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Best Photo Spots in WDW

I can’t wait to take pictures during my DCP so that I can look back and remember the great experience I had and the amazing friends I made! There are so many great place to take photos all over Disney World, and here are a few that I recommend hitting on your next trip! 

The Purple Wall: @purplewallphotos on Instgram. This wall is a fan favorite. It in Magic Kingdom right as you enter Tomorrowland. The wall just got a makeover, but don’t worry it’s still the perfect place for a picture.

The Bubblegum Wall: @bubblegumwall on Instagram. This is probably the most well known wall behind the Purple Wall. You can find this wall in Epcot by the exit to Spaceship Earth!

The Blueberry Wall: @blueberrywallphotos on Instagram. Night next to the Bubblegum Wall you can find the Blueberry Wall also in Epcot!

 The Neon Mickey Wall: @neonmickeywall on Instagram. Go to the Contemporary Resort for a really cool wall of neon Mickey signs!

The Toothpaste Wall: @thetoothpastewall on Instagram. Another great Epcot wall. Head over to Nemo and Friends to find this wall!

The Moss Wall: @mosswallphotos on Instgram. This wall is in Pandora in Animal Kingdom. It’s a great option if you want a more natural looking background for you photos!

 There are so many great spots to take photos all over Walt Disney Worlds. Make sure to hit these on your next trip to Disney! Happy picture taking! 

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Fun Ways to Document Your DCP

The Disney College Program is a once in a lifetime opportunity. A lot of participants want to share their experience with friends, family members, or just the general public. If you are looking for a way to share your experience but don’t know what is right for you, take a look at the list below! 

Ways to document your DCP: 

Vlog: Create a YouTube channel if you don’t already have one, grab a camera, and start recording! DCP vloggers have become very popular over the last few years. I plan to start a vlog for my program, and will let you know after I set up my YouTube channel! (so you can give a girl a follow) 

Instagram: While some people just post on their normal Instagram during the program, others create an Instagram specifically for Disney/DCP content! This is a great option if you don’t want to take time to edit and upload vlogs. You will already mostly likely be taking a bunch of pictures while you’re on your program, so why not create an Instagram to feature those photos?

Blog: Do you think you have some good advice for future DCPers? Maybe start a blog to share your experiences. Blogging is also a great option if you would rather write than take photos or video!

You don’t have to share your experiences, but if you are looking for a way to share here are some suggestions! 

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DCP Housing: The Basics

Trying to figure out where you want to live during you DCP might be one of the hardest things you have to do while preparing for your program. On top of find roommates and just generally getting ready for move in day, you also have to choose a place to live when you have never actually been to any of the housing complex before? 

My number one recommendation for choosing a housing complex is to look at room tours on YouTube. So many DCP vloggers have done great room tours that show you what an apartment looks like at each complex. 

But for those of you who are just starting to research DCP housing, here are the basics: 

There are 4 housing complexes for the Disney College Program: Vista Way, Chatham Square, Patterson Court, and The Commons. 

Geographically, Chatham, Patterson, and Commons are all walking distance from each other, but Vista Way is a little further away. 

You can have anywhere from 1-7 roommates. The smallest apartment size is 1-bedroom 2 person, and the largest apartment size in 4 bedroom 8 person. 

There is a possibility of having 3 people in one room with a single bed and a set of bunk beds. 

Each of the complexes have slightly different rent prices. Rent prices change from program to program, but Vista Way is generally the cheapest and Commons is generally the most expensive. 

Speaking of rent, it is taken directly out of your paycheck. 

At the end of the day, you don’t have too much control over where you live. Your housing preferences are definitely taken into consideration when they place you in housing, but depending on your move in date, they may not have availability in your first choice. I have seen a lot of people get put in something other than their first housing choice. But don’t worry! You’ll have a great experience no matter where you live. 

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DCP Bucket List

There is so much to do in Disney World that it might be hard to know where to start. The DCP is a great time to get to do things in WDW that you might not normally have time for. Here are some idea to get you started!

Go to Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween party

Go to Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party

Explore Epcot Food and Wine Festival

Vist all 4 parks in 1 day

Visit all of the resorts

Drink around the world in EPCOT

Complete the kitchen sink challenge

Meet all of the Disney Princesses

See all of the nighttime shows

Go to a water park 

Ride the new rides in Pandora

Explore Toy Story Land after it open this Summer

See the Goodnight Kiss

Be at eat park at Rope Drop

Stay in a Deluxe Resort

Go to the parks alone

Go to a DCP housing event

Vlog your experience

Eat in Cinderella’s Castle

Eat something from every country in the World Showcase

See the Magic Kingdom fireworks from the top of the Contemporary Resort

Be in the parks on Christmas Day

Pin trade

Now get going you have a lot of things to do!

