Disney College Program, is it worth it?

[TiggersPooh]

When I host info tables for the College Program I make sure to tell people that you get what you put into the experience. Many students go down thinking it will be a VACATION. While there are plenty of times to relax and have fun you will be working.
I think just the experience for living far away from home within a diverse community is reason enough alone to go. It forces you to grow as a person.

As you might guess I loved my College Program. (Spring Quarter 2005 Program) and I am doing another for Fall 2009 (start in June right after graduation).

 

[packwingfn]

Oops Wrong thread

 

[alecky]

Questions concerning international programme...is it worth the money?

hey,
im 18 years old and from new zealand and thinking of doing the disney college programme for 6 months. im in my first year on university and would be taking off a semester to do it. i would not be doing it for career related reasons, mostly just because i have always wanted to work at disney and i fell in love with it as a little girl. it would cost me about 3000 nz dollars for my plan flight alone (approx 2000us), money i could otherwise spend on a different holiday however i am really interested in the disney programme and my question is is it worth it? i dont mind working hard if it is a nice environment behind the scenes?
also i currently have a part time job waitressing which is full time in the holidays in which i can get pretty horrible hours, i have no problem with working late nights however i have had to work till 2am some mornings and starting again at 10am, or at times have worked 13hr shifts, are shifts like that given at disney?
also has anyone ever done it and been able to get a job as a face character or at least the opportunity to audition?
i would greatly appreciate any help with this decision and knowledge from your experiences.
many thanks
alecky

 

[TiggersPooh]

hey,
im 18 years old and from new zealand and thinking of doing the disney college programme for 6 months. im in my first year on university and would be taking off a semester to do it. i would not be doing it for career related reasons, mostly just because i have always wanted to work at disney and i fell in love with it as a little girl. it would cost me about 3000 nz dollars for my plan flight alone (approx 2000us), money i could otherwise spend on a different holiday however i am really interested in the disney programme and my question is is it worth it? i dont mind working hard if it is a nice environment behind the scenes?
also i currently have a part time job waitressing which is full time in the holidays in which i can get pretty horrible hours, i have no problem with working late nights however i have had to work till 2am some mornings and starting again at 10am, or at times have worked 13hr shifts, are shifts like that given at disney?
also has anyone ever done it and been able to get a job as a face character or at least the opportunity to audition?
i would greatly appreciate any help with this decision and knowledge from your experiences.
many thanks
alecky

You would have to do the International Program not the College Program. I am not sure if they do auditions for the international program.

 

[alecky]

o woops sorry i meant international. would it be more fun to go at 19 years or when i am 21?

 

[TiggersPooh]

if you plan on drinking...Id say 21.

You can always have fun without drinking...it is Disney after all.

 

[alecky]

the not being able to drink doesnt really concern me cause im not really much of a drinker, but do ppl under 21 get left out at times?

 

[DisneyChik17]

Yes, it is true that the hours can be bad and the pay is low. However, it is a paying internship. You won't find that many of those. And if you budget carefully, you can bring home some money. I brought home almost $3,000 my second program. Even with the negatives, I would never give away the great memories and friends I made.

Joanna, I am thinking that maybe you should help me budget while I'm down there. That is 3 times the amout I was thinking I would be able to save. But, bringing that much home would be AMAZING!

 

[skycraft]

The CP was the best thing I would ever do with my life.
My only advice is to not let others get you down about what they think makes the jobs "terrible", which they arent. It is so much fun and you gain so much experience and a bigger perspective on life.

 

[8890]

Hello,

I've been searching around for information on Disney's College Program and so far I've heard the two opposite poles: either I will enjoy it and love the experience or it will be a waste of time and I will hate it. I'm a 3rd year college student studying Media Communications majoring in Audiovisual Communications (film) and I don't know if this Internship would be beneficial for my major ( because of all the supposed "networking opportunities", development of "leadership and communication skills", etc. ) or if it would be a waste of time and I should just search for another internship.

