The Disney College Program - Pros and Cons

[Traveliz]

The housing was very nice. She had 5 roommates and I think they deducted $87.50 per week out of her paycheck. Everything is included in that, all utilities, etc. DD took 2, 4 hour classes which were hospitality type classes. They are certified through a few different colleges. Her credit came through some a college like UNC Greensboro or something like that. I don't remember. And I'm pretty sure they were pass/fail. She had class two mornings a week and the CP worked around those. We paid tuition to that college for the credit.

There is one danger no one has mentioned and it comes with the program.
A friend of hers was offered a job as an area coordinator as a result of the CP in the Sunset Blvd area. Next thing that happens is he is working full time, trying to work his schooling around his job. I had spoken to another parent who had this happen with her DD as well. It's part of the temptation. The professional internship my DD did at DVC was great, but it also set her graduation from college back a year, so between the CP and the Professional Internship, she lost a year. The Professional Internship also provided housing, she worked 40 hours a week at $10/hr, but still had no benefits, the housing was nicer but more expensive, but the situation was awesome, working in the DVC preview area, working directly with guests and the guides and ASA's.

I am not doubting your daughter but it is pretty rare to jump from CP to coordinator without the student pursuing those avenues on their own. I know each area is different and the managers at Sunset might be different but the area that my daughter worked during her CPs highly pushed the students to finish college. To jump from CP to Status Coordinator would require going to full time immediately and I am pretty sure you have to work in your position full time 6 months before even applying for a coordinator position. At any rate although that can happen I guess I don't think its the norm. I do think the norm might be more the allure of the Central FL lifestyle the kids get into and once they go from CP (with crazy hours) to part time or even full time with regular days off and time for a real life it can be pretty appealing to stay.

Liz

 

[disney junky]

I believe, and I may be wrong, that you have to specifically rank the roles in regards to preferences. However, there are no guarantees.

Do they take their current college classes/major into consideration when placing students in the program? In other words, do they try to match up your college major with a job in the CP program (if at all possible)?

I'm with you...even if you rank custodian at the bottom of your list, you still may end up with it, and I just can't see how this is going to improve a resume. Unless of course it's just the sheer name of Disney - being trained in Disney's world wide known customer service - that enhances the resume regardless of position worked.

During orientation, they literally look over the incoming CP's for people who physically fit the characters they need to fill. They can spot people under 5' for the Mickey and Minnie roles. My DD's roommate was Nelle. Had the look, no mask, and she did that the entire time. One of her roommates didn't last. She left after about six weeks. She was just very homesick. Other than that, you request an area and if you get it, it's great. As I said, DD was fortunate. Beyond Tower, she often did extra work at Fantasmic at the end of her shift with crowd control.

 

[disney junky]

I am not doubting your daughter but it is pretty rare to jump from CP to coordinator without the student pursuing those avenues on their own. I know each area is different and the managers at Sunset might be different but the area that my daughter worked during her CPs highly pushed the students to finish college. To jump from CP to Status Coordinator would require going to full time immediately and I am pretty sure you have to work in your position full time 6 months before even applying for a coordinator position. At any rate although that can happen I guess I don't think its the norm. I do think the norm might be more the allure of the Central FL lifestyle the kids get into and once they go from CP (with crazy hours) to part time or even full time with regular days off and time for a real life it can be pretty appealing to stay.

Liz

I agree. It was unusual, but this kid was exceptional and never refused an offer. He lived and breathed WDW. He did graduate at the same time she did from UCF, but it was a risk he took. He basically became a part time student. They dated for a while, and we often talked about whether or not he was making a wise decision. The unpredictable part was that entire class of UCF hospitality kids graduated in May of 2009 and few of them got hired full time because that may have been the height of the tanking economy there in theme park industry. WDW was actually cutting hours. That was really rare.

 

[Andtototoo]

A family friend was in the CP this spring. She was terribly homesick at first, then grew to love it. She intends to go back. She worked in Attractions in Fantasyland in MK and her highlight was making some child's day magical. She also really enjoyed making new friends from around the world who were also in the CP. She took two online classes and did fine in them, but often struggled with the lousy Wifi connection in the Disney apartments. She also took a Disney class and loved it because it was very practical.

She had three roommates. They each had different experiences and I'd say that their view of the CP is not only a product of what they put into it, but also what jobs they had and if they had been to Disney before and thought it was a magical place.

Roommate A: Had never been to Disney before coming on the CP. She worked in Quick Food Service and took no classes either through her college or at Disney. She ended up getting terminated because she was often late to work and called in sick too many times. She went out and partied every night (apparently no bouncer in Orlando checks ids because she did not have a fake id, but had no problem being served alcohol) and had hangovers. She felt it was a waste of her time very quickly because she didn't find Disney magical at all (it was just another amusement park to her). She felt the CP was nothing more than glorified fast food work and she could have stayed home to do that. So in her mind, the only way to make the CP worthwhile was to treat it as an extended spring break.

