Facebook and Roommates

Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying my posts about the DCP and just my path with it in general!
Today is a very gloomy day out in Colorado and it makes me just want to cuddle up in my blankets and sleep all day. I had tap class this morning and it went great! We got out early and so I was able to go get a hot chocolate at the near by Blue Mug! So I mean basically the day is going great! I have a dentist appointment tomorrow so that I can get a filling done so that's not too cool. I have had so many fillings though, so it wont be that big of a deal. Wow. Now I am rambling about random things like cavities.


Today I thought it would be a good time to write about the Facebook page and how finding roommates works.
My sister and I before applying, knew that there was a Facebook page with a bunch of people interested in applying, but we didn't know if we should join it or not. I was a little worried about it because I had heard horror stories from others about how it puts your anxiety through the roof. They post a lot about where they are at with the process and a lot of things that will mess with you more than you thought it could. We didn't join the group until after we applied and took the web based interview and we didn't just join 1 we joined almost all of them throughout the time! haha!


Which brings me to this:

The 5 Different Types of Facebook Groups I Joined:

1. The General One.

This is the one that everyone will join in the beginning. It will have the most information that you will want to know. This is where you will start to remember who is who based on how much they post and you start to root for them to get accepted. Waves are announced here and also any other information that you might need regarding deadlines and such. There are definitely some posts that you wish you could unread because people are pretty vocal at times but you can just ignore and only read what you want. This group is good when waves are happening and you are not in them because everyone is so helpful and encouraging! When people do get accepted, you will see them post screenshots of their emails and it will make your heart sink and you will be very jealous. It makes your mind go crazy for sure but I just tried to focus on the positives during my wait time. This page is also good because when someone wants advice they will generally post it here since there is a big amount of people in the group.

2. The Accepted one.

This is the group where people go when they see that wonderful email saying they have been chosen to be included in the program. You will get a good estimate of how many people are attending with you, but you can only see it when you have officially been accepted which can be a bummer. Not too many posts happen here but you will see those roommate survey posts everywhere stating their arrival date/departure date which is important so that you can find roommates!

3. The Date Specific one.

When you are accepted, you will accept the offer and pay your fees. You are also asked to choose when you want to arrive or depart. There are about up to 4 options, but depending on your role there could be less. After you have chosen your date, you can go on Facebook and find the group that is specifically for that date. This becomes a lifesaver when you need to find roommates because you are only allowed to room with people who have the same arrival/departure date. This will be where you want to make sure you post the roommate survey so that people can see if they have things in common to where you want to room together.

4. The Religion one.

So another type of group that you may encounter is one that targets you religion preference. I joined the Christians page and met people that were similar to me regarding religion. If you are someone that wants to make sure you find people to room with that have similar beliefs, this is the best place to start. There are pages for other preferences of religion but this is the one that I chose.


5. The In Progress one.
This is a group that I joined in the beginning of the process. I was in this status for a while and it was a pretty grueling time. The thing about this page (at least for this season) is that not a lot of people post on this page. The administrators are pretty focused on not posting about acceptances or anything like that on the page. It is used to help people feel encouraged more than sharing that they got accepted or not. This is the page that I least have updates on.


There are definitely other pages that you can join, but these are just the ones I felt like I needed to be a part of.


The next portion that I wanted to talk about is finding roommates!
This is an exciting step in the process. When you get to check in, you will find out where you are living and who you are living with. You can choose to go random with finding roommates or find some on your own through Facebook or other sites but they have to be the same arrival and departure date.


The struggle that you will have with finding roommates is after posting your survey, it can take a while until you hear from someone. You will have a lot in common with people because I mean you all chose to do this program and so when people are looking for roommates, they have to actually talk and make sure they can get along with each other.
My sister and I really want to be roommates because we are twins and it would just work out! We have actually found a group of girls to hopefully room with and they are all soooo sweet! I hope it all works out because it would be nice to have some friends to adventure with. Even if we don't end up being roommates, we will still be friends!


Well that's all for now!
See ya real soon!
M'lyn Miller  

The 5 Stages of The Waiting Game!

