Pre Disney College Program Update!

It is now less than one month until I move to Anaheim and start the journey of a lifetime. I am going to be honest and tell you that I am completely terrified. I'm not the best at starting a new job and moving the furthest I've ever been, but I am ready to take on this challenge and enjoy every moment. I still can't believe I will be working for Disney in a month. It's a sentence I thought I would never say. I thought I would give a little update on what I've done (or what I should've done already but haven't *renter's insurance*) and what still needs to be done before I move down there!

Class Registration 

I registered for my class! I am taking Blended Learning! I wanted to take every class they had to offer but I sadly could only pick one. Here is the description of the class:

This series is designed to blend in-class learning with out-of-class experiences which allow students to see how Disney operates in various lines of business across the Disneyland®Resort. Students will participate in self-directed learning with the chance for career development and networking.

This series is ideal for those who would like to experience a non-traditional education option that blends learning with work experience.

It seems really interesting and I hope to learn a lot from it! I heard some of the learning is actually in Disneyland, so that is super exciting! 

New Hire Paperwork

It took me a while, but I finally finished all of my new hire paperwork. It required a lot of reading and understanding forms I've never filled out.

Background Check

This one's simple. They just asked me to fill out a form for a background check. I passed! Woo! Haha

Renter's Insurance

So this is the one I still have not done. Do not ask me why. I am just a procrastinator. After work I don't want to do anything, so I always forget about it. I have now received two emails from Disney reminding me to do it. I swear, I will get to it this week. I will call State Farm this week! 

Schedule Preference

A couple of days ago I filled out a form with my schedule preferences. I put that I would work at any time to maximize my hours. I also said that I would work overtime, work six day weeks during the holiday season, and had no preference for the days I have off. I considered putting that I enjoyed working mornings or that I like to have two consecutive days off. But I decided that I am there to work and learn and gain experience so I want to work as much as I can when I'm down there.

What Still Needs to Be Done

A lot. I still haven't unpacked everything since being back from college (oops). That also means I still need to pack for the program (I still have a lot of time). I NEED to get my renter's insurance or else I am not moving into my apartment. There is a lot to do before August 20th but I am so ready to be a Disneyland Cast Member! 

Business Attire for Traditions and Class

Traditions. I'm pretty sure I've heard this word more than any other. Traditions is Disney's word for orientation. This is where you learn about the culture, the history, and rules of Disney. At Traditions it is required to be in business attire. I thought it would be helpful to look at a couple of stores and put examples for you to see! It is important to follow the rules of Disney and be conservative in your look. I have tried to find some cheaper looks and some nicer ones for the times you want to splurge. I'm putting together a lot of choices so I'm hoping this helps someone out! 

DCP Packing List

I have never done the DCP but I have lived in on campus housing for four years, so I know a little bit about packing for a semester/year. I hope my experience these past four years can help you figure out what to bring and what to leave at home! My suggestions are for people that are driving down/up/sideways. I have no clue what I would do if I had to fly!  Bedroom:

• Mattress pad
• Twin sheets, comforter, pillows
• Lamp
• Laundry Hamper
• Bed raisers (a lot of people have suggested this so I guess I'll put it on the list)

The Application Process

When you go to the website www.disneycollegeprogram.com you will see this lovely woman greeting you to apply now! And you should! I'm going to try my best to go through the application process so you know what you are in for and can best prepare to get accepted!

There are three parts to the application process:

1. Application
2. Web Based Interview
3. Phone Interview

Now I want to make this clear. So everyone understands this. Right now. We need to state this fact. People may not enjoy it but it is the truth. Everyone does NOT get through to the web based interview or the phone interview. You can stop at any point of the application process. Just wanted to make that clear before we continue.

All About Me

Hearst Castle

Hello everyone! My name is Alyssa and I have been accepted to the Disney College Program at Disneyland Resort for Fall 2014 as a Front Desk cast member. I thought it would be great to tell you a little more about myself so you know who is running the blog and get a little sense of who I am. I am currently a graduating senior at San Jose State University majoring in Hospitality Management with and emphasis in Event Management. And yes, I was actually able to graduate in 4 years. It is possible! After college I honestly have no clue what I want to do so I am so so thankful that I was accepted into the Disney College Program. I am able to see how I like the hotel world and go from there to see what I actually want to do.

I never really know what to talk about when I do an about me. I guess I can talk about what I like to do! I am a huge concert goer. I am obsessed with concerts and I wish I could go to one every week. That would be ideal but I would have $0 in the bank if that happened. I have a tendency to wait till the day of the concert to wait in line forever and get really great seats. I have been 4th row for Bruno Mars, 2nd row for Taylor Swift, and 8th row for Justin Timberlake. It has been great! Being on the floor and so close makes the concert a whole different experience that is truly worth the wait. I am now completely selfish and won't go to a concert unless I'm pretty close. It's a bad mentality to have but I just love being so close. I am also a huge San Francisco Giants fan. I love going to games during the summer. My favorite player is Matt Cain and he is possibly the best person ever! Another fun fact about me is that I am a huge Starbucks junkie. I could go every day if I had the financial means for that. A Triple Skinny Caramel Macchiato is my biggest weakness. One huge, huge desire and dream of mine is definitely to travel the world. I am in love with the different cultures and people and languages and want to explore it all. I have been out of the country once to go to Rome, Italy and it was honestly the best experience of my life. I would love to see the rest of Italy because it was such a beautiful place. Also on the top of my travel list are New Zealand, London, Brazil, and oh so many more places.

My Boyfriend and I with Lightning McQueen! 