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How to find your DCP roommates

Finding roommates is always stressful. When I went to college I didn’t know anyone else who was going to my school. I went random instead of trying to link up with someone online before moving to school. A lot of people have a lot of success doing that in college. However, I would not recommend doing that for the DCP. The majority of people link up with roommates for the DCP, so if you go random not only are you possibly missing out on making some great friendships before your program even starts, but you also might end up with someone who you might not get along with.

Here are some of my tips for how to find roommates for your DCP:

Decide how many people you want to live with. You can have an apartment that holds anywhere from 2-8 people. Obviously, the more people in the apartment the cheaper the rent. Most people aim for 6 person apartments. 

Decide which complex you want to live in. Once you know this you will be able to link up with people who want to live in the same place you do! I’ll be doing a breakdown on the differences between the housing complexes at Disney World in the future! 

Join the Facebook groups! Like I’ve said before, the DCP Facebook groups are a great place to get any questions you have about the program answered and to meet new people. It seems like almost everyone who gets accepted to the program is in at least one of the groups. 

Post a roommate survey. Most of the posts on the FB groups are people’s roommate surveys. It’s basically just a quick survey about what you like and what your living style is. For me it was really important to know that the people I would be living with shared similar lifestyles to me.

Message people! Don’t be afraid to reach out to people over FB Messenger. Even if things don’t work out for rooming with people, this is a great way to make some friends before you start your program. I have met so many amazing people so far! 

Don’t be afraid to say no. If you have been messaging with someone and you don’t think the two of you would live well together, don’t be afraid to say no if they ask you to live with them. You need to be comfortable in your own living space. The one awkward moment of you telling them you don’t think the two of you would live well together will be a whole lot easier than being unhappy with your living situation for 6 months. 

Like I said before, finding roommates can be stressful, but everything will work out. Following these tips may help ease some of your stress while going through the roommate search! You’ll know when you’ve found the right people for you. Good luck finding your Ohana! 

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How I decided the DCP was right for me

I am a firm believer that you are never too old for Disney. The memories I have of my family going to Disney World when I was growing up are some of the happiest memories that I have. I have two older siblings, one sister and one brother. Three siblings who like to get on each other’s nerves and long family vacations don’t always mix well, but I have nothing but happy memories of our trips to Disney World. 

Disney has always been a place where everything is magical. When I was deciding whether or not I wanted to do the DCP after I graduated college, I was worried that if I worked at Disney World the magic would be taken away. I would see how the rides work and how everything was done ‘behind the scenes.’ This scared me. What if Disney World was no longer the magical place I remembered in my childhood? 

On one hand, the DCP would allow me to spend 5-7 months in my favorite place. On the other, it could totally ruin that place for me. 

When I asked DCP alumni if they would recommend doing the program, everyone said that it was absolutely worth it. Sure, the hours suck sometimes and you’ll be exhausted from a long day, but you also have the opportunity to make friends from all over the world, get into the parks for free, and learn about the Walt Disney Company. The last point is especially important for me, because I hope to work for Disney long term. This program will allow me to network and learn about what Disney is looking for in applicants so that I can hopefully continue my career with Disney after the program. 

Not one person I asked about the program said that working there ruined the magic for them. In fact, everyone loved that they got to help create magic for other people. 

I decided to do the DCP because I believe that the pros far outweigh the cons. I can’t wait to start my program in the Fall so that I can make new friends, network to hopefully find a job after the program is over, and help create the magic that I love so much for other people. Most of all I can’t wait to start working or my favorite mouse! 

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And now you wait...

I was accepted to the DCP 22 days ago, and now I still have 166 days until I move to Walt Disney World. No one told me when I was applying that the time in between being accepted and the start of the program would go by so slowly. The last 22 days have felt like eternity. It also doesn’t help that I am a second semester senior who is ready for my next adventure. 

Even though you are waiting the program to start there is still so much you can do to get yourself ready and excited for the start of your DCP! 

Tips for how to pass the time in between acceptance and your start date:

Get on the Facebook pages! I am in a few different Facebook pages right now, some that are general DCP Fall 2018 pages and one that is specific to my arrival date. I can’t stress enough how useful these Facebook pages are. The people on them are always there to answer questions or just to talk. If you are uncertain about any aspect of the DCP just ask the group and someone is bound to know the answer! 

Find roommates (& friends)! This brings us back to the Facebook pages. The pages will be the best place to find friends and possible roommates. Don’t be afraid to message someone if you think the two of you will get along really well! More advice on how to find a roommate for the DCP to come in future weeks! 

