Disney College Program

The Disney College Program is a paid college internship operated by the Walt Disney Company. In this program, college/university students from all over the world are given the opprotunity to live and work in either the Walt Disney World Resort in Buena Vista, FL or Disneyland in Anaheim California. There is also the opprotunity to take college or seminar courses that can only be attended in this program. It is open to all majors and each period lasts for one  semester (Jan-May, Sep-Dec). The official website can be found here.

History
The first Disney College Program began in 1981. In the early days, the College Program consisted of just over 200 students from 20 schools working in only one theme park, the Magic Kingdom.[1]  At that time it was known as The Magic Kingdom College Program (MKCP). In October 1982, program participants could work at Epcot as well as the Magic Kingdom and the program was known as The Walt Disney World College Program,[2] employing approximately 500 college students each spring, summer and fall session. From the beginning of the program until 1988, almost all program participants stayed in an off-property mobile home park called Snow White Village Campground (the remainder in Lake Vista Village apartments) in nearby Kissimmee, Florida. In 1988, the Vista Way apartments opened and proved to be much closer to the participants' employment.[3]  Following the resort's massive growth in the 1990s and the widespread popularity of the internet, the College Program has grown substantially, seeing three new participant housing complexes built and many more colleges represented. As of 2005, 8,000 students have participated each year, representing at least 301 colleges and universities[1] [4]  with an average of 4,000 students at any given time.[5]

In the Autumn of 2004, student opportunities at Disneyland were combined with the opportunities available at Walt Disney World. The program was renamed to the Disney Theme Parks and Resorts College Program. Currently, the program is being promoted as, simply, the Disney College Program.

Application Process
The process begins when the applicant creates an account on the website and selects "Apply Now". In the application will be questions regarding information concerning academics, previous work experience, and volunteer work. Following them are questions regarding preferences in what role in the Disney Parks and Resorts the applicant would prefer to perform. After finalizing and submitting the application, the applicant is sent an email regarding their next step. Many applicants' email will instruct them to complete a Web-Based Interview, in which the applicant will be asked questions about their personality and why exactly they have chosen the Disney College Program. After the interview is completed, the applicant will recieve another email that will either confirm or deny a second interview. For the second interview, the applicant will electronically schedule a phone interview, according to their preference. At the time of the phone interview, an associate of the Disney Company will contact the applicant and ask them a series of questions regarding prefered in roles and experiences in previous working environments. Following this interview will be a two week waiting period (in many cases, it has taken longer). At the end of this period, the application will either be sent an invitation to join the program or a Thank-You email in which the applicant will be highly encouraged to reapply in the next application period.

Program Information
At the beginning of the program in the early 1980s, three "experiences" were emphasized: "The Learning Experience", which involved participation in Disney's "Leisure Time Business Management Studies", "The Work Experience" which included work in 4 major areas of the resort, and "The Recreational Experience" which emphasized recreational activities and Disney-sponsored events.[2]  Since that time, the experiences have changed slightly to "living", "learning" and "earning".[7]

The "Living" experience is similar to the original program's "Recreational" experience. Once the student has accepted their position with Disney, they can stay in one of four company sponsored housing units near Walt Disney World Resort during the duration of the program: Vista Way, Chatham Square, Patterson Court, and The Commons (which houses mainly international Cast Members). At the Disneyland Resort, participants stay in the Carnegie Plaza building approximately two miles north of the Disneyland Resort. Each participant can choose to live in a one, two, three, or four bedroom apartment with two people per bedroom.[8]  In addition to these options, the Disneyland housing offers a limited number of studio-style apartments.

The cost of housing is deducted automatically from the student’s weekly salary. The cost of housing varies depending on the location of the student’s program. There are fees the student must pay upfront upon acceptance into the program based on housing, and these too vary between locations. In Florida there is a program assessment fee of $100 as well as a housing and administration fee for $200. In California the program assessment fee is $100, and a security deposit of $200 as well as $560 in housing and assessment fees.[9]

Students are expected to follow certain guidelines in the housing complexes. Roommates are assigned by gender and age, except in the case of a married couple. If a student is under the age of 21 they automatically are placed in a “Wellness Apartment”, or one that is deemed alcohol-free. All of the apartments are non-smoking in all areas. For students located in Florida the Disney Company provides transportation to and from the theme parks. Transportation is not provided for students located in California. Those students are encouraged to bring their own cars and are given free bus passes for the public transportation system, and earn $1 each day the pass is used.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-10" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[10]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">The "Learning" experience began in the early 80s as a group of 9 seminars on the "philosophies and operating practices" of the various sections of their resort's business.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cpbrochure_2-2" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  It has grown to include 8 different courses, each focusing on a Disney topic, rather than a business area. the Students are required to do textbook readings, write term papers and participate on projects. Additionally, there are now Disney Exploration Series courses, which are more focused on business areas as they relate to Disney. Participants, just like every Cast Member attend Traditions, which is a 4 hour long orientation that demonstrates everything about the Resort of employment and the company in general.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-11" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[11]  The Disney Look is required for attendance at Traditions, which is counted as the participants' first official day of work. The program also offers "job shadowing" for participants on days they are not working - the participant can follow Disney Cast Members whose careers are in fields similar to the student's major.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-12" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[12]  The courses are approved by ACE and offer participants the possibility to earn college credit during their program, subject to a decision by the participant's college or university.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-13" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[13]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">The "Earning" experience consists of students working within their resort.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-14" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[14]  At the program's inception, students were expected to work in one of 4 "major operating areas": Food, Merchandise, Attractions, and Custodial.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-cpbrochure_2-3" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[2]  Currently, Disney College Program students work in more than 20 different roles.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">Depending on the requirements of a student's school, internship credit may be earned.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-15" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[15] ==See also<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] == ==References<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] == ==External links<span class="mw-editsection" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;">[edit] == <p style="line-height:19.1875px;font-family:sans-serif;">
 * Walt Disney World International Program
 * 1) ^ <sup style="line-height:1em;">a <sup style="line-height:1em;">b  Nichols, Amy (2001-10-30). "Opportunities await Disney College Program participants". http://dailynebraskan.com. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
 * 2) ^ <sup style="line-height:1em;">a <sup style="line-height:1em;">b <sup style="line-height:1em;">c <sup style="line-height:1em;">d  Walt Disney World College Program (brochure). Walt Disney Productions. 1983.
 * 3) ^  Mobley, Glenn (1998-04-27). MKCP 10 Year Anniversary Newsletter: Summer of '87. Glenn Mobley and Robin Quick-Brantley. p. 3.
 * 4) ^  Associated Press (2005-07-05). "Disney internships draw students, criticism".http://msnbc.msn.com. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
 * 5) ^  Billman, Jeffrey (2007-12-27). "Of Mouse and Man". http://orlandoweekly.com. Retrieved 2009-03-06.
 * 6) ^  ""Disney Application Requirements"".
 * 7) ^  "Disney College Program Overview". Disney. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
 * 8) ^  "Working:A Unique Working Experience". "Disney". Retrieved 2010-11-30.
 * 9) ^  "Disney College Program Fees".
 * 10) ^  "Living Policies".
 * 11) ^  "Education Overview". Disney. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
 * 12) ^  Jewett, Brandi (2008-09-30). "Disney College Program offers students 'dynamic' opportunities". http://dakotastudent.com. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
 * 13) ^  "Education". "Disney". Retrieved 2010-11-30.
 * 14) ^  "Working: Real World Experience". Disney. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
 * 15) ^  "Disney College Program". http://realvacationscheap.wordpress.com. 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2009-03-05.
 * Official Disney College Program website
 * Other Disney student programs