A Tale from A Disney College Program Alumni

When I was younger and people would ask, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” One of my answers was, “I want to work for Mickey Mouse!” That was my dream! I had spent summers at Walt Disney World and I couldn’t think of anything better than to work at this amazing place that I loved. I wanted to belong to the world that I entered in every time I walked into the parks as a kid. I didn’t have a specific job in mind, I just knew that I wanted to be a part of the magic. Luckily, I had the opportunity through the Disney College Program and it changed my life.

In 2009, I had been out in the “real world” with a full-time job and all the responsibilities that come with being an adult. Then, I lost my job and I was a bit lost trying to figure out my next step. With some encouragement from my parents, I decided to take a step back and go back to college. I did try college when I graduated high school but never finished so this was going to be my chance to go back, get my degree and figure out that next step in my life. So I enrolled in the fall semester at the local university. I was taking a full course load so my time was spent on campus. I was walking by one of the student centers when I noticed a poster for the Disney College Program. I had heard about the program during my first round of college and always planned on applying for it after my freshman year but never went back my second year. I also knew people who had done it and I had heard great things about the program. It was a chance to work at Walt Disney World.  Also get experience and training by a world-renowned company, and I could take courses with Disney. I thought this was a chance to make my childhood dream come true and maybe this was the universe’s sign of what to do next in my life.

So I went online to the Disney College Program’s website to apply. One of the first steps was an orientation video to watch as a part of the application process. The video that just explained in more detail what the program was, what we would be doing, where we would be living, and more. Disney wanted to make sure that you are very informed about what you are applying for because you would be working at Disney and living nearby. Depending on your university, you would get college credit or take a course through Disney and get college credit. In my particular case, I was not going to get college credit for anything but I didn’t care, I still wanted to do it. The application for the program is similar to a job application or college application. They want to know who you are, your job experience (if any), college experience, and what degree program you are enrolled in at your school. Another part of the application process is you get the chance to pick potential fields you would like to work at. There are videos to explain what each field does so you know what you would be doing if you were picked to work there. I picked attractions, merchandise, and a few others. You also had to choose what time period you wanted to apply for. The Disney College Program has different time periods to do their program. They typically follow a college calendar. You can work during a semester (spring or fall) or in an extended program which is called the advantage program. It’s basically whatever semester you’re accepted into plus the summer.

After the initial application process, you wait to see if you get a phone interview. I got that interview and with some tips from people who had done the program I was ready. I steadied my nerves and I answered all the questions with confidence. I knew that some of the questions would be based on what fields I choose to work in if I was selected. I remember being asked what attraction I would like to work in if I was chosen to work in attractions. I told them I’d want to work in The Haunted Mansion since that was my favorite ride. The interview is just like a job interview and you have to take it just as seriously and keep a positive attitude. If you make it through the phone interview you have wait for your acceptance or rejection letter. It’s the longest wait time and it’s just like waiting to see if you get into college. So after a month or two of waiting, one day in the mail it came, the acceptance letter or actually the acceptance packet!

The acceptance packet was full of not only my acceptance but all the information I would need, forms to fill out, etc! I got my acceptance in October 2009 and I was to report to Orlando in January 2010. My focus was now 100% on my upcoming move. I was accepted to the program to work in merchandise which is retail. I knew that I would be working in one of the many stores somewhere on property but I didn’t know where. They weren’t going to tell me my job location until I got to Orlando. All I knew for months was that I was accepted, that I would be working in merchandising, and that I would be in the college program from January through August in the advantage program.

I’m not a patient person and since I was so excited it felt like the next few months took forever! But finally, the day came pack up my car and head to Florida! I didn’t need to worry about furniture since the Disney housing was furnished. I just needed to worry about clothes and whatever else I needed to bring. Looking back, I definitely over packed because my car was stuffed. I think I brought every piece of clothing I owned and anything else I could cram into my car. I didn’t need everything that I brought but that’s ok I was too excited to care.

On the first day, there’s a lot to accomplish and one of the big things was selecting housing. When I was in the college program, you had three apartment/dorm communities to choose from. There was Vista Way, Chatham Square, and Patterson Court. There is another community called The Commons but it was only available to international students when I was there. Each property has it’s own pros and cons so there’s something there for everyone. In addition to what property to live at, you also have to decide if you’re going to live in a 1, 2, or 3 bedroom apartment. Every apartment has 2 people per bedroom so it’s just a matter of how many roommates you want. Now keep in mind that housing is not free. Depending on what you choose will determine how much is deducted from your paycheck for housing. For example, someone living in a 1 bedroom apartment is going to pay more than a 3 bedroom. Because of that, I chose a 3 bedroom apartment which meant I was going to be sharing a room with someone and have 4 other roommates. Luckily, I struck up a conversation with a girl ahead of me in line when we were waiting to select our housing. She seems like a great girl and it seemed like we’d get along so we decided to share a room. That’s how I met my first roommate. We both selected a 3 bedroom apartment and we wanted to live a Chatham Square. I decided on Chatham Square from recommendations from people who have done the program and research. My new roommate made the same choice because this was not her first college program so she had personal experience on her side. We told the people at the housing desk that we were going to share a room so they assigned us our apartment at Chatham Square and were sent on our way. After a couple of more things to do like registering our cars & get IDs for housing (you have to have an ID to be let on housing property), we were off to our new home!