Hello everyone! I hope you are doing well today!
I am at work... as always and I thought that I would write a post about the waiting game of this whole process. After all, this is a big part of the whole Disney College Program because there are multiple times where you are just waiting for the next step of the process!


The first time you are in the waiting game is the very beginning; waiting for the application to open. This one is not as painful as the others. You know it will be coming eventually so you don't worry that much about it. I knew that I wanted to apply but I didn't think too much about it all before it opened. I mean I definitely did A LOT of research, but I wasn't upset or having my heart hurt everyday... haha! That sounds so dramatic!


The second time you are in the waiting game is after you have done the initial application. The next step is the Web-Based Interview and some people are very fortunate enough to receive that part of the process 10 minutes to an hour after they applied. But some people have to wait almost the whole time before they receive one. I didn't have to wait that long, but I bet its a gruesome waiting game because you are pretty much in limbo at that point. Will you advance to the next step at some point or will you just stay there waiting and waiting??


The third time you are waiting is after the Web-Based Interview is passed and its Phone Interview time. You will schedule when you are going to do your phone interview so at least at this point you know exactly when your next step is coming, but you still have to experience all the wait before it actually happens. I felt very nervous and scared during this step. I had never really done a phone interview so I was clueless of what to feel and how to process it all. I just made sure to take notes and get a cheat sheet ready for when the time comes. I will insert a picture soon of what my poster board looked like so you can see what I planned before hand.


The fourth time you are entered into the waiting game is when you are waiting to hear if you have been accepted. This one is the most horrible and gruesome waiting game you will be in. My twin and I both applied for the program. It was August 15th and I applied before her and finished my web-based interview. Both of us got the Web-based interview and scheduled our phone interview in the same day which was awesome! Being a twin has those complications of wanting the same thing or the competition to get something over the other or be better. Its not like we are wanting that to be a thing, its just always there. I had my phone interview on August 22nd which was a Monday and it was at 2:30 instead of its scheduled time of 2:45. It went great and I felt awesome about it! I joined the facebook group at this point and would just read all of the updates in the hopes of easing my mind. My sister had her phone interview August 23rd at 7:25 or later I believe with it scheduled for 7. This is an example of how they say you have to be ready for anything even if it goes after your time before they call. We both entered the arena of waiting and it was so hard. I would say the biggest thing that made it hard was when people would post how well their phone interview went. I felt confident about mine, but when I would read the posts, it would make me question everything! My sister didn't feel too great about hers but we just both didn't know what to expect. 2 weeks went by and nothing. Its a big struggle waiting because it makes your days slower and your mind is consumed of all things Disney.
One day, 2 people posted about being accepted and Facebook went crazy! My sister and I went crazy! The world went crazy! haha! It was super early and from what we could tell it was only 2 people that got accepted. It was an odd situation and it didn't help the struggle of waiting at all. My sister and I thought it was coming and that we would hear soon! But that wasn't the case for both of us.


My older sister's 24th birthday was coming up on the 15th of September and we still hadn't heard anything at this point. We celebrated Janae's birthday and went to bed for the next day. Friday, the 16th, I had a hair appointment and while I was waiting for my turn a big wave started to happen. This was the first big wave that was happening and it looked like it was going alphabetical. I was freaking out and I thought this is my time! I will be accepted! My hair appointment took about 2 hours and when I was leaving I checked my phone. I had a message from my twin Megan and my hear dropped....... she had been accepted to the Disney College Program.... and I wasn't yet. I was so upset. It wasn't that I wasn't happy for her, it was that it was so much more real and that I wanted it so much more. I got home and I broke down right away in tears. My dad comforted me and got my spirits back up but it was still an open wound. This was something that I wanted forever and my sister had applied on whim. It was the worst feeling. But my wait wasn't over. I wasn't NLIC'd and the waves were just started. But realizing that is easier said than done....


I waited some more and everyday was a battle and it hurt so much more. I wanted to go with my sister and now there was a chance that only one of us would get in. Its hard when you feel like they don't want you or that you are second place because that was something that I had gone through a lot throughout my life. Of course that was all my own doing with insecurities that I faced.


