Disney College Program

[Jeri Lynn]

HI Everyone,
My daughter is interested in the Disney College program. She is a freshman at Framingham State College here in MA.

We'd love to hear about experiences with the DCP and any recommendations about applying.

I have no clue as to where to start. Should she speak with her counselor at school to see if FSC participates or do most colleges? Is her sophomore year a good year to look into it?
She is still undecided as to what she wants to do and is in school as undeclared.

Any direction/advise would be great! Thanks!

[BronxTigger]

I sent you a PM. :mickey:

[MartyS]

My DD's out here doing CP right now. I think it is a very good experience for her. She's a senior and needed a break. She is thinking about finishing school and then applying for a professional internship at Disney. There's another thread from a couple of days ago about this, too, if you can find it.

[CaptainJessicaSparrow]

Pulling from the other thread, this is what I said.


Being a CP has it's pros and cons - I found it to be pretty much a typical college experience.

Pros:
Working at Disney
Good Benefits (parks, food and merchandise)
Cheap Housing ($70-100/wk)
Good Location
Utilities provided
All cooking plates and utensils included
Secured Gates
Free Transporation to Work (and some other areas)
Potentially Good Friends

Cons:
Working at Disney
Long Hours
Minimum Wage
No REAL benefits (health, 401K, stock, etc)
Living with another person in the same room
Small Rooms
Expensive Laundry
Lots of parties/underage drinking (A LOT)
Lots of noise (first floor from second, pools)
Some roommates have never left home (meaning messy)

I think it's a good learning experience to decide if this is something she wants to do as a career, which is what I used it for. You can certainly meet a lot of people, but out of the 8 people I lived with...I only still talk to the one that lives 10 minutes from me. The rest I didn't care for (mostly for reasons listed in the Cons section...except there was no underage drinking...just excessive and many nights they were sick).

I personally enjoyed my CP experience for the most part...but I know a lot of people who left as soon as they got there. I don't know your daughter, but there are a lot of strict rules that almost always results in instant termination and I've known people who have been (too many call-ins, underage drinking/drugs, stealing, fighting). Obviously, I liked working for Disney enough to stay long after my program (and hopefully, far enough into the future) and I love it more now than I did then.

Wish her luck and hope she enjoys working here!

You can get more information on the website for it here (http://www.wdwcollegeprogram.com/sap/its/mimes/zh_wdwcp/students/students.html). Or attend the information sessions they will hold at her school.

[PeterPan]

My daughter was on the College Program last Spring. I will try to get her to reply to you here on this thread.

She had an extremely positive experience. She is a very responsible, high-morals young lady. Her supervisors adored her - she never "called in sick" to work, always showed up early and ready to work. She often hears from nearly all of her roomates, even some of her bosses and supervisors. They beg her to come back. It was such a positive experience, she will probably consider working for Disney full-time at some point in the future.

She was not blind to many of the negatives, but chose to make the very best of the experience. I am very proud of her.

[May524]

I did the college program in Spring of 05. My role was hospitality and I worked the front desk. My DH, who was then my boyfriend :blush: hehe worked on the Jungle Cruise. I agree with the above posters...it's a LOT of work and it's NOT meant for everybody. I started out with 3 other roomies...and I was the ONLY one to complete the program. If she is a hard worker, I suggest that she apply and have a great time! She can always apply online via the e-presentation on their website.
Best of luck! :mickey:

[joanna71985]

HI Everyone,
My daughter is interested in the Disney College program. She is a freshman at Framingham State College here in MA.

We'd love to hear about experiences with the DCP and any recommendations about applying.

I have no clue as to where to start. Should she speak with her counselor at school to see if FSC participates or do most colleges? Is her sophomore year a good year to look into it?
She is still undecided as to what she wants to do and is in school as undeclared.

Any direction/advise would be great! Thanks!

I have done 3 programs: Spring 2005, Fall Advantage 2006, and Summer 2007. The CP is a great experience. I have had great times, and want to work at Disney FT once I graduate. You can get more info (and see the schools that host presentations) at www.wdwcollegeprogram.com. However, even if a school doesn't host a presentation, you can attend at another school or do the presentation online. Any year is a good time to do the CP, but if she is undeclared that is a good time to go. Good luck.

[AnnieBananie]

My DD has been accepted into the CP - beginning Jan. 2008. Her university did not host a presentation; she applied online and did a phone interview. She heard back from Disney very quickly. She is already talking to other students going into the program in Jan. DD is a senior getting ready to do student teaching. This will be her moment to immerse herself in Disney - a place she has always loved.

[chicade88]

What opportunities, besides becoming a full-time hourly worker, can arise from the CP? I'm really interested in eventually working for the Disney company but didn't know if this is a good step to this?

[joanna71985]

What opportunities, besides becoming a full-time hourly worker, can arise from the CP? I'm really interested in eventually working for the Disney company but didn't know if this is a good step to this?

I think the CP is a good step to working the way up in Disney. Disney likes to hire from within for higher-up positions.

[CaptainJessicaSparrow]

And the CP is the requirement for the Professional Internship - which is the management program (I'll be going on this sometime next semester...hopefully).

After this, Disney will try to place you into a coordinator/management position if they feel you are ready.

[PrincessCandaceMarie]

I loooooved it!! 2 times for me :mickey:

[joanna71985]

I must be a Disney geek. I have done 3 CPs, and by the time I graduate (hopefully next Dec) I probably will have done 5.:blush:

[Meghan]

One of my friends on my first CP went to Framingham. So while I don't know to what capacity, I'd say with a fair amount of certainty that Framingham participates in the program. Hopefully you don't run into any trouble in that regard. If the school doesn't offer credit, there's always the option of taking a leave of absence for the semester and making it up during a later summer. That's what I did. :mickey:

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . We'd love to hear about experiences with the DCP . . .

1) Unfortunately I never had the chance for college program.
2) When I went to college, Disney World did not exist.
3) The Mouse was that thing running away from mastodons.
4) However, I have known many, many CP kids.
5) The majority liked their experience.
6) About the only negatives mentioned were
. . . low pay
. . . small-ish apartment rooms
. . . low pay
. . . working up to 14-hrs straight.
. . . low pay
7) But, even with these complaints, many come back again.