Sunday, January 22, 2012

Recommendations and Tips

1. Don't pack so many clothes unless you plan on staying after the program. I thought I was going to stay and ended up coming back home. But I could have lived on 7 shirts and a couple pairs of jeans. You are always in your costume. Bring a dress coat and a dress or two. But really, there's no need to bring your entire closet.

2. As far as cars go, bring it. I took the bus every single day to do everything. It isn't bad for work at all. I could walk to Disneyland, but not everything is as close as it seems. And the VONS behind the building is kind of expensive after awhile. Unless you plan on doing small frequent bus trips to the Walmart off Lincoln (About a 30 min trip) and setting aside a day to go into Company D (1 hr on the bus. Take Lincoln down State College) you should really just bring your car. Gas will add up and it will be hard on your vehicle. That's mainly why I didn't bring mine. Just know that you'll be trapped in your apartment or relying on others heavily.

3. Pick Foods or Merchandise. Foods gets an insane amount of hours. I worked 73/76 hours Thanksgiving week. But be prepared to come home late at night. And 1am on the bus is not fun, I can tell you that.

4. Take the College Accredited courses. There is lots of work, but lots of good knowledge in those courses. Blended Learning was two hours of babysitting. Other than a scavenger hunt, there really wasn't that much to brag about.

5. Email the the DLR email with a list of days you want off. They will need the reason to why you need them off. But it will help immensely. I asked for my birthday, my bf's birthday, every Tuesday -for class-, and other days off. I got almost all of them. I sent them well before I left for the program. Ask for the weekend before you would leave the program off!!!! MANY PEOPLE WORKED THE DAY BEFORE MOVING OUT! If you asked for any day off, ask for that one.

6. Don't buy food in the park! You will barely make any money during this program. Refrain from spending it in Disneyland. Save as much as you can. You can bring food into the park.

7. Keep a diary or blog to remember as much as you can about this program.

8. Make sure your email receives the cast member discount update. Sephora give 20% off only two times a year.

9. Go to the Golden Horseshoe! It's so much fun to see the little show. It was my favorite place to go. And I heard they are taking it down, so if it is still alive, go!

10. Remember to sign up for every single event! But don't forget to ask for those days off. I would pay the fee to go on tours or trips and then find out I had to work. Get a list from the Programs office ahead of time if you can.

Good Luck! 

Saturday, January 21, 2012

To stay or not to stay.

As much as I wish I had stayed, I'm glad I didn't. I made a list of positives and negatives to both options. I had to come home to finish up my degree. And it turns out I only needs 3 more courses. And I got none of them on my return semester. Though I am making great strides with my gpa and extra courses. It's frustrating to think that I could be in Disney instead of here. But if I had stayed I would barely be making it by with the apartment rent. And I would probably never get my degree finished up without the priority registration I have at my old school. Oh well, I'm back home now and very excited to go to a REAL college. After I graduate I will be heading back to do the fall advantage program. I'll be ready with my degree and a place to stay. It doesn't hurt that Disney will be celebrating its 60th anniversary then either. Anyway, this is an update on how I feel about coming home now that the program is over. It was for the best. 

Monday, January 2, 2012

Moving Out

Not Nearly as Organized! 


I actually ended up moving out just in the nick of time. I had trouble renting a car and had half an hour to get all of my stuff out of the building. My roommates were awesome and took care of inventory and cleaning. They all had come with their cars and had been moving stuff down into them over the last week. It was such a close call. I actually walked in right before the inspector did. Phew! Please make sure you know what the requirements are to rent a car before you have to move out! lol! 

Sunday, January 1, 2012