Make a DCP bucket list. From food you want to eat to rides or shows you’ve never seen. I’ll post my official DCP bucket list in a separate post if you need some inspiration! 

Watch blogs if that’s your thing. I love watching blogs of people who are on the program now or have been in the past. It is cool to get a bunch of different perspective and to actually get to see where you will be living and working! 

These are just some of the ways that I have been keeping myself excited for the start of the DCP! I’ll discuss some of these things in more detail in later posts, so stay tuned! 

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What to do after you’ve been accepted to the DCP

I found out I was ACCEPTED to the Disney College Program on February 13th, 2018 around 2:30pm!! I got the role of Attractions! 

This was exactly 2 weeks after my phone interview. The first wave of acceptance happened on February 12 &13th, so I was a part of this large first wave. I have a friend who had her phone interview after this first wave of acceptances took place, and she was accepted in the next wave which was only 2 days after her PI! How long it takes you to get a response after your PI definitely changes based on when you apply and have your PI. Keep in mind that there are a bunch of different factors that they take into account when going through applications, so don’t freak out if it is taking them longer to get back to you. 

While you are waiting to hear back it is a good idea to follow some of the DCP recruiters on Twitter. They do a great job of letting you know when a wave of acceptances is coming. If you are applying for WDW, I recommend @DCPKirk and @ChristyRecruit. I turned on Tweet notifications for them so I would know when they were going to send out acceptances. **WARNING: Once you see that there will be a wave of acceptances that day, it will be impossible to think about anything else and you will constantly be checking your email (But don’t worry, it happens to the best of us)** 

Once you have been accepted (yay!!) you will have to complete 3 steps in order to fully accept your offer. You will have 7 days to complete these steps. You will have to: 

Accept your offer on your Disney Careers Dashboard

Pay your fees (for WDW it is around $350, for Disneyland it is closer to $900)

Select your Program dates! (For Fall 2018, I could choose from 4 dates between 8/6-9/4)

Once you have completed these steps, you will have officially accepted your offer to work for the Walt Disney Company! 

Congrats if you have been accepted to the program, and good luck if you are going through the application process now or in the future! 

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Phone Interview

After your web-based interview, you will immediately know whether or not you got a phone interview. Right after I pressed submit on my WBI I was directed to a page that told me I had a phone interview (PI)! I received an email a few minutes later with direction on how to sign up for a PI time slot. 

I had my interview on January 30th at 11:30 am. They say that your interviewer can call you any time 15 minutes before or after our scheduled time, but mine called right at 11:30. Let’s just say I was a nervous wreck for the 15 minutes before 11:30 not knowing when they were going to call! 

Before the Interview:

Look up questions that are usually asked during the DCP phone interview. This is the list of questions that I referred to the most, and almost all of the questions that I was asked were on the list. The only questions that weren’t were ones specific to my past experience in school and internships. 

Make a document with notes to refer to during your PI. I just had some of the questions that I thought were harder or that had longer responses. I didn’t want to forget to say anything! I actually didn’t look at my notes at all during the interview, but writing everything out beforehand definitely helped me remember what I wanted to say. 

Make sure you are somewhere quiet and free from distractions! Also Disney does not allow you to be driving during your PI for safety reasons, so take this into consideration when choosing your interview time. 

Get dressed like you would for a real interview. I got dressed and did my makeup as if I was going to an in-person interview, and it really helped me get into the interview ~mood~. 

Set up your space. I have heard of people writing inspirational messages and reminders to themselves, like “Smile!” or “You got this!” If this seems like it would help you I would definitely suggest it! I also surrounded myself with some of my Disney stuff to remind myself how much I love Disney! 

Listen to some Disney music while you wait! This is something that my friend who is also applying for the program at the moment and me both did. It definitely got me into the Disney mood before my interview! 

During the interview: 

Smile!! Try to smile the whole time. It really shows in your voice!

Write down your interviewer’s name. Using their name during the interview will make it seem like you are listening to them and will make it seem like more of conversation. 

Don’t be nervous! Just be yourself and everything will turn out how it is supposed to!

Remember to ask questions at the end of your interview. I asked if my interviewer had done the program before (she hadn’t), so I asked about her history with the company. I also asked about taking classes even though I will have already graduated by the time the program starts. 

Remember to thank your interviewer for their time at the end!

My Interview:

So my interview was actually kind of weird. I felt like my interviewer was rushing through the interview. She asked me a bunch of questions, and just seemed like she wanted to get through those questions as quickly as possible. I felt like I answered all of her questions well though, so I tried not too read too much into it or let it affect me during the interview. I went into my PI thinking that after it was over I would feel really good about the process and my odds of being accepted... but that’s definitely not how it worked out. I stressed so much in the weeks after my interview, and had to continually remind myself that I had done all I could do! 

