On Christmas I officially announced I would accept my internship at Walt Disney World. Now, questions from family and friends are piling in! I want to write this post to introduce you to the program and answer some of the questions I'm asked often.
For the next few months my blog is going to look a little different. I'll be updating the design and theme to match my new adventure. I will also add a new tab full of Disney posts, hopefully I can post more while I'm there. Others' Disney College Program blogs have been so helpful to me so I want to do that for others!
For the next few months my blog is going to look a little different. I'll be updating the design and theme to match my new adventure. I will also add a new tab full of Disney posts, hopefully I can post more while I'm there. Others' Disney College Program blogs have been so helpful to me so I want to do that for others!
General Information about the Program
The Disney College Program is an internship for students in college or who have graduated in the last 6 months. It's different from simply taking a job at Disney for a semester in that you get to live in company sponsored housing and participate in special events just for College Programmers. In this way you still get the college experience while participating in the program. The internship opens lots of doors for future positions with the company such as full time park positions, professional internships, cruise line jobs, movie industry jobs, business jobs, and jobs with other parts of the Disney company. You can find more information and apply to the program here.
Commonly Asked Questions
How long will you be there?
I have accepted the position for January 25 through May 26. I might be offered to extent it for up to year, but since I already have plans for the summer, I don't plan on doing that.
Are you going to be a Princess?
No. I will be a custodian at the park. I will be in charge of trash cans, sweeping, etc. and sometimes bathrooms. This was my first choice "role" (as Disney calls it). It is the "best kept secret" of the program. I won't have to worry about long lines like I would in most any other role. I'll have the freedom to work in more places and interact more with guests in this role. It you're in the park and you need something, you'll probably ask for help from a custodian, they're readily available everywhere, there might be a line in front of the information desk.
I thought you decided not to go, but now you are?
I was accepted early in October, and by mid-October I had decided not to go for a number of reasons. After praying over these reasons I decided to stay in New Mexico for the spring semester. Turns out I didn't decline the program through the right site, when I figured this out and emailed Disney in December, they gave me the choice to accept or decline again. I realized that ALL the reasons I had decided not to go have been resolved, and I really wan to go! If that's not the Lord's power I don't know what is!
Why are doing it?
I know, I know, this has nothing to do with my degree. It's a lot better match for business majors or people who want to work with Disney someday, that doesn't work for me as an education major. I will still be taking classes (though only part time instead of full time) so it's not delaying my graduation by that much, but it's a lot better option for me financially with the costs of housing and being able to work full time and overtime. Mostly though, how do you say no to working and living at Disney? When we went to Disneyland, Elisa and I would talk about working at Disney in college, well how can I say no to that? Plus, hopefully she can visit me during her spring break! It'll open more opportunities like the DCP alumni club has great perks and I could work at the Disney store for the rest of college. Disney also has a program called Disney English, to help children in China learn English and may expand to other countries, which I might consider working for one day.
So can I visit you?
Yeah! Please do! I want my sister to visit me for spring break, and I'm probably going to let her and her friends use my free passes to the parks (I only get a limited number), but I can get more tickets at a discounted price as well as a discount on resorts (only for close friends and family though). I'll be busy while I'm there but you can totally come visit me and I'll love it!
So you're not coming back to New Mexico?
I'll be back! I still have my return flight for Christmas break and that's a week before I need to be at Disney and I need to pack up my dorm. I will be in New Mexico, in my dorm, January 16-24. I will try to hang out with everyone while I'm there but I do have lots to do with the school, packing, and getting my drivers license for my residency stuff. Then I'll be back in New Mexico in August!
I have accepted the position for January 25 through May 26. I might be offered to extent it for up to year, but since I already have plans for the summer, I don't plan on doing that.
Are you going to be a Princess?
No. I will be a custodian at the park. I will be in charge of trash cans, sweeping, etc. and sometimes bathrooms. This was my first choice "role" (as Disney calls it). It is the "best kept secret" of the program. I won't have to worry about long lines like I would in most any other role. I'll have the freedom to work in more places and interact more with guests in this role. It you're in the park and you need something, you'll probably ask for help from a custodian, they're readily available everywhere, there might be a line in front of the information desk.
I thought you decided not to go, but now you are?
I was accepted early in October, and by mid-October I had decided not to go for a number of reasons. After praying over these reasons I decided to stay in New Mexico for the spring semester. Turns out I didn't decline the program through the right site, when I figured this out and emailed Disney in December, they gave me the choice to accept or decline again. I realized that ALL the reasons I had decided not to go have been resolved, and I really wan to go! If that's not the Lord's power I don't know what is!
Why are doing it?
I know, I know, this has nothing to do with my degree. It's a lot better match for business majors or people who want to work with Disney someday, that doesn't work for me as an education major. I will still be taking classes (though only part time instead of full time) so it's not delaying my graduation by that much, but it's a lot better option for me financially with the costs of housing and being able to work full time and overtime. Mostly though, how do you say no to working and living at Disney? When we went to Disneyland, Elisa and I would talk about working at Disney in college, well how can I say no to that? Plus, hopefully she can visit me during her spring break! It'll open more opportunities like the DCP alumni club has great perks and I could work at the Disney store for the rest of college. Disney also has a program called Disney English, to help children in China learn English and may expand to other countries, which I might consider working for one day.
So can I visit you?
Yeah! Please do! I want my sister to visit me for spring break, and I'm probably going to let her and her friends use my free passes to the parks (I only get a limited number), but I can get more tickets at a discounted price as well as a discount on resorts (only for close friends and family though). I'll be busy while I'm there but you can totally come visit me and I'll love it!
So you're not coming back to New Mexico?
I'll be back! I still have my return flight for Christmas break and that's a week before I need to be at Disney and I need to pack up my dorm. I will be in New Mexico, in my dorm, January 16-24. I will try to hang out with everyone while I'm there but I do have lots to do with the school, packing, and getting my drivers license for my residency stuff. Then I'll be back in New Mexico in August!
I'm looking forward to sharing the adventure with you! You can ask me all your other questions in the comments. For more updates, check out my DCP blog here. Merry Christmas!