The Disney College Program is an internship program for college students to experience working for The Walt Disney Company Parks & Resorts for a semester while in college at an accredited college or university. The program is offered at Disneyland in California and Disney World in Florida and is similar to a study abroad experience in that the program is designed to be done during college and is a semester-long break from the regular academic schedule. Although the program is designed for college students, you can participate in the program a semester after your graduate- so if you graduate in the Spring, you can participate in the DCP in the Fall. There are 3 components to the Disney College Program: 1. Living - Disney provides housing near the parks & resorts for college program participants to live in during their program. The housing is apartment style with your own kitchen and living area in each apartment. However, the bedroom situation is dorm style with 2 or 3 people per bedroom. Rent is automatically deducted from your paycheck each week. 2. Learning - At the Disneyland program, we are required to take at least one class or seminar (free!) at Disney University. At Disneyland, the classes are generally 11 weeks long and meet once a week for 3 hours, so nothing too hard. 3. Earning - You may be wondering what types of jobs you'd actually do at the Disney College Program. DCP participants work in the parks & resorts during their program in a range of roles from attractions to custodial to character performer. For a full list of roles, visit: https://disneyprogramsblog.com/about/disney-college-program/disney-college-program-earning/#operations

I will be a Vacation Planner at the Disneyland Resort. This role is essentially selling tickets in the ticket booths outside of the Disneyland and California Adventure park. I'm excited about my position because I will get non-stop guest interactions at the very beginning of their day when they're excited to be getting to the parks and spending their day at Disneyland! I'm also not mad about getting to sit down in an air conditioned room for most of the day. Additionally, Vacation Planners get some of the most normal hours of all of the roles at Disney parks because tickets are only sold from early morning until the evening.

Steps in the process: 1. The Initial Application 2. The Web Based Interview 3. The Phone Interview 4. Final Decision (Any offer will specifiy the role being offered) The interview process for the Disney College Program begins with a normal online application in which you submit information about your work experience, skills, and other basic information about yourself. Then, if chosen to move on, you would complete a web-based interview which is a series of timed behavioral and personality questions. At this stage, they’re mostly looking for consistency in your answers and the right personality to work at Disney. After the web-based interview, you would be invited to a phone interview which is a 20-30 minute call with a Disney recruiter. The questions in the phone interview range from discussing your work history to asking “tell me about a time” and “what if” questions. Overall, the interview process is very structured and simple. The recruiter I spoke with was very nice and relaxed about the interview. Disney theme parks are “the happiest place on earth” so they are looking for people with the right balance of excitement for Disney and being a quality employee. Check out my full phone interview with critiques of my answers and tips for your phone interview!

Well, I mean, you get to work for the Mouse.. Isn't that enough?! Just kidding... I know you want to hear about the fun stuff you'll get as a Disney cast member. ○ Disney College Program Events- these vary between Disneyland and Disney World, but include events such as Walt Disney Studios Tour, Haunted Mansion Behind the Scenes Tour, Riding Space Mountain with the lights on, and other fun events with character meet & greets and fun activities to meet the other college program participants ○ Free Admission to Disneyland and Disney World Parks during your program ○ Guest Passes for family & friends to come visit during your program ○ Discounts on Disney Merchandise, Disney Resorts, Disney Dining, Disney Cruise Line, Disney Park Tours, and Disney Parks holiday parties (such as MNSSHP) ○ Networking & a foot in with the company - Many Disney Professional Internships give special consideration to Disney College Program alumni. Plus, the networking opportunities alone can give candidates an edge. ...and more! They seem to always be adding amazing opportunities for college program participants that vary by program. Check out: https://disneyprogramsblog.com for the latest DCP news.

The offered classes & seminars at Disneyland are: Classes: ○ Disney Corporate Analysis ○ Disney Marketing You ○ Disney Interactive Learning Program Seminars: ○ Professional Development Study: Business of Show Business ○ Leadership Speakers Series ○ Blended Learning Series If I could, I'd want to take all of these courses! But, because I will be doing the program after I am graduated, and also because of the networking opportunities, I will be taking the Leadership Speaker Series Seminar. For more information about the courses, or for course syllabi, visit: https://dorms.disney.com/learning

On your application, you will be asked to specify which program (between DLR and WDW) you would like to do, and if you are willing to do your second choice if selected. I chose the Disneyland program over Disney World for a few different reasons. I think both programs are great, but there are a few key differences that I took into consideration. Closer to Home- I'm from Seattle, Washington, and I wanted my family to be able to come visit me on my program multiple times. Also, because this park is closer to home for me, I've also visited Disneyland Resort way more than Disney World, so it's my "home park". Housing- I knew that Disneyland offered only one housing complex called Carnegie Plaza, while Disney World offered a range of housing complexes that vary in the quality. I love the apartments in Carnegie Plaza and liked the security of knowing what my apartment would be like! A Smaller Program- The Disneyland College Program is much smaller than the program at Disney World which is something I really liked. The numbers vary by recruiting season, but I've read that Disney World accepts around 7,000 per season, while Disneyland only accepted about 300. I love that my program is going to be smaller because it means I'll get to meet almost everyone in the program and it will be a much more tight-knit community. Weather & Walking- First of all, I love the humidity in Florida for a little bit, but I don't think I could work outside in it full-time. The weather in California is much less chaotic than the random rain and lightning in Florida. Also, because the Disneyland Resort is quite a bit smaller than Walt Disney World Resort, I won't have to commute and then walk nearly as far as some roles in Disney World do.

DCP: Disney College Program PI: Phone Interview *also PI: Professional Internship WBI: Web Based Interview NLIC: No Longer in Consideration DORMS: Disney Onsite Residential Management System WDW: Walt Disney World DLR: Disneyland Resort