DCP – FAQ

I’m calling this DCP FAQs, but these questions weren’t asked of me. Actually, these questions are things people searched via Google, Yahoo, etc. and they landed on my page. So, I hope my answers help. Again… please feel free to ask me any questions you have about the DCP. I want to help! You can comment on any post or e-mail me at bellanottebelle{at}gmail{dot}com

Question #1: What happens if you’re interrupted during your DCP interview?

This is a toughy. I actually wasn’t interrupted during my interview, but I did read a post in a forum from someone who was. Their call was dropped. Basically they called back the number they called to schedule the interview and told them what happened and scheduled another interview. But, there’s no way to know how this will affect your interview results. My suggestion to you all is that you use a land line if at all possible. If you don’t have a land line (my family doesn’t) and you use your cellphone, make sure you’re somewhere you know you have good reception and make sure you’re away from all distractions. I had the tv off, scheduled it early enough in the day everyone in my house was still asleep, left the back door open so my dogs could go in and out without bothering me, and sat at the dining room table so I wouldn’t be too comfortable and have it cause me to be more casual.

Question #2: DCP WBI advice (okay, this isn’t so much a question as it is just a search term)

I know things have changed since I took the WBI, but I imagine it’s very similar to the one I took. My advice to you is to be yourself and answer truthfully. They’re looking for consistency and honesty. There’s no trick way to pass the WBI. I do suggest you do it somewhere quiet and alone so you can concentrate. I did mine during my Landforms class (don’t ask why… because I have no idea why I did that…) and it was pretty distracting. When I did  mine, it told me right then that I passed. I’m not sure if that’s how it still is, but I would imagine it would be.

Question #3: How many days do you get off during the DCP?

Well, this is a toughy. Honestly, it really depends on your work location. I was scheduled 2 days off every week  except for the weeks when I put in to get days off because I had people visiting. I started out with Thursdays and Fridays off but it changed to Wednesdays and Thursdays about a month after I got down there. But, I also picked up a lot of shifts after I figured out the rules on hours and such. For example, there was a stretch where I did work 2 weeks in a row without a day off because I picked up shifts of my days off. I think my longest day was 15 hours because I picked up extra hours before the shift I was scheduled. One of my roommates, though, was scheduled easily 50 hours in a week but still got at least a day off. I never had a problem giving away a shift, either. There are plenty of part-timers and seasonal cast members who will take them off of your hands.

If you have any more questions, feel free to ask! Chances are you’re not the only one with that question!

 

Also, if you have a question you think you might have to answer for your interview or you already had your interview but would like to see my answer, just leave it in the comments as well! I kept a log of the questions I was asked and how I answered them.

DCP- Phone Interview

Here’s a repost of what I wrote about the Phone Interview after I did it last year. If you have any questions, feel free to ask! I’m always up for answering questions regarding the DCP.

 

I applied for the DCP on March 17th and my phone interview was scheduled for the 19th at 8:30 am. My phone ran and 8:31 and we got to it. First, she started by asking my top 3 role choices (attractions, main entrance operations, concierge). Then she asked some questions about past work experience and behavioral interview questions. I felt very prepared because I did some research before hand on www.disboards.com. Here are some questions I was asked:

• Why do you want to do the DCP?
• Have you ever had to give a memorized speech in front of an audience?
• If you’re at Main Entrance Operations and you’re the first person to greet our guests, how would you make their day magical?
• Tell me about your job. (She specifically refereed to my job as a box office worker. I sell tickets for concerts, recitals, and operas.)
• What kinds of problems might arise when living with other people?
• Do you have any problems with working in hot/humid environments?
• If you were doing a task that was repetitive, how would you keep yourself interested in it?
• If you were interrupted during a task, how would you feel? (I felt so dumb for answering the way I did)
• She also asked a lot more questions about my selling tickets (this led me to think that if I was accepted I would be offered the position of vacation planner which was my 4th top pick)

After these questions, we went over my application. She asked if I had any problems with the Disney look, if I was okay making $7.25-$8.75 an hour, if I’d been convicted of a crime, if I had a valid drivers license, etc. At the end she asked if I would like to add Quick Service Food & Beverage or Housekeeping. Don’t be afraid to say no. I did. If you would really hate the jobs, say no. You will only be miserable there doing something you really didn’t want to do.  Then the interview was over. It lasted 16 minutes.

I was pended the 25th and received my invitation for attractions on the 30th! Yay!

So, now that I’ve lived through the experience, here are some tips for future CPers:

• Go to the bathroom before they call. You don’t want to have to do the pee dance while you’re talking to your interviewer.
• Have a bottle of water (or your choice of beverage) near you during the interview. With you doing most of the talking, your throat could get dry or have a cough attack!
• Use a land line if you can. It was difficult to understand her sometimes over my cell.

