The Disney College Program: one of the most highly sought after internships in the U.S., and at times, the most misunderstood. As with most things Disney, a fair amount of rumors are simply unavoidable. With such a large, well-known company, the brand’s every move is often devoured and scrutinized by the general (and sometimes ignorant) public, who often make the mistake of taking things only at face value.
When I applied to the Disney College Program in February of 2014, I was faced with a myriad of questions from the less-informed masses. Would I be going to a Disney college? How was this going to help me as a History major? I wouldn’t -gasp- be selling popcorn or cleaning bathrooms, would I? With the exception of other college students who had looked into the program themselves, or the few others I’ve spoken to who had actually done the program in the past, I had a very difficult time finding anyone who knew what the program was all about, and how it would actually be beneficial for my future. Even though the program has become extremely popular in recent years, the Career Services department at my (albeit small) college, and my academic adviser had no prior knowledge of the program until I brought it to their attention.
Image: Brittany DiCologero
To fully understand what the Disney College Program is all about, and how it can most definitely be beneficial to a student of any major, let’s take a walk down memory lane, and learn about how the program came to grow from a small group of students in the Magic Kingdom to thousands of domestic and international students on both sides of the country.
The Beginning: The Magic Kingdom College Program
Mickey and Minnie take part in the Tencentennial Parade at the Magic Kingdom in 1981. Image: Disney
The first ever Disney College Program took place in 1981. Before getting into the specifics about this early internship program, let’s think about what was happening with the Walt Disney Company during this time. During the late 1970s, Walt Disney World was made up of the Magic Kingdom, a couple of resorts, and a few other recreational offerings such as what was then known as Treasure Island (the now-defunct island that eventually became Discovery Island), the Disney Village (a much smaller version of what is now Disney Springs), and of course, River Country, the first Disney water park. Plans for EPCOT Center were moving along, while the number of cast members employed at any given time was relatively unsteady.
While the resort itself expanded, so did the resources available to cast members, to make their time going to and from work more efficient. During this time of expansion in the pre-Epcot days, Disney experimented with hiring students from local colleges to work at the Magic Kingdom in exchange for course credit. The students would be given a role that was at least somewhat related to their majors, and they would be able to shadow management in their areas on the job. At this time, there was no official name for the work these students were doing, they were simply being recruited to work in the park in exchange for course credit.
Image: Disney
As EPCOT Center’s opening year approached, Disney’s casting and recruitment department worked out the details of creating an official internship program for college students to work at the resort. This new program would be a win-win for both the company and the college students – the company would have new cast members to take over some of the roles that had experienced a lot of turnover, and the students would gain resume-enhancing work experience as well as college credit. Initially, Disney sent recruiters to only a few colleges for the first recruiting season in 1980, including University of North Carolina, University of Alabama, and University of Georgia, and a couple of other colleges more local to the resort. After an informal (but in-person) round of interviews, 250 students were chosen to participate in what would be called the Magic Kingdom College Program, in 1981, just one year prior to the official opening of EPCOT Center.
The students were housed off Disney property in Kissimmee, in a mobile home park known as the Snow White Village Campground. If you happen to be driving in the area, and you notice a street called Seven Dwarfs Lane, you might be surprised to learn that the first college program housing was located on that street, just off the highway. Nearby, was another early housing complex called the Lake Vista Village Apartments, which housed the first rounds of international college students in the mid-1980s. Both complexes included a swimming pool and security, as well as bus or van transportation for interns to get to and from their seminars and work locations.
“Time to Make Dreams Come True!”
The grand opening of Epcot took place in October 1982. Image: Disney
Within the next year, EPCOT Center was open, and the college program was undergoing its first major expansion. Surveys were given to the students who participated in the first program to learn how their experience was working for Disney for a semester, and the results were overwhelmingly positive. Students felt that they were given a unique work experience compared to their peers, they really enjoyed being able to meet people from all over the world while working in the park, and they felt as though they had an added edge in terms of professional development from shadowing team leaders.
In 1982, the name of the program officially changed from the Magic Kingdom College Program to the Walt Disney World College Program, encompassing the expansion of the resort within the program as the students were now able to work at Epcot. In the same year, Disney sent recruiters to forty colleges and universities to begin recruiting for the next season, and to start raising awareness for the program among the national academic community. Initially, the program only allowed participants to work in a few frontline roles such as merchandise, custodial, attractions, and food service. The original academic portion of the program was a weekly seminar that lasted for three to four hours in which interns would learn about hospitality and tourism management in specific areas of the Walt Disney Company.
