For those who have heard of the Disney College Program but aren't sure exactly what it is, the Program is essentially a semester-long internship consisting of three main components: living, learning, and earning. You live in Orlando or Anaheim in fully furnished apartments (more about the housing complexes in a future post), you can take Disney Education Courses (note that some colleges may require you to take courses in order to get credit/maintain good academic standing; check with your college or university!), and most importantly, you work in the parks or resorts.
So how does one become a part of this program? First you have to satisfy four main requirements:
1. You must be enrolled as a student, full time or part time, and taking classes. This means if you are a graduating senior, like I am, you can apply to begin the program after graduation, as long as you are enrolled in at least one class at the time of your application.
2. You must meet any school requirements for participation. In my case, I'm graduating, so I have no requirements. My university, however, does not recognize the College Program as an internship, so if I were to take off a semester to do the program, I would have to temporarily withdraw from the university. Some schools that do recognize the CP require specific GPAs, credit hours, etc. Disney maintains that you must meet your school's requirements in addition to their own.
3. You must be 18 years of age by the time the Program begins. Self explanatory.
4. You must possess unrestricted work authorization.
Do you satisfy these requirements? Good! Time to apply! To begin your application, click the "Apply Now" button on the top of disneycollegeprogram.com. If you're applying for Fall 2012, hurry! Applications are said to be closing around late April. The initial application is relatively straightforward. First you enter your personal information, education, and work experience and decide if you want to work at Walt Disney World or Disneyland (you can apply for both). You also choose your term - in this case, Fall Advantage lasts from May or June to January, and Fall lasts from August or September to January. You promise that you can work weekdays, weekends, mornings, nights, holidays, etc. Then you rank the different roles.
For a full list of roles, click
here, but roles in Walt Disney World include Attractions, Custodial, Hopper, Photopass Photographer, Main Entrance Operations, Transportation, Bell Service Dispatch/Greeter, Concierge, Hospitality, Housekeeping, Full Service Food & Beverage, Quick Service Food & Beverage, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique Hostess, Merchandise, Vacation Planner (that's going to be me!), Lifeguard, Recreation, Character Attendant, Character Performer, and Costuming. Note that Character Performer requires an audition and that Costuming is a backstage role. The application lists these roles plus a description of each, and you are prompted to rate each role as no interest, low interest, moderate interest, or high interest. Keep in mind that you could be assigned anything rated as low interest, so rate carefully. Some people find themselves upset that they got one of their bottom choices, and once you are accepted and assigned a role, it's virtually impossible to switch (barring some kind of medical issue, etc). If you really won't be happy in a specific position, mark it as no interest.
Once you've rated your roles, you submit your application, and you wait for an email. If you've satisfied all of the basic requirements, you are invited to complete a web-based interview (often abbreviated WBI). It took me less than an hour to receive the WBI email after my application went through, and you have five days to take it from the receipt of the email. The WBI is essentially a personality test, so Disney can easily determine if you will be a good fit for the Company. Many people say there are "tricks" to beating the WBI, but it is most important to be honest and confident in your answers. Immediately upon completion of the WBI, you will be informed if you passed. If so, you will be invited to a phone interview.
The phone interview is the most nerve-wracking part of the application process. Once you pass the WBI, you have three days to schedule a phone interview. The scheduling is done online, and there are many dates and times to choose from. Once your interviewer calls, he or she will start out asking basic questions. Are you over the age of 18, are you currently a student, etc. Expect to be asked why you want to do the College Program, and be prepared to list your top three roles and why you believe you're qualified for them. I listed my top three as Hospitality, Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique, and Vacation Planner. Note that your interviewer may ask if you would be willing to work in Quick Service Food & Beverage or Custodial, even if you listed it as no interest. If you say yes, do not be surprised if you are assigned this role. You will likely be asking some situational questions (what would you do if a child was crying? what would guests expect from a Vacation Planner?) as well as behavioral questions (do you work better alone or in a group?). Many websites have extensive lists of potential interview questions, but I also personally feel it's important not to sound rehearsed. My most important piece of CP advice is to
SMILE! They say it comes across in your voice, and you want the recruiter to feel your enthusiasm.
Once your phone interview is over, the waiting game begins. If you're lucky, which I am very thankful I was, you will ideally receive an acceptance email within two weeks. Unfortunately, some have to wait longer before receiving correspondence of any kind. The two options besides an acceptance are pending, which is essentially a type of wait list, and rejection. You are more likely to get pended if you apply later in the game and apply only to the more competitive positions. If you are pended, you are in a sort of limbo until Disney decides to either accept or reject you. If you are rejected, you are encouraged to apply again after a six month waiting period.
So that's that! Hopefully you got into the program in a role you wanted. Unfortunately that's not the way it works out for everyone, but I wish anyone reading this that's still playing the waiting game the best of luck. And if you've already been accepted, I hope to see you in Florida soon!
I'm more than willing to answer any questions about the process to the best of my ability, so shoot! Leave a comment or tweet (@amandaenchanted)!
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