatnot is to make money. Disney is a company, their marketing division makes things that sell. If Anna and Elsa (hypothetically) are not inducted into the Disney Princess line, do you know what that means for you? Probably nothing. Before Pocahontas was brought into the collection, you could still buy all the Pocahontas stuff you wanted. Just because she wasn't part of this marketing scheme doesn't mean that you missed out. A perfect example of this is Tinkerbell. Yes, she's been marketed much more in recent years due to the Fairies franchise, but even before that there was always tons of Tinkerbell merchandise. You could still buy all the frilly, girly, Tinkerbell stuff that you wanted without having to be consumed by the Disney Princess collection. What I'm getting at here is really plain and simple. Disney is a company. Companies like to make money. Producing a t-shirt with a bunch of princesses on it will sell. Selling = $$$. Sure, there are some promotional events specific to the Disney Princess line, but they're honestly not that great. There are some TV appearances, and soundtracks that probably would not have happened if the marketing strategy didn't lump them all together, but those are really geared towards children anyways. Finally getting to my point about this with Anna and Elsa-- I don't care at all if they're Disney princesses. Like seriously, I don't care one bit. It literally makes no difference, except that they can appear on merchandise with other princesses (staring off in a different direction of course, because they don't know that each other exist). I like Anna and Elsa now, and I will like them the same whether or not they become part of the collection. I guess I just don't understand why people get so worked up over what is really just a marketing strategy.
On a similar note, do you know who's not part of the official Disney Princess collection (and in most cases no one cares)?
* Vanellope von Schweetz: technically a princess (though she refers to herself as president), and not in the collection.
* Giselle: She is as princess-y as they come, but still not part of the collection. Perhaps it is because "Enchanted" was never branded as a princess movie, and it did not do as well as producers would have hoped, but it did have a decent following.
* Kida: I'm not a huge fan of "Atlantis," but I know a good amount of people who are. Kida is technically a princess, but isn't part of the collection. Elsa's character was also slightly based off of her, so well, that's weird.
* Eilonwy: I don't know, does "The Black Cauldron" just not count?
The list could go on (even to include animals and products of sequels,) but it doesn't need to. I know people who like all of the above characters, and aren't crying over them not being part of the Disney princess collection. It is simply a marketing scheme that takes what is popular and sells it.
My other gripe with the Disney princess stuff lately is the feminism (or lack thereof), that seems to drive people crazy. I will mention that I'm really not a feminist myself, but it seems ridiculous to me that people get so worked up over cartoons like this. Every now and then someone says something along the lines of, "Those 'Disney Princesses'... why can't they be better role models for young girls, they're always damsels in distress... they always try to find princes... they don't do anything for themselves... blah, blah, blah." To point out the obvious, most of the princesses are taken from fairy tales that were written hundreds of years ago when it was completely okay for women to be portrayed like this. Another point, that I think is obvious, but apparently other people don't seem to realize is, really, role models? I'm pretty sure when I was a little kid, my role models were my parents. I come from a very Disney loving family, and to say that these princess films were pushed on me as a child would be an understatement, but I don't think I ever looked at them as role models. I remember things I could relate to about some of them, like how Belle likes to read. But as a child I can't imagine them acting as bad role models unless your parents have some kind of influence in that same direction. If your daughter says "I want to be like Cinderella and wear big poofy dresses and marry a prince right now!" when she is five years old, I think it's your job as a parent to throw in some better role models, or even better things about Cinderella to offset this. You could tell them about how she was able to stand up for herself against her evil stepmother, or how what goes around comes around (ie: the evil step sisters don't get the prince, but Cinderella does). If you're worried about your child turning into a little Honey Boo Boo princessy brat, that is not the fault of a simple marketing scheme, that is your fault as a parent for allowing that to happen.