As Walt Disney World expanded, so did the roles CPs (college program interns) could work. With more resorts being added to the property, CPs were able to take on roles like bell services and housekeeping, and eventually front desk, concierge, lifeguard, and recreation. By the late 1980s, the program had expanded so much that better, more permanent housing was needed. The trailers that made up Snow White Village were quickly becoming outdated, as they were meant to be temporary. In 1988, CPs were able to stay in newer, permanent apartments called Vista Way, which was located closer to Disney property and included amenities like swimming pools, fitness center, clubhouse, security, and a bus transportation hub for interns to get to work, as well as to the grocery store and post office.
Image: Brandice Maher
With the 1989 openings of MGM Studios, Typhoon Lagoon, and Pleasure Island, more CPs were accepted into the program, and the roles available were expanded again. The recreation role was expanded to include water slide operators, who would need to be strong swimmers but do not have to go through the same kind of rigorous testing as lifeguards did. As more resorts were built around the property, recreation CPs also took on roles in childcare facilities as well as other activities around the resort such as running games by the pools. More resorts also meant more CPs were able to be placed in roles like full service food and beverage, which is essentially a different name for a host or hostess in a table service restaurant.
By the 1990s, a series of about ten classes was mandatory for the students to participate in. The classes were based on professional development in the theme park and tourism industry, and students who missed more than two classes would not receive certificates of completion for the courses, and were at risk of being termed from the program. The type of “degree” that students received from the classes was based upon how many classes they took, or how many class meetings in the required program they attended. These degrees, which were essentially certificates of completion, were known as either a “Mousesters” or a “Ducktorate.” During these previous program seasons where the classes were mandatory, students could be termed from the program for missing a certain number of classes without a valid reason, such as a doctor’s note.
Image: Vincent Desiderioscioli
Students who completed the program in the 1980s and 90s had a much more intimate, and personalized experience compared to students who participate in the program today. During these years, when the program was really just starting to gain popularity, it was still at a manageable size, meaning there were a lot more opportunities for random events like participating as extras in commercials for the parks, participating in promotional shoots (like the one at Typhoon Lagoon pictured below) and taking group pictures in front of the castle with other CPs from your college. (It would have been interesting if this were still a tradition during my program– I was the first, and at the time the only CP from my college!)
Image: Vincent Desiderioscioli
Even the application process was much more personalized back then than it is today. Students completed in-person interviews with recruiters at local colleges, and were able to view presentations about the program on their own college campuses, or at a different school in their area. Today, the program has simply become too large to justify having presentation schedules or in-person interviews. Currently all interviews are done online and over the phone, and acceptance letters are no longer mailed, but rather they are emailed instead.
The Disney Decade
The expansion of the college program in the 1990s coincided with the expansion and restructuring of the theme parks. With Michael Eisner as the company’s CEO, an expansion policy that he referred to as “the Disney Decade” was unveiled in 1990, which included plans to drastically expand the theme parks over the course of the next ten years. The 1990s brought such achievements to the company as the Disney Cruise Line, with two initial ships, the Disney Magic and the Disney Wonder, two miniature golf courses, the Wide World of Sports complex, Blizzard Beach water park, expanded nightlife and dining opportunities in Downtown Disney, Disney Vacation Club, and of course, Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
With so much growth in the theme parks, and the company in general, it is no surprise that the program began gaining more notoriety in the 1990s. Parts of the Walt Disney World Resort that were already established were also gaining even more popularity (and CPs) in the 1990s, like MGM-Studios where Vincent, a former CP pictured below, worked on the now extinct Backstage Studio Tour.
Image: Vincent Desiderioscioli
By 1998, Disney’s Animal Kingdom had opened, along with a new housing complex for CPs: the Commons. The Commons has often been used to house international participants, however within the past couple of years any CP has been able to live there. These apartments are seen as an improvement over Vista Way simply because they have washer and dryers in each unit. A recent feature of the Commons, completed in 2015, is the Grid, a small convenience store located right behind the bus stop, which makes this complex one of the most convenient options for CPs who are on the program without cars. The photo below shows the newly renovated living room of a three bedroom, three bath apartment in the Commons.
