Hello there. My daughter has been accepted to participate in the Disney College Program at Disneyworld. She's a certified lifeguard so that's what she'll be doing from August until January. Is there anyone out there who can share any experience they may have with the College Program ? Good and bad points; don't hold back.
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Disney College Experience
- Thread starter macefamily
- Start date
RoyWalley
Well-Known Member
mjtots24
New Member
Hi there! I participated in the College Program back in 2011. I worked in the Main Street Bakery/Cone Shop. Simply put, it's an unbelievable experience that I talk about often.
The good:
- You're working at Disney!
- Opportunity to move up in company.
- Making friends from all over the world. Truly a unique experience as most CP kids are there by themselves and meeting people is easy.
- Perks of unlimited access to parks and discounts.
- Endless amount of programs and activities for CP participants.
The bad:
- Hours can be tough, and you really have no control over it. Don't expect Holidays off.
- If you have any intention of staying with the company long term, take it seriously! After making those friends and participating in all those events, it can be tempting to call out and use sick time. Just know that Disney is a huge company, and when you call out like that they will keep track of how many "points" you accrue. This is pretty much all they will have to go off of when looking at your employee profile in the future.
- You will not be staying in luxury apartments. They get the job done, but it really doesn't matter because you will spend 99% of your time working or having fun in the parks!
It really is a great experience, and just tell your daughter to take full advantage of the opportunity and talk to and network with as many people as she can. If I could give any advice, I would say bring a car if possible. It will save her a lot of time and give her the ability to experience a lot more that the program and parks have to offer.
Hope this helps.
The good:
- You're working at Disney!
- Opportunity to move up in company.
- Making friends from all over the world. Truly a unique experience as most CP kids are there by themselves and meeting people is easy.
- Perks of unlimited access to parks and discounts.
- Endless amount of programs and activities for CP participants.
The bad:
- Hours can be tough, and you really have no control over it. Don't expect Holidays off.
- If you have any intention of staying with the company long term, take it seriously! After making those friends and participating in all those events, it can be tempting to call out and use sick time. Just know that Disney is a huge company, and when you call out like that they will keep track of how many "points" you accrue. This is pretty much all they will have to go off of when looking at your employee profile in the future.
- You will not be staying in luxury apartments. They get the job done, but it really doesn't matter because you will spend 99% of your time working or having fun in the parks!
It really is a great experience, and just tell your daughter to take full advantage of the opportunity and talk to and network with as many people as she can. If I could give any advice, I would say bring a car if possible. It will save her a lot of time and give her the ability to experience a lot more that the program and parks have to offer.
Hope this helps.
po1998
Well-Known Member
My daughter was in the DCP in Fall 2014. She had a great time. Only regret...she took two classes(which she got credit for),but they were on her days off from work(4 hours on one day, 4 hours on the other), which really took away from having some fun, and enjoying the free time.
By far her only complaint...the TranStar bus system...buses HOT, buses overcrowded, buses not on time, bus rides took forever with multiple stops, bus drivers miserable, etc... I heard about it for 5 months. If at all possible, take your own car there.
By far her only complaint...the TranStar bus system...buses HOT, buses overcrowded, buses not on time, bus rides took forever with multiple stops, bus drivers miserable, etc... I heard about it for 5 months. If at all possible, take your own car there.
I very much appreciate the feedback; both positive and negative. She will be taking some online classes during the semester so she'll be doing schoolwork on some of her time off. She's a Disney fanatic. 21 years old and she's been there 17 times throughout her life. Pretty good record considering she's from Pennsylvania. Going to be tough not seeing her for over four months. There's always Skype. The wife doesn't know if she can take not seeing her little girl for so long. She's all grown up now...
bcoachable
Well-Known Member
Our oldest just got back from her DCP time. She loved it.
There are some great Vlogs on Youtube, if you (or she) has time to check them out!
There are some great Vlogs on Youtube, if you (or she) has time to check them out!