Roommate B: Had been to Disney once before coming on the CP. Worked in Attractions on one ride and took no classes either through her college or at Disney. She did not find Disney magical at all and hated the CP because she was bored at her job. She also ended up deciding to treat it as an extended spring break and went out drinking every night (she was also underage).

Roommate C: Had been to Disney once before coming to the CP and loved it. Worked in Quick Food Service. She took a full load of 4 classes online through her college. She enjoyed her job and the CP, but her GPA took a massive hit because she could not keep up with her schoolwork with the workload. (One thing to keep in mind is that if you work over a high visitation period -- like spring break -- you will be scheduled so heavily, you barely have time to get home and sleep before you have to get back on that bus and head back to work.) She also struggled with getting her coursework in online due to the lousy Wifi connection. She fell in love with Disney and intends to go back to the CP again, but wants a "better" job than working in food service. She knows that in order to 'move up' to a better job, she has to find a better job in her hometown.*

Since it says, "express interest," I assume there aren't any guarantees. Can you turn it down without any repercussions if the offer isn't anywhere close to your field of interest? It seems like a good program from the little I have read but I am not sure how a custodian position will help DD further her education or improve her chances in her field. I'm not sure the advantages to skipping a semester or two of college for a job that isn't related to her field would outweigh a regular part time job where she could continue her education. Or am I looking at it in the wrong light?

There are no guarantees. You can turn it down and there is some debate over whether turning down an offer this year will affect your chances of being accepted if you apply again next year.

*What our family friend found was that they tend to place you in jobs that you've already done. They really don't want to train you in something new to you -- since it's a temp job, they want to piggyback on the training/knowledge you've already acquired elsewhere. So, if all you've done is fast food work, then guess where you're going to be placed at Disney? Same with retail -- you'll end up in merchandising. Many (but not all) of my friend's coworkers in Attractions had some acting experience or had worked as ride operators in amusement parks and also had been to WDW many times.

 

[Traveliz]

I agree. It was unusual, but this kid was exceptional and never refused an offer. He lived and breathed WDW. He did graduate at the same time she did from UCF, but it was a risk he took. He basically became a part time student. They dated for a while, and we often talked about whether or not he was making a wise decision. The unpredictable part was that entire class of UCF hospitality kids graduated in May of 2009 and few of them got hired full time because that may have been the height of the tanking economy there in theme park industry. WDW was actually cutting hours. That was really rare.

My daughter was at UCF then too and during her internship classes there were some weeks she got no hours (well quite a few) but at least UCF was understanding about it. She graduated in December of 2010 and it took her almost 9 months to get full time.

Liz

 

[metalis4ever]

It may have changed since I participated in the WDWCP 13 years ago and it probably varies from school to school but at my College I earned 9 Credits for participating in the Disney College Program and an additional 3 for writing a paper about my experience thereby enabling me to keep my Health Insurance and Financial Aid.

Again it's been over a decade so it has probably changed, wow time flies!!!

 

[tar heel]

I think it was a mixed bag for my son. He's glad he did it but wasn't in love with it part of the time he was there. He has a BS in Computer Science and most definitely did not get a placement related to his major -- he was in QSFB at All Star Sports, usually going to work at about 6 a.m. Some kids aren't scheduled 40 hours, but he usually worked more than that.

He finished his degree in summer school and did the CP that fall. He was a December grad and had originally thought he would fly home for graduation, but he was much too busy. He came home in early January and began looking for a job in his field. When he didn't find anything, he applied and was immediately hired at the theme park near us. Disney invited him back for the summer twice. He almost went the second time, but got a job in his field.

As a parent, I think the experience was good for him because he worked for a demanding employer and lived almost 600 miles from home which helped him develop some independence. I think it was a nice icebreaker on his resume but didn't contribute much beyond -- I will also say that was true when the organization I worked for interveiwed a former CP.

 

[tar heel]

It may have changed since I participated in the WDWCP 13 years ago and it probably varies from school to school but at my College I earned 9 Credits for participating in the Disney College Program and an additional 3 for writing a paper about my experience thereby enabling me to keep my Health Insurance and Financial Aid.

Again it's been over a decade so it has probably changed, wow time flies!!!

This depends on the college not the CP. My son's school did not offer credit for the CP.

 

[Traveliz]

It may have changed since I participated in the WDWCP 13 years ago and it probably varies from school to school but at my College I earned 9 Credits for participating in the Disney College Program and an additional 3 for writing a paper about my experience thereby enabling me to keep my Health Insurance and Financial Aid.

Again it's been over a decade so it has probably changed, wow time flies!!!

It's up to each individual college as to how they handle it. Some students switch colleges for the CP to one that will give more credits and then transfer them back to their college when they are done.