September was coming to a close and I still hadn't heard anything. There had been waves every weekend and I was never in them. My mom's birthday was coming on the 30th (2 birthdays in one month!) and I was joking around saying how it would be funny if I got accepted on her birthday since Megan had been accepted on Janae's. Well God was listening because sure enough on that Thursday the 29th, I had been accepted as Merchandise, Spring for the Disney College Program.


AHHH WOOOO YEAHHH! I was so excited and relieved! I spent a good part of that day texting and calling friends and family about the news. I wanted to shout it from the rooftops!


I went to work the next day and my co-workers had donuts and one of my coworkers that actually did the program as well got me a present. I was basically on cloud 9. What are the odds that my sister and I both got accepted on the 2 birthdays of our family that month.


BUT THE WAITING GAME IS NOT OVER
The fifth time I was in the waiting game is where I am right now. I am waiting for my program to start. The feeling of this stage is not as harsh on my heart. Its a fun waiting game of meeting people who have been accepted and counting down the days of when it all starts. Its a roller coaster of emotions because I am scared and nervous within those feelings of happiness and joy. I have never moved out of my parents house and been on my owns so this is completely new to me but I am ready.


If you are still waiting to hear back, don't lose hope! It comes when you least expect it. I think that its obviously hard at this point to keep that faith since it is October 10th but you still have until November. Don't lose hope!


After all.... .all you need is Faith, Trust, and a little bit of Pixie Dust..... Sending Pixie Dust to everyone in whatever stage of their waiting game!




*Something that I did to help the agony of the waiting game was made a lot of Disney crafts. I made Mickey Ears, a Mickey wreath, Wooden Mickey Letters, and many more! Its pretty fun!*


Stay tuned for a post about the Facebook page and finding roommates!


See ya real soon,
M'lyn Miller

The Phone Interview!!

Hi everyone! I hope your morning/day is going well! I am currently at work (as always) and I am just waiting for the morning fog to go away. If anyone is reading this from Florida or where Hurricane Mathew is headed, just know I am thinking of you all and praying for you! Stay safe! That Hurricane looks vicious and its crazy how much damage it really can do!


My sister and I have been anxiously waiting for January to come. I definitely have so many different emotions about it that seem to take place all at the same time. I am super excited and blessed to be able to be a part of a program such as this! I have been researching this forever and when the time came it was a very surreal moment that I was actually finally applying. I also have nervous feelings about it too. I am nervous about moving out of my house for a bit since I have never lived independently. I am nervous about what is actually going to happen during the program. Many things. But what has helped through this whole rollercoaster of emotions is that I have my twin by my side through it all. One big difference between Megan and I is that she is totally ready and okay with moving out and living her own life. I am someone that loves new adventures but this one is just definitely one that came fast. When I was in high school, I went to a church camp for a week at Fort Lewis College called CIY. We would stay in the dorms there with our youth group and just worship and praise God all week. Which was AMAZING! The not so amazing part of it all was how I was homesick. Before heading to that trip, I figured I would be a lot like my sister; ready to leave and thrive. But that became clear that I am going to have a much harder time with these kinds of situations. I know the moment we drive away from my house, I am going to be crying and having doubts about the whole thing. Because where I have lived and my family that I have lived with is all I have ever known. Leaving that comfort zone is something I knew would come, but I didn't know exactly how it would feel. I am going to definitely struggle a bit when I get to Florida but I know that I will be able to adapt to my new comfort zone and all in all, this experience is something that I need. I need to experience life on my own and find myself away from my family that I love dearly. I need to find that feeling of being ready to leave and start my own life. Okay sorry for this rant. I had it on my mind and had to get it out.


NOW ON TO THE FUN STUFF!


The Phone Interview. If you have made it this far in the process, you should feel very proud and grateful of yourself. Some people that apply never even make it into the Web-Based Interview let alone the Phone Interview so if this is as far as you make it, that's pretty great. Some people are placed into Submission status and stay that way until the very end of the process.


The Phone Interview was actually a step in the process that I was excited for. The application and WBI were great but the thing about them is that no one is actually able to hear you and hear the passion that you have. They are not able to get to know you at all and are basically just looking at the skills you have and work ethic before they even know what you are like. I had never actually had a phone interview before, but I knew that this was my chance to show my interviewer why I wanted to do this program and why I would fit well at this competitive program.