I really have nothing else to say. I am a fun, weird, happy person. On the Disney side of things, I have only been to Disneyland three times and have never been to Walt Disney World. My favorite character is Eeyore. I have always loved him, which is insanely weird to some people since he is always so sad and down on himself. I love Beauty & The Beast mainly because of the song Belle sings in the beginning when she is walking around town. Bonjour! Bonjour! Mulan is one of my favorite princess movies by far. She is such a bad ass and I love Li Shang. And Mushu is one of the best sidekicks ever. As for Disneyland, I love Indiana Jones, Peter Pan's Flight, and Splash Mountain. I love Toy Story Midway Mania and California Screamin' at California Adventures. World of Color may be my favorite show ever but that's a hard decision. I hope you enjoy reading my blog and my obnoxiously long posts! Here are some more pictures of myself and suchy such!

Golden Gate Bridge!

The talented Justin Timberlake

Accepted to the Disney College Program!

If you can't tell already, I've been accepted to the Fall 2014 Disneyland College Program! I will be a Front Desk cast member and could not be happier! I received the email at 7:02 this morning. I obviously was not awake for that so I did not read it until about 10 am. I was in such shock when I saw it sitting there in my inbox. I didn't think there would be any acceptances during the weekend so I was just casually checking my emails when I saw it. And guys, when I saw that email I could not believe it. I hadn't even opened it but I could see the Congratulations in the subject and I started freaking out. I'm pretty sure I hurt my boyfriend when I shoved my bright phone in his face because I was so excited.

Here are some logistics that a lot of people wonder when being accepted. I interviewed on February 17th, was in progress all the way through, and then accepted today (3/1) at 7:02 am. I interviewed with Patty and it lasted about 21 minutes. She only really asked one question that completely applied to Front Desk and asked other generic questions.

I am so so happy I can keep blogging my journey throughout the program. I am excited to meet new friends, learn the ins and outs of Disneyland, and gain so much knowledge during the semester. I hope I'll have other opportunities to blog about the program. Maybe some things that people may want to know leading up to the program. I'm not sure but I do know is that I love blogging!

PS changing the name of my blog from Alyssa will travel to something DCP related soon. I want to make this blog strictly about my journey through the Program!

Disney College Program Phone Interview

The other day I had my phone interview for the Disney College Program! I was so nervous but I got through it and now I play the waiting game! So it all started when I woke up...well no. It all started the second I signed up for the interview. I have been anxiously awaiting for this day to come. I guess I'll go through my process of how I prepared, the actual interview, and the long waiting for an answer.

It started off with my preparing for my interview. The second I signed up for my interview I started to freak out. Of course this was the worst thing to do because my interview wasn't until another week. I started off reading different blogs and seeing what potential questions could be. This blog is the one everyone usually links to see what questions can be asked. It's a great basis for preparing for the interview. I would go through some of those, see what roles I really wanted, and went from there! I made some notes to have during my interview just in case I completely freeze and don't know anything. I had index cards all over my desk with bullet points and words like "SMILE!" in really large writing. My biggest advice while preparing for the interview is don't sound completely rehearsed when it's time for the actual interview! You don't want to be reading word for word from your notes. That definitely will not help you! The interviewer will know you are reading from a script. They want to hear who you are and what you think. Not just some script you prepared. Of course practice some questions, get the gist of things, just don't be rehearsed. You want to be prepared, not rehearsed. 

After all of that preparing the day had finally come. My interview day. Of course I had an oral presentation in my class at 10:30 so I had to try and focus my energy towards that. Obviously I didn't. I read over it once and then kept going over my DCP notes and read through the Facebook group pages. Once my class was over I pretty much went on lock down. I put a lovely note on my door that pretty much said that I was going to be doing a phone interview soon and asked politely if my roommates could keep it quiet in the kitchen and living room. This way I wouldn't have to stress about noise outside of my room. Then I put myself on lockdown. I locked my door and sat there going over my notes. I tried not to stress myself out too much. This was about an hour to an hour and a half before my interview. I'd look over my notes and then went online to the Facebook groups or something completely not related to the DCP. So the closer it came to the interview the more I tried to breath and step away from my notes. It was around 1:30 at this point (my interview was scheduled for 1:45) so I decided to sit down and wait for the call. 

At 1:41 the phone rang with "unknown"as the caller. I took a deep breath and answered the phone. "Hello! This is Alyssa!" Of course with a smile. The interviewer introduced herself, I was so nervous I only half listened to her name but I think it was Patty. She was so sweet. At first she went over what was going on, if this time still worked for me, and what was going to happen next. I honestly do not remember every question she asked me but I'll try my best to write down all the ones I was asked! At first she asked me general questions and then asked me my top two roles. Now that was hard. Just two?! I didn't like that but I did it! I told her front desk and vacation planner So she started asking me specific role questions and then back to more generic questions that didn't need much thought. Here are the questions I remember her asking me. I definitely don't remember the order of which she asked me:

• Why do you want to do the Disney College Program? (Pretty sure everyone asks this)
• Tell me about your work experience and how can they help you with this job.
• How do you feel about repetitive tasks?
• Describe a situation where you had to deal with a difficult customer.
• How do you feel about working indoors/outdoors and in the heat?
• How do you know you will stay calm during an emergency?
• What would you do if a repeat guest wanted their normal room but it was not available?
• How would you communicate with someone who does not speak English?
• Why do you want to be a Vacation Planner?
• How would you deal with roommate conflict?
• How do you prioritize and organize your tasks?
• How would you make a guest feel special?
• Do you have any tattoos or piercings?
• Are you going to bring a car?

I don't remember any other questions but there probably were some. Like I said, I was so focused on answering them fully and clearly that I forget what I was asked. After all of her questions I was able to ask any questions I had. The phone call lasted 22 minutes. I feel alright about it. I thought I answered some questions well and others probably needed a little more work. I'm trying to think positive though! 2-3 weeks I will find out! Good luck to everyone else out there! If you have any questions please ask!