If you’d like to know the answers to my questions or have any other questions, feel free to ask!

DCP: Part 1

So, I checked out my “this is what you Googled to find my blog” list and it seems that a lot of Disney College Program people are out there looking for info! It’s wonderful! Applications went out on my birthday the other day so it’s no surprise that everyone’s looking for answers.

BUT – I can’t remember what I’ve actually covered. So, I’m going to look through some old posts and put together a new DCP series.

Things I plan on covering:
WBI/Phone interview
Getting down there
Where you’ll live
Taking Classes during the DCP
What you’ll do during the DCP (Focus on attractions since that’s where I was)
What to do on days off
Roommate issues

 

If you’ve found my blog and are interested in the DCP, applied for it, etc. And you want information on something and it doesn’t seem like I will cover it PLEASE feel free to comment on this post or e-mail me and ask! I am more than happy to fill you guys in on any information!!

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

Now that I’m back, I’ve done some thinking about this blogging business. I’m always all over the place, even after my refocus last summer.

SO! I think it’s time for me to do that again. My blog is still fairly young, so if I’m going to do some changing up, I think now is the best time to do it before I get a following (HA!).

So what will my new blog be about?

Disney – Duh. I work there now, and I love it. I miss it a lot. I’ll do some Disney College Program recaps.

101 in 1001 – I’ve added on some months so now I’ve got until the end of the year to get on these things.

Being Healthy – Now that I did a half marathon, I feel like I can do anything… almost. So, to kick this off I’ll start with a recap of my half marathon and will continue to grow on this.

Saving Money – Being a pretty broke college student, I need to learn more about saving money. I used to clip coupons before I went to Orlando and while I was down there I honestly didn’t even think about it. Because I didn’t go out of my way to save money, I came home broke. I’m not getting a lot of work these days (ie – none), so every penny I can save counts.

Also, I’ll have another blog. A more “professional” blog over at:

http://katharyngarrett.wordpress.com

So feel free to check that out. I only have 1 post right now and I’m still playing around with the theme as much as I know how.

Back home!

Well everyone, I’m back home. I got home Tuesday evening and started back classes yesterday. Talk about a smack back in to reality from living in a fantasy world. It’s definitely bittersweet because while I obviously missed my family and friends back home… it’s hard to not be sad that I’m not at Disney World any more.

I’m lucky enough to be placed seasonal. To keep my seasonal status I need to work 150 hours a year. Not bad.

Now that I’m back home I’ll have more time to write on here, which is good! I’m still in the process of unpacking so regular updates will happen starting next week. Right now I’m working on updating my 101 in 1001, which I’ve extended until the end of the year due to the 5 months I was in Orlando.

I sure hope some of you still follow me, but if not, I’m definitely understand. I mean, I did sort of disappear for 5 months. Ha!

So welcome back to my blog! I think living on my own and seeing what I’m truly in to has helped me see where this blog will focus. Be ready… because it’s happening!

The one where I figure out things are falling in to place

Being in Orlando has been hard, but a wonderful learning experience for me. I’ve missed my family and friends, but nothing could have helped me decide if I’m on the right track like coming down here for a few months. I was completely taken out of my element. I live in a 2 bedroom apartment with 3 other girls who I met via the internet (thank you Facebook) to work crazy hours at a theme park being yelled at every day – and I’ve loved it.

My roommates and I haven’t gotten along the whole time, but when you stick 4 girls living together – it’s going to happen. And it’s in the past. Right now, I’m  just looking forward to the future. And they may not want to be BFFs or whatever after the program, but I honestly feel closer to them than many of my friends back home. They understand me on a level that I think is hard to reach unless you live with someone.

Working in the parks is hard. Short days are 6 hours long, long days are 8 am to midnight. I’m so lucky to work at such an amazing place with such wonderful people. The job is hard and training was intense. But every “Thank you” and “You made our vacation I get” makes up for every “You’ve ruined our vacation” I get when I tell someone their child isn’t tall enough.

It’s now December 7th. We’re coming so close to the 1 year countdown to the wedding, so that means 1, it’s time to figure out what I want to do when I graduate and become a wife, and 2 it’s TIME TO START PLANNING! It’s pretty terrifying the long list of stuff I need to do.

I’ll still be pretty scarce on here, with a few updates until I get home.

Thanks for sticking by me!

Slacker!

I’ve been a slacker when it comes to visiting the gym. Honestly, I started house/dog sitting for a friend and then my car decided to poop out for a couple of days and I just haven’t been able to get back on the horse and just go. It’s too darn hot outside to run… or do anything really. But today I’m making myself go to the gym. I have to start back again.