To figure out if all that stressing was worth it, tune in next time to find out if I got accepted to the program! 

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Web-Based Interview

Congrats! You made it past the first round! The next step is the web-based interview. 

After you finish your application, you will receive an email letting you know if you got a WBI or not. The time in between submitting your application and receiving this email changes for every person, so don’t freak out if you don’t get the email immediately. 

Like I said before, I applied the first day. I got my WBI email about an hour after I submitted my application. But I also know of people who applied and didn’t hear back for over a week. This usually has nothing to do with your application. Sometimes they just have to wait for more phone interview (which is the step after the WBI) slots to open up. So don’t worry if it takes a while for you to hear back about your application. 

Info about the WBI:

You should plan to complete your WBI within 3 days of receiving the emailing telling you that you have moved on the to the WBI round. 

You will have about 40 minutes to complete the interview.

There are 2 types of questions: multiple choice and rating things on a scale.

Each question is individually timed: you will have 50 seconds for each MC and 20 for each scale.

Tips for the WBI:

Make sure you are in a quite place that is free from distractions. 

Try reading the questions out loud as you go. This really helped me, but everyone is different.

BE YOURSELF! This is the most important thing to remember. The role of the WBI is to make sure you are a good fit for the Walt Disney Company. Lying about who you are or what you like won’t help you in the long run! 

Don’t over think it. Going off of the last tip, don't just put down what you think they want to hear. If you overthink every question you won’t be able to finish the interview because time will run out.

Be consistent with your answers, because sometimes the questions can be repetitive.

Don’t worry if you don’t answer every single question. I accidentally took too long to answer 2 of my questions, but I still got a phone interview. The important thing to remember if you take too long on one question is to not let it affect you as you finish answering all the other questions! 

As soon as I pressed submit on my WBI it took me to a page that informed me that I had a phone interview! 

More on the phone interview to come! 

[marissalopezpsm]

The Application

You’ve waited weeks, months, or maybe even years for this day, and now here it is! The Disney College Program application is finally open! 

The application for Fall/Fall Advantage 2018 came out on January 22, 2018. I applied the first day it came out. 

The application itself is pretty straight forward. It says that it will only take 15 minutes to complete. I would say that if you are familiar with all the roles offered in the program then this is true.  On the application you just have to fill out some basic information about yourself, your past work or volunteer experience, which park (Walt Disney World, Disneyland, or both) you are applying to, and you rank all roles offered at the park(s) you are applying to. If you are applying to both WDW and DL you also choose which park you prefer. 

I applied to both parks, and put WDW as my top choice. When choosing which roles our interested in doing, you can rank each role on a scale of No Interest, Low Interest, Moderate Interest, or High Interest. You can be placed in a role that you put ‘Low Interest’ for, but not one that you put ‘No Interest.’ Since I applied to both parks, and there are different jobs offered at each park, I was able to express how interested I was in each role in both parks. I first went through all of the WDW roles, and then went through all of the DL roles. 

A lot of people say that if you are too picky when choosing roles and put ‘No Interest’ for a bunch of them, then you won’t get chosen for the program. But other people say that you can be pretty picky when expressing interest and still get a web interview. Unfortunately, there is really no way of knowing which of these theories is correct. I only put ‘No Interest’ for one of the roles. 

I think my biggest piece of advice when applying is to be honest. I only put ‘No Interest’ for one role because that was genuinely the only role that I would have made me turn down the program. Don’t put interest in things that you wouldn’t want to be stuck doing for a few months. 

Another thing I think is important when preparing for the application is to get familiar with the different roles and what exactly they each entail. The DCP website does a good job of explaining each role, but some of the descriptions might not be exactly what you thought the role was based on the name. I had the role descriptions pulled up as I filled out my application so that I could refer to it if I forgot exactly what each role entailed.  

I hope this helped, and good luck on your application! 

[marissalopezpsm]

Welcome!

Welcome! This blog is a go to source for anything and everything concerning the Disney College Program. I will be posting weekly to share my experiences as I go through the application process. I am currently applying now (in Spring ‘18) for the Fall ‘18 program.  

First, I wanted to give a little background about myself in relation to the DCP! I am a senior in college (which is a little scary considering this will be my only chance to apply to the DCP). I have been wanting to the do program for a while, but my university doesn’t accept credits from the DCP classes. So in order to do the program, I would have had to take a leave of absence from school. Instead of doing that, I decided to apply for the program as a senior so that I can do it right after I graduate. 

I am a huge Disney fan, and I am so excited about the possibility of spending a few months in the happiest place on earth. Stay tuned for more info on the application and about the program in general!