Image: Cristian Perez
By the mid 1990s, students were able to choose a summer option for the program, rather than spending a semester during the academic year working at the parks. The summer program was offered off and on throughout the rest of the program’s history, however it is currently only offered to alumni of the program, with very limited roles and positions available. While the summer program is alumni only at the moment, applicants must still be attending college to be considered– alumni of the college program who have already graduated would need to enroll in school before they are able to apply again.
The late 1990s also introduced a new role to the program: Rescue Ranger. The Rescue Ranger role later became known as the “Hopper” which is just a different way of saying that cast members in this role would be cross trained between at least two or three different roles. While the Hopper role is still offered today, it is not given to CPs all that much simply because the short time that they are working in the parks does not often justify the amount of training they would need to complete to be able to work in multiple roles. As the program expanded, CPs were able to work in different locations depending on their roles, including merchandise, custodial, and quick service food and beverage (or ODV – outdoor vending) to name a few.
Epcot ODV CPs Spring 2015
Image: Cristian Perez
Career Start to College Program
In the year 2000, another new housing complex was opened, signifying the further expansion of the program. Chatham Square is located just down the street from the Commons in the Little Lake Bryan area, and is also directly across the street from Mickey’s Retreat, the cast recreation center. (While I did not live in Chatham, I did enjoy going fishing with friends at Mickey’s Retreat). With spacious lawns separating the buildings, and gazebos offering shade from the Florida sun, Chatham Square became the place to hold housing events, including CP graduations. The newest apartment complex, Patterson Court, opened in 2008, and is often known as the “retirement home,” due to its quieter atmosphere, especially in comparison to Vista Way, which has the reputation of being the party complex.
Image: Brittany DiCologero
In addition to the expansions in housing, the 2000s brought a number of other changes to the program. The Disney Career Start program came and went in the 2000s. This program essentially served the same purpose as the college program, however it was meant for high school graduates who had not yet attended college. While Disney has never given a clear reason for why this program was discontinued, I can only assume it was to expand the college program, and keep more spots open for CPs rather than Career Start applicants.
Working in Animal Kingdom’s Dinoland USA
Image: Brittany DiCologero
This decade also brought along some changes in the interview process. By the mid-2000s, applicants would submit an application entirely online, and initially each applicant would be invited to take a web-based interview. Upon passing the web-based interview, a phone interview would be offered, and an offer to participate in the program would come from there. Whereas alumni from the 1990s and before might remember receiving physical acceptance letters in the mail, everything in the recent past with regards to the program has taken place online, and currently students wait anxiously for “Congratulations!”emails.
As with many companies, applicants today are also able to check their progress on a dashboard page of the site, which keeps track of which stage of the process they’re in, and any interviews they might have scheduled. Since 2013, the application process changed in that the web-based interview is no longer offered to every applicant like it was previously. Now students submit an application, and they then need to be selected based on the application to complete the web-based interview. This extra step in picking out specific applicants also seems to suggest that the program has steadily expanded, as some applications can be cut before receiving any kind of interview, narrowing down the options for which students are selected for the program.
While many students claim that this process of giving the web-based interview only to certain applicants is random, the official Disney College Program blog has proved this theory to be false on numerous occasions. Like most other companies, a submission of an application is no longer a guarantee for any kind of interview, and while Disney’s recruiting department will not disclose what exactly helps an application make the cut, they have stated that the process is not at all random.
Meet and greet with the Three Caballeros at a CP housing event
Image: Aly Schmidt
The Campus Representative program, which alumni from the 1990s and early 2000s might remember as a program where they would act as a representative from the college program on their own campuses in exchange for perks and benefits from Disney has also been discontinued. Its replacement, the Disney Alumni Association, is much more inclusive in that any alumni of the program can be involved, and it is not limited to the few who are selected to be representatives. The Alumni Association has also become a helpful resource for reunion planning with different years of the college program, and career networking among members.
Living, Learning, Earning
In terms of housing, domestic and international CPs are able to live in any of the housing complexes, or off-site. Housing is available for married students as well, in one bedroom one bath apartments in any of the complexes, however a marriage certificate must be provided at check-in, and both spouses must be participating in the program. Since 2014, some CPs can elect (or be placed) in triples, meaning three CPs to a bedroom. This option not only makes the rent cheaper, but it can also be cause for a more difficult living situation, and serve as even further evidence of the rising popularity and growth of the program. During my last college program in Spring 2015, some students were able to live just down the street from the rest of CP housing in Cumberland Park. Cumberland Park is not a Disney housing complex, and therefore does not have buses, so students who lived there needed to have a car, however by choosing to live there, they were given substantially cheaper rent.