I would say that 90% of the time, the princesses are as feminist as they can be given their time in history, and the fairy tales they're based off of. Disney has definitely heard the feminist cry though, and tried to correct this in recent films, though it is clearly sometimes difficult. Rapunzel, as much as she tries to take care of herself can't, not because she is a woman, but because she's been locked in a tower for her whole life. Her dependence on a man, Flynn Rider, is not because she is following an anti-feminist princess set up, it's because she's been locked up for the past 15 years and doesn't know where to go or how to interact in the outside world. I think the same can be said about Anna from "Frozen." I've already heard some complaints about her quickly falling in love with Hans after just meeting him. I think in one sense, Disney is kind of poking fun at the princess convention, but at the same time she's had no contact with the outside world for most of her life, so she doesn't have the social skills to know if she is in love or not. I also find it strange when there is clearly a strong attempt to make the princess more feminist friendly, and there is still backlash about it. Take "The Princess and the Frog" for instance. The complaints there make absolutely no sense to me. Tiana held more than one job, while working hard to save the money to buy her restaurant and make her own dreams come true. Yes, she marries a prince and becomes a princess in the end, but how else was she supposed to become human again? She still defies Naveen's spoiled personality throughout the whole film to let her more determined and hardworking personality show through. I haven't heard many feminist complaints about Merida, and I hope I never do, because well, she's pretty much the most feminist princess out there so that would make no sense to me.
Okay, back on topic. Elsa and Anna... My personal opinion: Disney is testing the waters to see how they do being marketed on their own compared to how they thing they would do being marketed along with the other princesses. If they do better being marketed as part of "Frozen" rather than the princess collection, they will remain separate. If Disney's marketing committee thinks that they would sell more when combined in the collection, then that is what will happen. This is kind of a stretch, but remember when Disney got "Star Wars," and everyone was all antsy about whether or not Princess Leia would become a "Disney Princess" or not? She is a Disney princess, in the sense that she is a princess from a film franchise owned by the Disney company, but she is not part of the "Disney Princess" collection. My best guess would be that there would be more outrage than happiness if she was grouped with Belle and Cinderella, and her films have enough of a following and marketing strategy as it is that it wouldn't be worth it. I guess I just really don't understand what all the hoopla is about with the Disney princess stuff. Whenever a movie comes out that has princesses, it's one of the first topics that starts floating around, but it really doesn't make that much of a difference. For now, Disney has made no formal announcement about the fate of Elsa and Anna, thought the Wikipedia page for the film suggests that the two may become "Disney Princesses," whether that means part of the collection, or just the general term I'm not sure, and it's also Wikipedia so take it with a grain of salt. Call me crazy, but I don't care at all if the two characters are labeled "Disney Princesses" or not, I like the movie just the same.
Feel free to comment below.
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Anna and Elsa too then are already princesses, though I would say that the Disney princess theme was underplayed in the film. Elsa just had a coronation ceremony and became queen, so having another for her to become a Disney princess seems odd to me. Is she reverting? She was a princess for the past 20 years, (according to the Disney Wiki), so it seems strange to me that she became queen in her film, but would then me sort of meshed into the Disney Princess Collection. I guess technically Anna could become part of the collection, but it still seems sort of weird to me. Actually the whole press and culture surrounding the Disney Princess Collection is weird to me, can I vent about this for a minute?
Slightly off topic rant:
Lets discuss the term "Disney Princess." Prior to the late 1990's, this was a generic term referring to any female character from any Disney film, who in one way or another was a princess. Even though back then characters like Aurora, Snow White, and Cinderella, came to mind, there was no collective group called the "Disney Princesses." Before that time, the term literally meant a Disney character, who due to the story in the film, was a princess. In the late 1990's, Andy Mooney, who was the President of Disney Consumer Products at the time, developed a marketing strategy for the princesses. This is when the collection termed "Disney Princesses," first began to appear, and you started seeing all of the princesses together in soundtracks, lunchboxes, clothing, etc... Before this occurred, you would have likely seen one princess per product. What I'm basically getting at here, is that the Disney Princesses are just a huge MARKETING STRATEGY. It is often said that part of the inspiration for the collection was that Andy Mooney noticed lots of knock off Disney princess costumes on young girls, so he just wanted to package it better. So the whole point of terming them "Disney Princesses" and trademarking it and whatnot is to make money. Disney is a company, their marketing division makes things that sell. If Anna and Elsa (hypothetically) are not inducted into the Disney Princess line, do you know what that means for you? Probably nothing. Before Pocahontas was brought into the collection, you could still buy all the Pocahontas stuff you wanted. Just because she wasn't part of this marketing scheme doesn't mean that you missed out. A perfect example of this is Tinkerbell. Yes, she's been marketed much more in recent years due to the Fairies franchise, but even before that there was always tons of Tinkerbell merchandise. You could still buy all the frilly, girly, Tinkerbell stuff that you wanted without having to be consumed by the Disney Princess collection. What I'm getting at here is really plain and simple. Disney is a company. Companies like to make money. Producing a t-shirt with a bunch of princesses on it will sell. Selling = $$$. Sure, there are some promotional events specific to the Disney Princess line, but they're honestly not that great. There are some TV appearances, and soundtracks that probably would not have happened if the marketing strategy didn't lump them all together, but those are really geared towards children anyways. Finally getting to my point about this with Anna and Elsa-- I don't care at all if they're Disney princesses. Like seriously, I don't care one bit. It literally makes no difference, except that they can appear on merchandise with other princesses (staring off in a different direction of course, because they don't know that each other exist). I like Anna and Elsa now, and I will like them the same whether or not they become part of the collection. I guess I just don't understand why people get so worked up over what is really just a marketing strategy.