I started watching a lot of Vlogs that gave advice for the interview and read countless blogs about what I could expect. I had a lot of time before my interview (August 22nd was my Phone Interview) and so I couldn't focus on anything but the interview. I would write down questions and answer them in my head so that I would at least feel familiar with what they might ask.


In some of the blogs/vlogs, they talked about making a 'cheat sheet' that had questions on it and bullet point answers to help if I got stuck on a surprising question. I am someone that loves notes and it eases my mind to make sure I have something to reference so this tip was one that I definitely carried out! The way that I did it was type the questions that some said were asked and then put bullet points under of like 2-3 words that would help me if I got tongue-tied in my answer. I made sure to organize them in sections like "Housing", "Disney Related", "Program Related" "General ?s about me" "Photopass" (Role Specific headings).... etc..
This definitely helped me a lot because not only did I keep it short answers, I made sure to organize it in a way where I wouldn't have to skim every question to find my answer. Instead of just keeping it on paper that could potentially make a lot of noise, I got a very thick poster board that wouldn't bend or move. I attacked the pages onto the poster board and then I also had sticky notes around it that helped me remember to stay positive and calm. I had one that highlighted the 4 keys of Disney; Safety, Courtesy, Show and Efficiency. This helped because it made me make sure my answers were fitting at least one of these keys.


I scheduled my Phone Interview at about 2:45 MDT which was 4:45 in Florida and something that they mention is that the interview can call anywhere from 15 minutes earlier to 15 minutes later of your scheduled time. That day I got done with work at 12 and before heading home, I went to dance with some friends in my dance group so that my mind was not racing too much! That definitely made me calm! I went home around 2 and that way I would have enough time to gather my thoughts and get my set up ready. At about 2:30 I got a call from an Unknown Caller and I knew that my interview was happening 15 minutes before just like they said.


I picked up the phone and said hello as well as my name and the Interviewer introduced herself as Cheraine (not sure how to spell it) and she told me that she loved my name and knew that it was from the movie Steel Magnolias! She said that she could recite the whole movie if I wanted her to and from there on, I knew that the interview was going to be way calmer than I thought.
*If you ever get Cheraine, congratulations because she was so awesome! She was super nice and she just made me feel calm and like I was talking to my best friend! Which was so great for my nerves!*


She asked me questions about if I have a drivers license, if I had any tattoos or piercings, if I have ever lived with roommates before... just very general questions that are really easy to answer because they are literally about you.


She then moved on to what she called "The fun part" and reminded me of what roles I had put interest in. She asked me questions like why I wanted to do the program and how it could help me in the future. She asked me role specific questions for Character Attendant, Photopass and Character Performer (Reminding me that I would have to attend an audition) and Children's Activities. Photopass was the one that I was aiming for, but I would basically take anything. Except for Custodial because I am scared of bees and they said if you are scared of bees you may not like that role haha!


At the end she asked if I had any questions and I did! I asked about taking classes while doing the program, I asked about continuing in the company after the program and I asked her what she took away from her program that she did!


It was a 42 minute Interview and I ended it feeling very happy and confident in myself! After that all I could do was wait!!


TIPS:
Like I said before, Take notes but not too detailed of notes about what you want to say. Even if its just a reminder to mention something while having your interview. Of course if you just want to go into the interview blindly and un rehearsed, that can totally work too! Its whatever works best for you!


Make sure you take a picture of your roles that you put interest in. I wrote down to do that, but I forgot and I wish I had taken or at least wrote down what I put. It would have made it easy to reference and then I would also have remembered.


If you have a role that you are really interested in, feel free to express that to the interviewer! They want to know what you want and they will take that into consideration. They may not be able to give you that exactly but they will definitely write it down.


If you tell your interviewer that you are interested in Character Performer she will 'sign you up' for a certain city that is holding auditions. BUT if you are unable to attend after all, it will not affect you in any way. They will offer you another role.


Here are some questions that might be asked during your interview:

What does Disney mean to you?