Visiting Nora, our favorite parking CP, at Hollywood Studios
Image: Brittany DiCologero
With classes currently being optional, CPs can choose from seminar offerings to accredited college courses, or they can choose to not attend any at all. Popular classes like Marketing You, have been offered consistently for years on the program, while some classes particularly those in environmental studies and sustainability are fairly recent. Without choosing to take any weekly classes, current CPs still have the option to participate in resume writing seminars, mock interviews, CPR certifications, networking events, and a variety of other professional development offerings.
New roles available for CPs in 2016 include Convention Guide and Floral positions, both of which can be excellent choices for students looking to pursue careers in either of these areas. Additionally, the program also currently offers roles in the culinary field, in which students who participate must be enrolled in a culinary program as opposed to any college major. The more specialized fields of study accepted into the program today give rise to the credibility of the program, as well as the increased popularity of it.
With each new specialization that comes out, it becomes increasingly clear that more students are applying for the program each season, and I can’t say I blame them. The Disney College Program was the only paid internship that provided housing and transportation that could be at least somewhat relatable to my field of study. It seemed like each new internship program I discovered would either require me to work for free, but have housing provided, or work for a stipend but have no housing, or in some cases even work for free with no housing. Even study abroad seemed to be out of the question because if I could afford to go to school in another country, how on Earth could I have paid for living expenses over there without the promise of full time, weekly pay?
Even though rent is deducted from CPs’ paychecks, the structure of the college program helps to make the finances of it completely doable. The combination of being able to live, earn, and learn on the Disney College Program really does make it one of the best internship experiences out there, allowing students of any background to have the opportunity to pursue work in one of the best companies in the world.
Visiting one of my work locations before it closes in April 2016
Image: Brittany DiCologero
“When the Time of Your Life is Life-Changing”
In June 2015, the Orlando Sentinel ran an article stating that there are about 12,000 CPs annually working at the Walt Disney World Resort. The resort in Florida is the largest single site employer in the U.S., with the CPs making up about five percent of the total number of employees. It is also estimated that about 50,000 students apply to the program each year, meaning that about 18,000 are accepted, with 12,000 accepting offers, and ultimately completing the program. Since the debut of the college program thirty-five years ago in 1981, the program has increased in size by about forty percent in the Florida resort alone. Currently, the sector of the company under “Disney Internships and Programs,” has also grown to include various international programs, culinary programs, Disney English, professional internships, and of course, the California counterpart of the program.
Image: Brittany DiCologero
The Disney College Program was the best nine months of my life, and I would do anything to be able to do it all over again. While there will always be those people who just don’t get it, the program really was full of learning experiences, both personal and professional, that I will always carry with me. As a History major, I thoroughly enjoyed the seminar class I took on Disney’s approach to marketing. While the subject of marketing bored me as a Business major during my freshman year of college, learning about Disney’s unique marketing methods really sparked my interest, and I’m confident that this course will help diversify my resume given my relatively narrow field of study.
As for other professional experience, I honestly cannot imagine that any job will be as difficult as working a fourteen hour shift in the carnival games in Dinoland USA, or working crowd control at a showing of Fantasmic that has gone to standing room only. Though a lot of people tend to view the program as an internship offering the bottom of the barrel jobs to students for cheap wages, the experiences you have working crazy jobs, at even crazier hours, really do help when you’re looking for work in the real world. These experiences have allowed me to find my own way of handling stressful situations, all while keeping up the legendary Disney service, and finding ways to make negative situations positive for guests.
Clocking out for the last time
Image: Brittany DiCologero
Aside from professional experiences, the Disney College Program has left me with some of the best friendships I could have asked for. They may be spread across the country, or even other parts of the world, but I am beyond thankful for the friends I’ve made during my nine months with the company. And above all, the program allows seemingly ordinary college students to actively participate and create magic of their own for guests, a unique experience which is difficult to grasp if you have not experienced it firsthand.
It’s the kind of feeling you get when you make a guest’s day during their first visit, or when you see a child’s face light up while meeting their favorite character, or trading with you for a new favorite pin. It might sound crazy to those people who “just don’t get it,” but in all honesty those are the people who are missing out on an amazing experience, where “the time of your life is life-changing.”