On a similar note, do you know who's not part of the official Disney Princess collection (and in most cases no one cares)?
* Vanellope von Schweetz: technically a princess (though she refers to herself as president), and not in the collection.
* Giselle: She is as princess-y as they come, but still not part of the collection. Perhaps it is because "Enchanted" was never branded as a princess movie, and it did not do as well as producers would have hoped, but it did have a decent following.
* Kida: I'm not a huge fan of "Atlantis," but I know a good amount of people who are. Kida is technically a princess, but isn't part of the collection. Elsa's character was also slightly based off of her, so well, that's weird.
* Eilonwy: I don't know, does "The Black Cauldron" just not count?
The list could go on (even to include animals and products of sequels,) but it doesn't need to. I know people who like all of the above characters, and aren't crying over them not being part of the Disney princess collection. It is simply a marketing scheme that takes what is popular and sells it.
My other gripe with the Disney princess stuff lately is the feminism (or lack thereof), that seems to drive people crazy. I will mention that I'm really not a feminist myself, but it seems ridiculous to me that people get so worked up over cartoons like this. Every now and then someone says something along the lines of, "Those 'Disney Princesses'... why can't they be better role models for young girls, they're always damsels in distress... they always try to find princes... they don't do anything for themselves... blah, blah, blah." To point out the obvious, most of the princesses are taken from fairy tales that were written hundreds of years ago when it was completely okay for women to be portrayed like this. Another point, that I think is obvious, but apparently other people don't seem to realize is, really, role models? I'm pretty sure when I was a little kid, my role models were my parents. I come from a very Disney loving family, and to say that these princess films were pushed on me as a child would be an understatement, but I don't think I ever looked at them as role models. I remember things I could relate to about some of them, like how Belle likes to read. But as a child I can't imagine them acting as bad role models unless your parents have some kind of influence in that same direction. If your daughter says "I want to be like Cinderella and wear big poofy dresses and marry a prince right now!" when she is five years old, I think it's your job as a parent to throw in some better role models, or even better things about Cinderella to offset this. You could tell them about how she was able to stand up for herself against her evil stepmother, or how what goes around comes around (ie: the evil step sisters don't get the prince, but Cinderella does). If you're worried about your child turning into a little Honey Boo Boo princessy brat, that is not the fault of a simple marketing scheme, that is your fault as a parent for allowing that to happen.