I pulled up at Chatham Square and it was time to unload my packed car and bring everything up. When I got to the apartment, my new roommate was already there as well as our other roommates. We were all 6 girls from different walks of life thrown into this exciting and a little scary situation. Our apartment did have a fully equipped kitchen, living room, dining room, and small desk area. Each bedroom had it’s own bathroom so we only had to share with whoever we were rooming with. Our bedrooms are 2 twin beds, a nightstand beside each bed, and a dresser and closet to share. One of the many things I packed was a truck which I kept at the end of my bed which was helpful for extra storage.

We had some time to unpack and get to know each other but not much. Our first day wasn’t over yet, we had to get on a bus to head to casting and orientation. We headed to the casting office to fill out additional paperwork like tax forms, and to find out our job location and when we would begin training. I was assigned to Team Mickey which was a sports store at the then Downtown Disney. Once we were done with casting we had to go to the orientation which was where they told us all the rules of living in Disney housing. Total, it was a lot of information to get in one day and we still had to finish unpacking and get settled into our new homes.

I went through training in about a week I believe. The first day was Disney training is called Traditions. It is the general Disney information we needed to know and every cast member takes this class. We learned things like Disney lingo, safety information, and the Disney point. Did you ever notice that cast members don’t point with one finger? They usually use two fingers because some cultures find pointing with one finger rude and since guests come from all over the world we don’t want to accidentally offend them when we point. After we completed our Traditions training, we get trained for our specific jobs. I spent the next couple of days of training at Team Mickey. I had already worked in retail so a lot of it was standard retail (cash register, straightening the store, folding clothes, etc).

Once out of training I worked 6 days a week at least. Remember, I was there to work. Disney does tell you that you could be scheduled to work 40+ hours a week which is a hard adjustment to anyone who’s not worked a full-time job before. I had worked full time before so the only adjustment for me was not having a day or two off every week. It was hard to work that kind of schedule but you get through it. What really threw me though was around March I was scheduled to work at other stores around Downtown Disney. I was not given any warning this would happen and I didn’t like this. I liked working at Team Mickey where I knew where things were, I knew my coworkers, and where I was comfortable. When I was scheduled to work in other locations, not only was I thrown into an unfamiliar store but it meant that I had to wear a different costume (uniform). This meant I had to make a point of going to the costuming department prior to my shift to get my costume. With Team Mickey, I had at least one costume at home so I could get ready at home. It was just more time consuming when I had to go get a new costume for a different location. Most costuming departments are a part of a larger area that has a changing area and lockers so you could get ready for work in that area instead of home. I also switched roles halfway through to Housekeeping at Yacht Club. I worked there a few weeks before hurting my back. It turns out that those housekeeping carts are harder to push and pull than you think and my back paid the price. I had to leave the college program due to my injury because there was strict attendance policy. I would miss too much time at work and they follow a different policy from a traditional position at Disney. I was sad to leave the college program but understood why.

Now I promise there was more to working the Disney College Program than just working. When you go home from a long day of work, you have your roommates who are going through the same thing. I was lucky enough to have great roommates, we all got along and we spent a lot of our free time together. When we weren’t working there were options of things to do like the sponsored activities through the housing department (parties, movie nights, etc.), exploring the city and surrounding area, grocery shopping (yes, we even made grocery shopping entertaining), and of course going to the parks! One of the major perks of being in the Disney College Program is that you are a cast member which means free admission to the parks. There were many days and night were we just went to the parks to watch the fireworks or walk around the park. Not only did my roommates and I hang out with just ourselves but we befriended the boys that lived across the hall and some girls who lived downstairs from us (we were on the third floor). We had formed a little group so there was always someone to hang out with. Some of my best memories are all of the time I spent with these people and the other friends I made at Disney. So even though you are there to work and work hard, there’s also time to have fun.

The time that I spent in the Disney College Program was one of the best periods of my life. I accomplished a childhood dream of mine which was a reward in its own right. But that was the only reason. It was one of the best times of my life because I became a better version of myself. I had experiences that never would’ve happened if I didn’t do the program. I met people that have shaped me and formed a lifelong bond with. Our bond is stronger than just friendship too. In fact, I refer to them as my Ohana (taking a cue from Lilo & Stich) because they are family to me. The memories I created with them could never be created with any others. We don’t all live near each other but the distance doesn’t matter. Whenever we talk it’s like no time has passed. I also know they would all be there for me if I needed them. It’s a level of friendship I didn’t know existed until I met them. Everything I experienced, the good and the bad, was worth more than any amount of money I received while working at Disney. I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. So if you are in college or are going to college and love Disney, I strongly recommend applying for the Disney College Program. You will work hard but hopefully, you will be rewarded like I was with wonderful memories, amazing friends, and a once in a lifetime experience.