The down side is that if I get back in to my groove… I’ll only be messing it up again because of the move to FL. But, as much as I’d love to use that as an excuse, I need to go back. It’s good for me. Luckily, the gym I use is a 24 hour gym – so I can go whenever. Which is great because I much prefer going when there are less people there. Not that I think they’re judging me (so what if they are? I’m there to work on it.) but because the parents LOVE to bring their kids and let them run around on the machines.

Y’all… gyms are not playgrounds. Your kids can SERIOUSLY hurt themselves on the equipment if they don’t know how to use it properly. And since your child seems to be around 8… I’m going to guess they don’t know how to use it. I mean, I get it. You’re a working parent and you need to go to the gym and can’t afford a babysitter… but there is a HUGE freaking swimming pool with a giant water slide and lifeguards and a cafe they can hang out at. They don’t need to be playing with the weight machines.

The last time I was at the gym, they were running around on all of the machines next to me and being loud – I just finished off 1 mile and then left. I wasn’t even going to bother.

So, today or tomorrow I will go back. I don’t know what I’ll do, but it will be at night and will involve running.

I also need to cut back on my soda intake. I was doing so well and then I fell off the wagon. I suppose having a soda habit is better than other habits I could have. It’s still annoying though. So I’m cutting back to probably 2 a day for a couple of days and then 1 a day and then 0. I would go cold turkey but I actually get killer headaches because of the caffeine.

When you go running (on a treadmill) what do you do? I listen to music, but it’s sort of stale now. I’m thinking of bringing my nook and trying to read while doing it… or maybe watch something on Netflix? Any suggestions?

2 Weeks

This summer just flew by. 2 weeks from today I will be leaving Memphis to head toward Florida. We’ll be stopping in Atlanta for a day to visit my Aunt and cousins before we head down for the 2nd leg of the trip. I have SO MUCH left to do. I have 9 chapters worth of homework and extra credit catch up on and my final to do as well. On top of that I need to get my car inspected, oil change, and renew my registration before I leave. And I have LOADS of laundry to do. It’ll take the next few days to finish that up. And PACK! Goodness I have a lot of stuff to pack in to my tiny little PT.

My last day of working at the office is a week from today. Actually, almost a week from this exact moment will be my last moment on campus until January rolls around. My last at the theatre is a week from Sunday.

While I’m really excited about this opportunity and I already love my roommates, I’m really sad I’m leaving my friends/family/Tony/dogs behind. I’m thankful that Tony will be able to come visit me in October. Also my bosses are coming in October and will visit me for a day! (Neither of them have been to Disney before! *gasp*) And my brother and I are crossing our fingers and toes that we might get to surprise my mom with a trip to the world in December.

Oh man, my ever growing list of things to do. I’m off to go do some!

Summer Summary

This summer has been amazing, but has be the complete opposite of what I thought it would be.

Music Camp was awesome. It doubled in size from last year and I’m so glad to have been a part of it. Every year it just gets better and better. And the director played off of my strengths – administrative work. FINALLY, a time I got to put my Microsoft Certification to use!

Work at the theatre has slowed down a bit. We went almost 3 weeks with no work, so it’s nice to be back at it. While I love the “gogogo” of the seasons, I enjoy the summers because everyone is a lot less stressed out. They’re all getting their vacations in.

Working at the office has been great! I ended up going over the hours I was already paid for, so I’m getting some overage! YAY! Money for Florida!

Yesterday Tony and I got our engagement photos done. I can’t wait to see them! I know they’ll be well worth the 4 blisters I’ve gotten. Our poor photographer got blisters AND a sunburn. She’s so amazing though! I highly recommend her! (Jessica Winn)

SO MUCH TO DO! If you’re doing the DCP, have you started packing?

I’m still here!

I haven’t forgotten about this. I’m in a mini freak out over a class I need to take this fall while I’m in FL. A real post is coming soon… first I need to call this Community College and yell at them. Here’s the low down:

I’d really like to graduate in December of 2012 because that’s the month I’m getting married. It would be nice to have a grown-up job by then.

They keep changing my program at the University I attend and they took 1 class we had and turned it in to 5 classes. So, this would push my graduation date to May of 2013. No bueno.

My advisor told me that there is a class at a local Community College that would count as that class we used to have – keeping me at a 12-2012 graduation date.

I tried to sign up for this class and it says there’s a pre-req called MIS 2749… which I already took here and made an A in. It looks like the exact same class. So whatever, I tried to sign up for that class… but it says there are 2 math pre-reqs. Basic & Intermediate Algebra. Well, because my ACT score in math was high enough, I skipped Algebra and went straight to Calculus, which I also made an A in.

So, I’m super frustrated at how things are going and if I don’t take this class I’m gonna be suppppppa peeved.

I just need to remember to breathe.