The Application Process

If you are curious about the application process for the Disney College Program, you've come to the right place. I consider myself to be an expert, considering I have been through the process twice. Once for the Fall Term and once for the Spring Term. Before we begin, however, I would like to make it clear that I have only applied to the Disney College Program at the Disneyland Resort in California and I have no experience with the application process for Walt Disney World in Florida. From what I understand, the process is the same up until the interview, and even then I don't think it is much different, but I just want to present that little caveat before we get going.

I'm going to outline the process of applying to the Disney College Program and add additional information that I think is useful for applicants, should any prospective College Program participant wander by.

Here is the process that I went through (instructions for Disneyland-- instructions for Walt Disney World):

1. You must be enrolled in a college or university, and you must have completed one semester of college or university
• That makes sense. It is a college program. You can't just go because you would like to, but you will go representing you school.
2. Fill out an online application (either for DLR or WDW) and complete a role checklist form
   
• This is a typical application. It includes job history, basic information, and interests. The role checklist outlines all the roles that are available for the College Program. After you read through them all, check off all the ones who are interested in or wouldn't mind doing. The more roles you select, the higher chance you have of being selected for the program.
3. Complete a web-based interview
• The interview takes about a half hour and contains 40 or 50 multiple choice questions that are supposed to give the recruiter a good idea of what your personality is like. It was actually a little nerve-racking.
4. Attend a Campus Presentation or watch the E-Presentation
• You can review the presentation calendar that Disney provides to see if there will be a presentation at your campus or at a campus near you. If there isn't, you can view the E-Presentation of the College Program website. I would advise that you try to attend in person and at the earliest date you can. The earlier the date, the more openings in the program. Whether you attend in person or watch the E-Presentation, make sure you have completed the web interview, and have your application and role checklist printed and completely filled out before watching the presentation. You will submit them, or fax them, at the end of the presentation.
5. Complete a Phone Interview
• If you attend a presentation in person, you will schedule an appointment right after the presentation. If you watched the E-Presentation, you will call within 48 hours of completing the presentation to schedule your appointment. The actual call last about 30 minutes to an hour, and most of it is spent answering yes or no questions like "Will you be bringing your own transportation?" or "Can you do all the tasks outlined in the Role description?" or "Can you present legal documentation to prove your right to work in this country?" The recruiter spends a lot of time making sure you understand the guidelines and expectations. They also ask you if you want to participate in the housing component of the program. After all that, the remainder of time is used talking about the roles that you have selected and why they interest you and what kind of experience you have. Here are a few sample questions that I got:
• "Why Disneyland? Why the Disney College Program?"
  
• "If you were working retail, and you didn't have something a customer wanted, how would you make sure they left happy?"
• "If an excited little boy comes through the line at Space Mountain, but he doesn't make the height requirement, what would you do?"
• "What did you enjoy most about your previous jobs?" (I got that one both times)
• "Do you have any special memories about Disneyland?"
6. Wait for Notification
• Whether you are accepted or rejected, you are notified via USPS. They say this takes two to three weeks, but as I said in another entry, it took me seven weeks to get notification. The second time was better though. I got my letter before even two weeks had passed. Just be patient. If three weeks have passed and you really are concerned that notification was lost sent to an incorrect address, give them a call to check up on the status your application.

If you are offered a role, you are given all the information pertaining to that role (pay, hours per week, duties...) and you are given two weeks to reply to the offer. For Disneyland, you reply online, and if you are also invited to participate in the housing component, you claim your spot when you respond.

This is the application process that is required for the Disneyland Resort College Program. I can't guarantee that it will always be like this, or that anyone else's experience will be like mine, but I hereby submit my own experience with the application process.