How will the college program help you professionally?

What are you most looking forward to?

What makes you a good candidate for the program?

What are three positive qualities about yourself?

What are three negative qualities about yourself?

What can you offer the company?

What Disney character is most like you?

What’s a magical moment you have had in the Disney parks?

Tell me about your past jobs/work experience

Tell me about a time where you made a guest happy at a job

How would your bosses (past and present) describe you?

Tell me about a time you didn’t get along with your co-workers

Tell me about a time where a customer was difficult. How did you handle it?

Do you mind working and living far away from home?

Do you mind working outside in the Florida heat or inside in cold air conditioning?

Would you rather work independently or in a group setting?

Would you rather work in a slow or fast-paced environment?

How would you handle an emergency?

How would you handle a guest who doesn’t speak English but clearly needs help?

Do you mind working mornings, evenings, late nights, weekends, and holidays?

How would you make a guest’s day?

What does character integrity mean to you?

Character Attendant

What would you do if a guest was being violent or inappropriate towards a character?

How would you react to a child who is afraid of a character?

What would you tell guests if you had to turn them away because a line to meet a character was closed for the day?

What would you tell a child who asked why the fur characters don’t speak? (Hint: if you’re asked this, say something like “Mickey Mouse is saving his voice for the parade later!”)

How would you tell someone that (insert name of character here) has to leave? (Another hint: Daisy has to get ready for her date with Donald/Buzz Lightyear has to go change his batteries.)

Attractions

If you were doing a task that was repetitive, how would you keep yourself interested in it?

Have you ever spoken in front of a large group of people?/Are you comfortable speaking in front of a large audience?

Housing

Have you ever lived in a dorm or with other people?

Have you ever lived alone?

How do you feel about the apartment/dorm setting?

How would you handle being away from home?

How would you handle a roommate disagreement?

What do you think the worst aspect of Disney Housing would be?

These are examples of some questions that might be asked. There is no guarantee which ones will be asked to you because each interviewer is different but just use these as a guide and you will do great! Good luck!


See ya real soon,
M'lyn Miller

The Web-Based Interview

Hi everyone!
I hope you are doing well! I am currently battling a cold so that is fun. :) I am at work and in less than an hour I will go to dance class which is always a good combo with sickness.... NOT haha!


When I applied, I was invited to take the Web-Based Interview 10 minutes after I submitted the application. You can be invited 10 minutes after, an hour after, 2 days after, a month later. There are many possibilities and just like with this whole process, there is no pattern for you to figure out. I got the email and I waited a bit since I was helping my sister apply. I had to go to dance later that day and I decided to take it before I left, which might not be the best way to do it but it worked out. It took me about 30 minutes to finish and I still had time before I had to leave, but if you want to make sure your mind is clear you should wait until you don't have to be anywhere else. When you get the email, you will have 2 or 3 days to finish it before it expires so if you don't get it right away KEEP CHECKING YOUR EMAIL. I passed my Web-Based Interview and then was invited to schedule my phone interview which I will write about in another blog post later.


The thing about the web-based interview is you do not know what to expect at all. Sure I could have remembered some questions that were asked and you could write them down, but that would not help you like you think it would. This test is a pass or fail test and if you pass you can go to the Phone Interview stage. So yes it has A LOT of importance to it, but if I put the questions down and you try to study them, you will have more of a chance of not passing.


This test is designed to figure out your work ethic. How you handle real life situations and just how you feel about certain things. It is timed but don't be alarmed because you have enough time to answer. There are around 5 sections and each question will have multiple choice answers for you to choose. Disney has some questions that are the same as others but are worded differently. This is their way of seeing if you were telling the truth or not.


I know this sounds alarming and scary but it actually was very easy! If you are honest with yourself and choose the answer that fits you, it will be no problem!!


ADVICE:
When taking the test, read the questions out loud so that you can understand them faster and better. These questions are not paragraphs so you don't have to worry about that, but you do need to make sure you are understanding what is being said.


If you think it will help you, have someone in the room with you to help you choose what fits you best. My sister and I both applied for the program and so even though initially I planned on being alone when I took it, my sister ended up being there and helping me calm down and choose what is honestly more me.


