Moving In

Yesterday was my first day of "official" Disney Professional Internship events. My move in date was January 11th, so we decided to come down the night of the 9th and enjoy some time in the parks on the 10th, which was nice. On the 11th, I had to be at the Patterson Court Housing Complex by 8:00am to start checking in. We were all ushered into a room where we signed some papers and given a number. After that, we were lined up in the order of the number we were assigned and allowed to choose our rooms. We could choose from 2 or 3 bedroom apartments (with 2 interns per room) and, if we knew someone, who we wanted to live with. After we had our apartment numbers assigned, we were given a packet with our parking information, keys, important codes, the rules of the housing complex, etc., which we went over as a group. The entire day was full of new information, but all important. (ooh, and we were given free lunch pails.... bonus!)

After we knew our room assignments, we were allowed to go. Some people were assigned times to go to Disney Casting, but because I was not given a time, I was told I should just go to Casting. Once there, I was given another packet with the time of my Disney Traditions Class as well as the time of a meeting I had with the Animal Programs Coordinators later in the day. We were all led from room to room, filling out tax information, signing papers stating that we would follow the Disney "rules" so-to-speak, and comply with the "Disney Look." We were also fingerprinted and had a background check. It was somewhat of a lengthy process, but Disney seemed pretty organized and people were very friendly. They were there to help you if you needed it, and more than willing to answer any questions you might have. By time I was finished, it was around noon.

I met up with my family and boyfriend and we headed to Earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney for lunch (which is an AMAZING sandwich shop, in case you were wondering... so good...). We relaxed for a little while and shopped before I had to be back at Casting at 2:00pm for my Animal Programs meeting. 

The meeting was for all of the Disney Professional Interns working in the Animal Programs Department. Most of us were Conservation Education Presenters, but there were also some individuals that would be working in other areas around Animal Kingdom (like Animal Nutrition, Animal Behavior, etc.) and in Epcot at the Seas with Nemo & Friends (working as Chemistry, Marine Mammal, or other Interns). We were quite a diverse group. We all introduced ourselves, stating our colleges, majors, and which program we would be working in, talked about some general information, and then divided up into smaller groups (according to our program) to discuss the specifics of our first week and a half of training. We were given packets with our schedules, a Cast Member atlas of the property, and maps of the specific locations we would have to drive to during our training. It looks like it'll be busy, but exciting and fun at the same time. They seem really relaxed about everything (except stressing that you MUST be ON TIME!, which is completely understandable and favorable for people who would otherwise have to wait for latecomers), and really want us to enjoy ourselves on this internship. I'm so excited to start Traditions tomorrow! I also have costuming afterwards, so I think I'll find out what I'll be wearing on the job. Should be a great day!

After the meeting we were given time to ask questions, and then I met up with the rest of my entourage to move in to my apartment. The Cumberland Park apartments are really nice, much better than the dorms at UW-Whitewater in my opinion. I'm in a 2 bedroom, which also has 2 full bathrooms. Also provided in our apartment is a washer, drier, ironing board, iron, tv, wireless internet, fridge, microwave, oven, dishes and silverware, furniture, and each room has a walk-in closet. I'm not sure if I'm forgetting anything, but the apartments are fully furnished and seem spacious enough for the 4 of us. 

After we unloaded the car we ran to Walmart for the essentials, which is about 2-3 miles away. (I highly recommend a GPS for any new Disney Interns! My Garmin is sooo handy!) The rest of the night I chilled with my parents and boyfriend at their hotel room for a while before heading back to the room to unpack and get to know my roommate. By midnight I was unpacked and settled in.

Today I had the day off and had time to explore. As I didn't have my Disney ID yet, I was unable to get into the parks without buying a ticket, so I explored Downtown Disney and the Monorail Resorts instead. I can't wait for tomorrow! 

Disney Professional Internships-Animal Programs/Vet Medical Records

Before applying for the Disney College Program, I had applied for two if Disney's Professional Internships. The Professional Internships give you more of an opportunity to explore and learn in the field of your major. After waiting for several months, I decided to go ahead and apply for the College Program.

I was surprised a few days ago when I received a phone call from a lady with Disney's Animal Programs. She wanted to know what time I would be able to schedule a phone interview for the Vet Medical Records Internship! Woah! I was so excited! Not that I don't want to do the College Program, but the opportunity to work for Disney in a position related to my major is what I've been dreaming of; it's more specified towards my long-term career goals! I quickly called back and scheduled my interview.
That same week I also received an email from the Animal Programs Conservation Education department! They also asked when I would be available, so that interview is scheduled for Tuesday!

For the Veterinary Medical Records Internship interview, I spoke with two of the wonderful ladies who work on the veterinary team. The current intern was going to be present as well, giving me the opportunity to ask her questions; however, she had a sick child to attend to. The questions I was asked in this interview were not as general as the questions for the College Program, and the interview was very comfortable and conversation-like. For those of you looking into this type of internship and trying to prepare, these are the questions I was asked:

• What is your graduation year?
• Why did you choose this role?
• What are your career goals?
• What do you believe you will be doing in this role?
• What are your qualifications for this position?
• What are your strengths?
• What frustrates you?
• What computer programs are you familiar with?
• Are you comfortable with creating and working with graphs in Excel?
• How open are you to learning about new computer programs?
• Are you an independent or team worker?
• Is there anything else you'd like us to know about you, or are there any questions you'd like to ask us?

I've found that making notes really helps me. It gives you the opportunity to think through your answers, and, when you're on the spot, its nice to have something to focus on and calm your nerves. Once the interview was over, they told me that they had about a week and a half of interviews to go yet. She said that they have to have their decision to Casting by the end of October and that I should hear back by November 29th at the latest, so we'll see! One more interview to go!