I would say that 90% of the time, the princesses are as feminist as they can be given their time in history, and the fairy tales they're based off of. Disney has definitely heard the feminist cry though, and tried to correct this in recent films, though it is clearly sometimes difficult. Rapunzel, as much as she tries to take care of herself can't, not because she is a woman, but because she's been locked in a tower for her whole life. Her dependence on a man, Flynn Rider, is not because she is following an anti-feminist princess set up, it's because she's been locked up for the past 15 years and doesn't know where to go or how to interact in the outside world. I think the same can be said about Anna from "Frozen." I've already heard some complaints about her quickly falling in love with Hans after just meeting him. I think in one sense, Disney is kind of poking fun at the princess convention, but at the same time she's had no contact with the outside world for most of her life, so she doesn't have the social skills to know if she is in love or not. I also find it strange when there is clearly a strong attempt to make the princess more feminist friendly, and there is still backlash about it. Take "The Princess and the Frog" for instance. The complaints there make absolutely no sense to me. Tiana held more than one job, while working hard to save the money to buy her restaurant and make her own dreams come true. Yes, she marries a prince and becomes a princess in the end, but how else was she supposed to become human again? She still defies Naveen's spoiled personality throughout the whole film to let her more determined and hardworking personality show through. I haven't heard many feminist complaints about Merida, and I hope I never do, because well, she's pretty much the most feminist princess out there so that would make no sense to me.
Okay, back on topic. Elsa and Anna... My personal opinion: Disney is testing the waters to see how they do being marketed on their own compared to how they thing they would do being marketed along with the other princesses. If they do better being marketed as part of "Frozen" rather than the princess collection, they will remain separate. If Disney's marketing committee thinks that they would sell more when combined in the collection, then that is what will happen. This is kind of a stretch, but remember when Disney got "Star Wars," and everyone was all antsy about whether or not Princess Leia would become a "Disney Princess" or not? She is a Disney princess, in the sense that she is a princess from a film franchise owned by the Disney company, but she is not part of the "Disney Princess" collection. My best guess would be that there would be more outrage than happiness if she was grouped with Belle and Cinderella, and her films have enough of a following and marketing strategy as it is that it wouldn't be worth it. I guess I just really don't understand what all the hoopla is about with the Disney princess stuff. Whenever a movie comes out that has princesses, it's one of the first topics that starts floating around, but it really doesn't make that much of a difference. For now, Disney has made no formal announcement about the fate of Elsa and Anna, thought the Wikipedia page for the film suggests that the two may become "Disney Princesses," whether that means part of the collection, or just the general term I'm not sure, and it's also Wikipedia so take it with a grain of salt. Call me crazy, but I don't care at all if the two characters are labeled "Disney Princesses" or not, I like the movie just the same.
Feel free to comment below.
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Sunday, December 1, 2013
Web Based Interview Tips/Timeline of Acceptance
I've recently received an email asking if I can go over some tips for the Web Based Interview, and what the timeline was like for the last time I was accepted. The Web Based Interview (WBI), from what I remember, took me about a half an hour. The email you receive inviting you to take the WBI suggests that you be somewhere with a strong internet connection, and somewhere quiet where you can concentrate. I chose to take my interview on my laptop in my school's dining hall. I guess my dorm room would have been the prime location to do this sort of thing, but I was worried about the connection in there, so I opted for the dining hall. I found a quiet table near the back corner so that no one would bother me, and I sat there by myself to take my interview.
The questions, in my opinion, were not that difficult. I know that lots of people who applied for this coming Spring program were denied after the WBI, and I would guess that this is just because the program has likely become more competitive. If you could get in with 5 answers they didn't like before, maybe they've made it 3 recently to counteract the increased number of applications, just a guess here. Anyways, some of the questions are multiple choice, and some are situation-based. I remember them being very customer service oriented, things about putting the guests before your own tasks, and what-not. I don't really remember much about the multiple choice section, so I imagine that it was not too difficult. I remember the situation ones, because they kind of try to trick you. They ask the same questions, but worded in different ways. If it says "I consider myself to be a team player," and "I enjoy working together with others," you need to make sure that you put the same answers for both. Everyone you talk to about this says not to lie to fit what they're looking for, but if you'd be a good employee you wouldn't be lying anyways.
The interview is timed, which was the only stressful part for me. I do not do well in timed tests. I'm not someone who will run out of time without answering questions, but rather I usually rush through and give wrong answers because I get so worked up about the time limit. Thankfully, I got through this interview okay, and I really tried to pace myself. I do not remember if there was a countdown on the screen, or if I just kept glancing at the clock, but however it happened, I was really on top of how much time was left, and I really worked hard to pace myself during the interview. I also didn't second guess myself on the answers. I'm notorious for changing my mind on multiple choice tests, only to later find out that the first answer was correct, but on this interview I really went with my instincts.
