College Program-Day 1

[kjs1976]

My son was in the college program 5 years ago. He was "friends with Goofy" and other characters. It was like any other entry-level "job". Hard work, little pay, rigid schedule, every day... Not his first job. He was prepared and had realistic expectations. He had some good and some bad experiences. Some great managers, some not so great. Made many friends. Worked hard. He made the most of it, enjoyed it, learned from it. Came back- finished college. It is a great topic of conversation on his resume...even now as he is looking for his second job. Most interviewers gravitate toward that and he is well-prepared to share his experience.

Although I worked food and beverage at Blizzard Beach, your son's experience sounds basically the same as mine when I did the CP...in 1996! I've been a teacher for 22 yrs now, but I still remember talking at length about the CP during my interview.

 

[BK2014]

The work for credit program is back - I was hoping Disney would do away with this menial labor farce. Have had numerous conversations with past college program workers, and they've basically all said the same thing. All they have learned is how to work for a big corporation and keep their mouths shut about abuse. I hope they've tweaked the program enough so the CMs are treated better.

I googled the Disney College program and "abuse". A lot of the complaints I see online seem to revolve around long hours, low pay, and getting yelled at by guests. I don't see how this is any different than any other entry level customer service job. I did the College Program 21 years ago and had arguably the worst assignment - working at Cosmic Ray's in Tomorrowland. I can absolutely say that the vast majority of students I participated with, and the vast majority of everyone I have met since, have overwhelming positive memories of their experiences. The students during my program who were unhappy were often those who had never worked a job before, or hadn't done their research into what the program actually requires.

 

[dsanner106]

My son was in the college program 5 years ago. He was "friends with Goofy" and other characters. It was like any other entry-level "job". Hard work, little pay, rigid schedule, every day... Not his first job. He was prepared and had realistic expectations. He had some good and some bad experiences. Some great managers, some not so great. Made many friends. Worked hard. He made the most of it, enjoyed it, learned from it. Came back- finished college. It is a great topic of conversation on his resume...even now as he is looking for his second job. Most interviewers gravitate toward that and he is well-prepared to share his experience.

My son was ALSO friends with Goofy among others, 5 years ago so they may have worked together. It was his first real job and the shock was great but so was the job. He loved it enough to return for a second stint a year later. He came home, finished college and yes, each job interview has always moved towards talking about his Disney experience.

 

[dsanner106]

My Daughter was on the College Program about 10 years ago, working at Beaches and Cream and the walk up in Beach Club and loved the experience. When she returned to campus she applied for a job managing the luxury skyboxes at the football stadium and other venues. She was number 10 of 210 interviewees with 2 openings and the interview quickly move to Disney questions when they saw that on her resume. The 15 minute interview was about 5 minutes on standard questions and more than 30 minutes of Disney questions. As she walked back to her Dorm they called and told her that although they had 200 more interviews to conduct, they wanted to offer her one of the 2 positions immediately. Having Disney on your resume is highly valuable.

 

[WEDWDW]

My Daughter was on the College Program about 10 years ago, working at Beaches and Cream and the walk up in Beach Club and loved the experience. When she returned to campus she applied for a job managing the luxury skyboxes at the football stadium and other venues. She was number 10 of 210 interviewees with 2 openings and the interview quickly move to Disney questions when they saw that on her resume. The 15 minute interview was about 5 minutes on standard questions and more than 30 minutes of Disney questions. As she walked back to her Dorm they called and told her that although they had 200 more interviews to conduct, they wanted to offer her one of the 2 positions immediately. Having Disney on your resume is highly valuable.

MIC DROP

 

[BK2014]

My Daughter was on the College Program about 10 years ago, working at Beaches and Cream and the walk up in Beach Club and loved the experience. When she returned to campus she applied for a job managing the luxury skyboxes at the football stadium and other venues. She was number 10 of 210 interviewees with 2 openings and the interview quickly move to Disney questions when they saw that on her resume. The 15 minute interview was about 5 minutes on standard questions and more than 30 minutes of Disney questions. As she walked back to her Dorm they called and told her that although they had 200 more interviews to conduct, they wanted to offer her one of the 2 positions immediately. Having Disney on your resume is highly valuable.

After I completed the program, I applied for another job in college at a high end hotel. The last interview was with the general manager of the hotel. We did spend time discussing my time in the college program and how I liked working at Disney. After I enthusiastically told him about my experiences at Disney and what I learned, he looked at me and simply stated "I hate Disney."

So it was definitely something that came up a lot in interviews, evidently not everyone likes Disney. I did get the job though.