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.

Application: Round Two

The following is a post from my other blog Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo. Rather than recount my second experience with applying to the Disney College Program months after I actually did, I am including this post on Happy Trash because I wrote it very shortly after my second application experience:

The Happiest Trash on Earth from
Zoo Be Zoo Be Zoo: a muttering of sweet nothings

October 6th, 2008

Well, last week was pretty good. Why, you ask? Well I'll tell you.

Last May I applied to the Disney College Program (Disney College Program is a paid internship accompanied by some general business classes and Full-Time Student status). After seven weeks of waiting for a reply, I finally received a letter of rejection.

So, here I am at Mesa Community College, and I saw a poster for the Disney College Program. Their presentation was going to be later that day. I wrestled with the choice I had to make. My inner monologue went something like this:

"Should I go and re-apply?"
"No. You'll probably get rejected again."
"But wouldn't that be awesome if you could do it?"
"Yeah, it would, but what if something better comes along next semester?"
"Wait a second, what could be better than a semester at Disneyland?"
"Brinner (breakfast for dinner), but why couldn't I have my Brinner and eat it too...at Disneyland?"
"Just go apply, and if you get it, awesome. If you don't, whatever."

So I went to meeting. I scrambled all the required information together (application, role checklist, etc.) and I applied. I had a phone interview a few days later, and they told me I would know in two to three weeks. Now, due to the seven week fiasco that was my last experience with the Disney College Program, I figured I would have to wait a while. I estimated about 3 and half weeks.

But I was wrong.

Not even two weeks later I received a packet in the mail. I knew right away who it was from. Mickey Mouse was pictured in the return address. Already this was a good sign. My rejection letter was a small envelope with a sad Mickey Mouse in the return address (not really). I opened it up and found a vibrant purple folder that read "Disney College Program" on it. I opened the folder and read the letter inside:

"Dear Timothy,

Congratulations! You have been selected to join us as a Disney College Program participant for the Spring 2009 season as a Custodial Cast Member..."

Woooo hoooo! I get to clean up the happiest trash on earth! No don't get me wrong. I am so excited. This is a dream come true (one of the millions during the Year of a Million Dreams). Danniey made a really good analogy. She said it was like getting your mission call to Boise, Idaho. You are still stoked and you will have an incredible experience. It's going to be a wonderful experience. Just listen to some of the job description of the Custodial Host position:

"Sweeping (using repetitive wrist motion), picking up debris (animal & human waste, trash, etc.)..." (italics added)

I'm very excited. I will start on January 6th and finish on August 15th. It going to be incredible. If you are planning on coming to Disneyland, let me know!

Application: Round One

This last May (2008) I took 5-day trip to Disneyland with Tyler and Danniey. I can't remember if it was before or during the trip, but at some point Danniey brought up the College Program. She had applied a few years back, and encouraged me to do it. It all sounded great to me. Instead of school, I would work at Disneyland! What could be better?

While I was at Disneyland, I started looking at things a little differently. I was extra observant of the cast members and how they did their jobs. In my head, I started picking jobs that I would like. I imagined myself doing them, I imagined myself talking to guests, and I imagined creating the Disney Magic that I enjoy. I was set. I wanted to do it.

I watched the online e-presentation while I was still on vacation at Disneyland and I created my online profile as we were traveling home. Once I finished all my paperwork and faxed it in, I made an appointment for a phone interview (For more information about the application process go here).

I had the interview on the on May 23 and was told that I would hear back either way within two weeks, which I very much appreciated. The quick response would allow me to plan the next several months of my life. However, after a few weeks with no response, I called to make sure they had received everything and that my application was being considered. I was told that my application had not been reviewed yet, and that sometimes it takes more than two weeks. That is understandable, there are a lot of application to review and I can understand a little delay.

Well, the weeks kept passing and I kept calling. I was told to just keep waiting. About 10 calls later, finally I was told that notification had been sent via USPS and I should be expecting it. I was a slave to the mailbox. For the next week I checked everyday, but it never came, so gave them one more call, just in case. Well, good thing I did because they hadn't mailed it yet. They said, "Oops! Sorry! We'll get right on that!"

After 7 weeks of waiting it finally came. It was a no. No big surprise.

I was very disappointed. I had been waiting seven weeks for something that was said to have come in two or less. I had to turn down job offers because I didn't know if I would be available or not. I didn't care if I got the internship or not but I needed to know. It was also unsettling that a company that I care about and trust so much had let me down.

I e-mailed the program about my disappointment and this was the reply I got:

Hi Carson,
We want to let you know how much we appreciate your patience during the recruitment process! There has been overwhelming interest in our program-- and while we are certainly thrilled at the opportunity to speak withso many qualified candidates, we apologize for the delay in processingyour application.

We also apologize that you were miss informed about the notification process. Candidates will typically be notified of their status by a letter sent via the U.S. Postal Service.

Your letter was mailed on 6/30/08 so you should have received it by now. Here is the address it was sent to. If you still have not received the letter, please let us know and we can have another letter mailed.

Have a Magical Day!
The Disneyland College Program

It made me feel better. It came not even 24 hours after I sent them my complaint.

Even though this fiasco occurred, my feelings for Disneyland or the Disney College Program didn't change. I moved on and planned to apply again someday.