BREATHE! You will be fine. You know what Disney is looking for and you feel like this program is for you so you just need to be yourself. If you don't pass, you don't pass and their will be other seasons that you can apply for. Just do your best and that way you will at least feel better about it and be proud of yourself.


That's all I have for this post! I didn't want to give away a lot because this is something better to just go in blindly. You don't want to be over rehearsed because then it wouldn't be genuine!


Good Luck!


See ya real soon,
M'lyn Miller

The Application Process!

Hi everyone!

So I have paid my fees and chosen my arrival dates so I am ready for this long waiting game for January!
Before I had applied to the Disney College Program, my favorite thing to do was read blogs from other participants. It calmed my nerves about the whole process to be able to just read what others had went through and what I could expect! So since its my turn to actually do the program, I am going to write all about my experiences and the process that I went through. I am definitely not an expert since I have never done this program before but I am going to try my best to share everything that happens!


SO! The application. The funny thing about the application is you never really know when it will be available until it just is. There are many rumors that go around about a predicted date but no one really knows until they go on the website and see if it stops saying "opt in for notice when season starts" or if they get an email saying the application is live! This definitely drove me crazy a lot because I am such a huge planner. I always want to know exactly when things will happen.


A random Monday in August, I decided to wear my Disney shirt and Disney shoes. I didn't really know why I felt like wearing that it just felt like it was right. I am not saying that I have these awesome powers where I predict things but I definitely thought it was super crazy that it worked out that day!

Here is the shirt that I was wearing the day that the applications dropped!

The application came out for us on August 15th. This is just the date that it so happened to drop. They always give you a general statement like it will come out in Mid-September or Mid-August and you just have to go with that.


The application is pretty simple. You open it and before you can fill out the application, you have to create an account with their system that you use. Then you go to the actual application! Yippee! it starts out by you filling in your general information (Name, DOB, Address).


Then it asks you to list your school that you are attending, what level you are at and what you are pursuing (Bachelors, Masters, Certificate, Associates).


After listing where you are going to school, you list your work experience and what skills you obtained from that. You are able to list up to 5 and it can be volunteer work as well so I would recommend putting as much as you can so that you can give the most experience possible.


When you have finished that, you will go through some background questions and select the best answer that fits you.


After that you will select your roles that you have interest in. Be honest with yourself here because sure it looks good to be open to so many roles but if you are not going to enjoy that job for 4-7 months don't list it as an interest. I know for me, Custodial is one that is a high needed job for Disney and so as much as I wanted to get into the program I had to be honest if I would like that. The answer is no because sure I would be okay with cleaning, but I don't know if I would be okay with bee's in the trash while I tried to change the trash. I was definitely a little more picky then my sister but hey I still got in! Be confident in yourself and know what you like because this is about you and what you want to gain out of this whole experience.

SOME TIPS FOR YOU!!!!

Like I said, be honest on the application and list what you would like and not like role wise. Definitely be more open then just selecting 3 roles but look at the roles and pick which ones you think you could even learn to love!


Try not to repeat skills when explaining your job experience. This will help the application go faster and also make it to where Disney is not having to read through a bunch of words that are just repeating over and over.


Take pictures of your role preferences!!!! This is uber important because you will need to know this if you get to the phone interview. They will be referencing which roles you like and if you put high, medium, or low interest. I actually took note to do this but I was freaking out so much I forgot!


At the end of the application, make sure to 'sign out' before clicking the close button. Funny story, I actually messed up at this part. It told me to sign out, and I didn't see the button on the page anywhere so I closed the window..... and my application was lost/deleted in cyber space. And I had to do the application all over again. At the end when it says sign out, you should have another browser page open with the login included and it will literally say sign out. Click that and then it will be submitted. I knew that mine was not submitted because I went to log in for my status and it kept saying invalid log in which ultimately meant to me that it did not submit. I re-did everything and then I was able to log in and it was great!


That's all I have for now! I am planning on writing a bit about the Web-Based interview and then The Phone Interview, and then the dumb waiting game. haha! Stay tuned!


See ya real soon,
M'lyn :)