That's basically all I've got. I'm not sure how helpful this was, I think that everyone kind of has their own way of doing things like this and you need to really find what works for you. For instance, I could have taken my WBI in the library, but for some reason I felt that the overbearing amount of silence there would have nerved me or something, and I kind of wanted the slight background noise of the dining hall. I mean, I wasn't sitting with a group of people at my table, but I think the background noise kind of calmed me down in an odd way if that makes sense. Oh, and some of the questions you have to answer with things like "Disagree," "Agree," "Strongly Agree," etc... Don't use the ones in the middle. It looks better when you pick an extreme, and keep the answers consistent.
Luckily for this blog, I have all of my email communication that has ever occurred between Disney Recruiting and myself saved. So here is the timeline of how it went last time I was accepted:
9/10/11: I received the email from Disney Recruiting saying that applications were up for the Spring 2012 program.
9/13/11:
Approximately 6:00 AM: I submitted my application. I know, not smart. I should have been more awake, and more in an alert state of mind filling out the application. But I couldn't sleep. I knew the email saying that I could apply was in my inbox, and I wanted to participate in the program so bad. I was up all night thinking about the next morning so I could apply, and after sleeping for only a couple of hours, I just went with it and filled out the application.
7:49 AM: I received another email from Disney Recruiting thanking me for my application.
8:07 AM: I received the email with the invitation to take the WBI. I took the WBI at around 1:00 PM, during what would have been my lunch/break from classes that day.
3:31 PM: I received the email to schedule the phone interview.
5:34 PM: I received the email confirming that I had scheduled my phone interview for September 20, at 10:15 AM (exactly 1 week from submitting my application.)
9/20/11:
10:15 AM: I had my phone interview. (I believe I made a post all about it in the past, but if you'd like to know more details about how it went let me know!)
9/21/11:
3:21 AM: I received the email thanking me for taking the time to interview with Disney, and that I would be updated on the status of my application within 2 weeks.
9/22/11:
1:43 PM: I received my acceptance email for Merchandise, (which resulted in screaming and crying).
9/26/11:
I do not remember what time, but this was when I met with my adviser about participating in the program. He (understandably) said that I wouldn't receive any credit or anything for my major (History), but I may be able to receive Business credits if I go through Career Services. He warned me that I may need to take a Leave of Absence if the school does not approve of the program. Later that I day, I went to Career Services, where I learned that my school does not acknowledge the program as an internship, and that I would need to take a Leave of Absence if I were to participate. A Leave of Absence would mean that I would lose my scholarship, as the terms of the scholarship were that I go to school for four consecutive years. After some more crying, I logged on to my dashboard and declined my offer.
I printed out everything I possibly could about housing, and the role and anything else you can only see after being accepted, and I've had it hanging in my room ever since that day. I was pretty miserable about it after to say the least, and of course, now that I'm graduating my school acknowledges the program. Hopefully everything happens for a reason, and it just wasn't meant to be back in 2012. Looking back on this whole scenario, I should have met with my adviser before even applying, but I didn't think I would be accepted within one week. I thought that if the inevitable happened and I couldn't go, I would be able to stop the application process before it got too far.
Now I'm happy that I know the whole process firsthand, but I just can't wait to finally go. When everyone is worked up over waiting for one semester, I feel like I've been waiting for 3 years for my chance to go on the program! So I just can't wait! If anyone has anymore questions about this process let me know! :D
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The questions, in my opinion, were not that difficult. I know that lots of people who applied for this coming Spring program were denied after the WBI, and I would guess that this is just because the program has likely become more competitive. If you could get in with 5 answers they didn't like before, maybe they've made it 3 recently to counteract the increased number of applications, just a guess here. Anyways, some of the questions are multiple choice, and some are situation-based. I remember them being very customer service oriented, things about putting the guests before your own tasks, and what-not. I don't really remember much about the multiple choice section, so I imagine that it was not too difficult. I remember the situation ones, because they kind of try to trick you. They ask the same questions, but worded in different ways. If it says "I consider myself to be a team player," and "I enjoy working together with others," you need to make sure that you put the same answers for both. Everyone you talk to about this says not to lie to fit what they're looking for, but if you'd be a good employee you wouldn't be lying anyways.