Liz

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

Disclaimer: I have not gone through the program.

That being said, I am so sad that I didn't. I wasn't as into Disney when I was in college as I am now. I'm not really sure that there is a huge downside, if she doesn't like it then at least she gave it a try. Its only one semester, and she will be earning money and at least have a job during that time.

So to me, it seems that there is not a lot to lose and everything to gain.

Ugh, so upset I missed out on the opportunity to do this.

 

[metalis4ever]

This depends on the college not the CP. My son's school did not offer credit for the CP.

It's up to each individual college as to how they handle it. Some students switch colleges for the CP to one that will give more credits and then transfer them back to their college when they are done.

Liz

Yeah I figured as much, guess I lucked out that my College was supportive to students who wanted to take advantage of the amazing opportunity that is the Disney College Program.

Like I previously stated, it was a life changing experience in every aspect.

 

[LisaR]

I know I am probably missing it on the website somewhere but how long is the minimum requirement for this program and how long is the maximum you can participate? Is it per college semester? Can you just participate in the summer?

 

[SassyTink213]

Funnily enough, my brother "expressed interest" in all the cp jobs that he had no experience in (lifeguarding, recreation, photography, and i forget what else) and left out that he had food service experience and retail experience on the forms. He did hype up his medical training and that he was/is a certified EMT and firefighter. The top of his list was lifeguarding and recreation (no where near computers-his major). He started training at the local Y and taking lifeguarding classes there during/before the CP application process. At the time of his phone interviews, he was still training and had no certification yet. Turns out that they have to lifeguard certify you with "their" training anyway. They are even more strict with their lifeguard training requirements and classes. You must pass their training even if you were already certified somewhere else.

Long story short, he got a lifeguard CP at the Poly and Grand. He passed Disney's lifeguard exam, which was harder and more rigorous that the YMCA's.What Disney liked was that he was an EMT. That was what sold him to them in the end, or so his coordinator told him later. He used the CP to up his chances of getting in the Internship program in his actual field-computers and networking. Now he's an intern with the department that controls the computer system that takes care of benefits, pay, and etc for the Disney Corporation. He does computer networking and databasing for it.

He used the CP as a springboard to get into the Disney Internship Program. We're crossing our fingers that this springboards him into a Dis career.

 

[Pugdog007]

DD24 did the college program, loved it, stayed on as a seasonal employee while teaching for 2 years, and is now working on the Disney Dream!

 

[mickeysgal]

I'm not really sure that there is a huge downside, if she doesn't like it then at least she gave it a try. Its only one semester, and she will be earning money and at least have a job during that time.

So to me, it seems that there is not a lot to lose and everything to gain.

Ugh, so upset I missed out on the opportunity to do this.

See, you don't want regrets in life. "I shoud have..." is a hard thing to live with years down the line.

DD has grown up at Disney. We've have been going multiple times a year she was a baby. She has the love of Disney yet understands that once you're on the other side of the fence, it's hard work handing out that pixie dust rather than receiving it. I have no doubt in my mind that she would make a great CM. She is rock solid in her commitment to finishing her degree. I just wanted to hear the downside and the things no one tells you at the presentations that she heard at her college. They present it all roses, including hard to qualify for it, yet we all know that there is more to every story. What I want to hear is the reality of it all.

 

[mickeysgal]

I know I am probably missing it on the website somewhere but how long is the minimum requirement for this program and how long is the maximum you can participate? Is it per college semester? Can you just participate in the summer?

My DD has told me it is a spring or fall semester or you can do an extended Spring/Summer or Summer/Fall. I do not believe it is just a summer.

Someone can perhaps confirm this.

 

[disney junky]

My DD has told me it is a spring or fall semester or you can do an extended Spring/Summer or Summer/Fall. I do not believe it is just a summer.

Someone can perhaps confirm this.

Unless something has changed, that is correct.

 

[Traveliz]

Unless something has changed, that is correct.

Yes and occasionally they open up summer roles for CP Alumni but of course that requires you be a CP first. Once there you can extend your program not to exceed a year...so you could come in Fall, extend into Spring and Summer (assuming your record card allowed it). You can then go back to college for as little as a semester and reapply and start the process over again. I have read about some people who have done that or done numerous CPs over the years. I know one CP I talked to did not have anywhere affordable to live so she would do the CP for a year, go to college for a semester and manage and then back to the CP. I felt sad for her but she made it work for her. As a CP you can make a lot of money if you work a lot of hours and keep the socializing down (which can be hard) but I know quite a few that have had a great time (remember park admissions are free to them) and saved up a nice amount.

Liz

 

[Traveliz]

Duplicate

 

[OhioStateBuckeye]

See, you don't want regrets in life. "I shoud have..." is a hard thing to live with years down the line.

haha that's me! Poster child for regret.