The interview is timed, which was the only stressful part for me. I do not do well in timed tests. I'm not someone who will run out of time without answering questions, but rather I usually rush through and give wrong answers because I get so worked up about the time limit. Thankfully, I got through this interview okay, and I really tried to pace myself. I do not remember if there was a countdown on the screen, or if I just kept glancing at the clock, but however it happened, I was really on top of how much time was left, and I really worked hard to pace myself during the interview. I also didn't second guess myself on the answers. I'm notorious for changing my mind on multiple choice tests, only to later find out that the first answer was correct, but on this interview I really went with my instincts.
That's basically all I've got. I'm not sure how helpful this was, I think that everyone kind of has their own way of doing things like this and you need to really find what works for you. For instance, I could have taken my WBI in the library, but for some reason I felt that the overbearing amount of silence there would have nerved me or something, and I kind of wanted the slight background noise of the dining hall. I mean, I wasn't sitting with a group of people at my table, but I think the background noise kind of calmed me down in an odd way if that makes sense. Oh, and some of the questions you have to answer with things like "Disagree," "Agree," "Strongly Agree," etc... Don't use the ones in the middle. It looks better when you pick an extreme, and keep the answers consistent.
Luckily for this blog, I have all of my email communication that has ever occurred between Disney Recruiting and myself saved. So here is the timeline of how it went last time I was accepted:
9/10/11: I received the email from Disney Recruiting saying that applications were up for the Spring 2012 program.
9/13/11:
Approximately 6:00 AM: I submitted my application. I know, not smart. I should have been more awake, and more in an alert state of mind filling out the application. But I couldn't sleep. I knew the email saying that I could apply was in my inbox, and I wanted to participate in the program so bad. I was up all night thinking about the next morning so I could apply, and after sleeping for only a couple of hours, I just went with it and filled out the application.
7:49 AM: I received another email from Disney Recruiting thanking me for my application.
8:07 AM: I received the email with the invitation to take the WBI. I took the WBI at around 1:00 PM, during what would have been my lunch/break from classes that day.
3:31 PM: I received the email to schedule the phone interview.
5:34 PM: I received the email confirming that I had scheduled my phone interview for September 20, at 10:15 AM (exactly 1 week from submitting my application.)
9/20/11:
10:15 AM: I had my phone interview. (I believe I made a post all about it in the past, but if you'd like to know more details about how it went let me know!)
9/21/11:
3:21 AM: I received the email thanking me for taking the time to interview with Disney, and that I would be updated on the status of my application within 2 weeks.
9/22/11:
1:43 PM: I received my acceptance email for Merchandise, (which resulted in screaming and crying).
9/26/11:
I do not remember what time, but this was when I met with my adviser about participating in the program. He (understandably) said that I wouldn't receive any credit or anything for my major (History), but I may be able to receive Business credits if I go through Career Services. He warned me that I may need to take a Leave of Absence if the school does not approve of the program. Later that I day, I went to Career Services, where I learned that my school does not acknowledge the program as an internship, and that I would need to take a Leave of Absence if I were to participate. A Leave of Absence would mean that I would lose my scholarship, as the terms of the scholarship were that I go to school for four consecutive years. After some more crying, I logged on to my dashboard and declined my offer.
I printed out everything I possibly could about housing, and the role and anything else you can only see after being accepted, and I've had it hanging in my room ever since that day. I was pretty miserable about it after to say the least, and of course, now that I'm graduating my school acknowledges the program. Hopefully everything happens for a reason, and it just wasn't meant to be back in 2012. Looking back on this whole scenario, I should have met with my adviser before even applying, but I didn't think I would be accepted within one week. I thought that if the inevitable happened and I couldn't go, I would be able to stop the application process before it got too far.
Now I'm happy that I know the whole process firsthand, but I just can't wait to finally go. When everyone is worked up over waiting for one semester, I feel like I've been waiting for 3 years for my chance to go on the program! So I just can't wait! If anyone has anymore questions about this process let me know! :D
facebook.com/bdicologero
instagram: bdicologero
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