I've also been searching for the roles that communication students may have in Disney's Professional internship but I can't seem to find any detailed explanation.

If anybody could help me out here I would reeally appreciate it.<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

 

[EPCOT Explorer]

I miiiight do it Summer 2011. Still gotta attend the presentation on Nov. 4th.

 

[TheBeatles]

It depends what you are looking to get out of the CP.

I loved my CP and took advantage of every opportunity.

 

[captain marvel1]

im working on my paper work today so i can go in 2010 or 2011

 

[daklimation]

... BUT having Disney on your resume does help on the job market...

As long as you don't plan on living in central florida!:ROFLOL:

 

[joanna71985]

I definitely recommend it. I love being down here on the CP (I've had awsome experiences on my CPs, and hope to go FT in the Spring).

 

[joanna71985]

What are you going to try and do full time ?

My dream role is character performer. But my other role is character attendant (which I do enjoy a lot). I don't mind doing this if I'm not able to pass the auditions.

 

[jwein101]

Biggest Mistake

I was super excited to work for Disney this summer 2011, I didn't even care what job I was going to get I just couldn't wait to work at Disney World. Well, when I got here Vista Way was full so I was stuck in Chatham (big mistake). Chatham is pretty lame. There's nothing much to do and you have to walk alot t0 get anywhere (Walgreeens or the gas station is the closest by). Also, when you have roommates you don't really click with, it can be hard to.

Anyways, onto the job. When you're employed at Disney they have this ridiculous point system to stop you from being late or doing bad on the job. You get a 1/2 point when you're late and a full point if you call in (SICK) which is ridiculous because it goes on your record card and it's looked at as a bad thing when you can't help if your sick.
So, I started off my program with no points. But it's really hard to keep a clean record card and the managers don't make it any easier. They give you discussions (which show up on your record card too) about anything! I got in trouble for wearing a wrinkled apron when other employees have told me they've come into work with stained uniforms and they didn't get in trouble.

The management at MSN shops (Casey's and Bakery and Cone Shop) is horrible! I've never met such rude and unhelpful managers in my life. They just sit in their office and gossip and do things behind the employees backs. They don't care about their employees or getting to know them, they treat them like ________ and think of them as a number.

I've given up on my job and hardly schedule hours anymore because I work hard as ever and feel there's a double standard. The workers that don't work hard never get in trouble yet I get in trouble for a wrinkled apron! It's ridiculous. I'm done being treated like ________ and I quit at the end of the month. This program was not for me. It may be for you if you have a better job or don't mind being treated like ________ and like a 2 year old with dumb rules at the apartments when we pay 95 a week!

In my opinion, if you get MSN shops (Main Street North Magic Kingdom) as a job here, DONT TAKE IT if you don't like being treated like ________, the job is not worth it. It's like I work at McDonalds and get no praise for my hard work. It's ________________ and I'm done with it.

 

[ntoeman]

I've given up on my job and hardly schedule hours anymore because I work hard as ever and feel there's a double standard. The workers that don't work hard never get in trouble yet I get in trouble for a wrinkled apron! It's ridiculous. I'm done being treated like ________ and I quit at the end of the month. This program was not for me. It may be for you if you have a better job or don't mind being treated like ________ and like a 2 year old with dumb rules at the apartments when we pay 95 a week!

To each his or her own...I really enjoyed my CP and I do know a hand full of people who unfortunately did not enjoy their time there. I'm a firm believer that like any real world job (or heck, any experience I suppose), the CP is one where it is what you make of it. I'm sorry to hear you didn't enjoy your brief time there, but I know more people than not (including a few who did work all along Main Street) who loved what they had the opportunity to do on the CP and some have continued to stay connected in the company because of their CP experience. :wave:

 

[CaptainShortty]

I was super excited to work for Disney this summer 2011, I didn't even care what job I was going to get I just couldn't wait to work at Disney World. Well, when I got here Vista Way was full so I was stuck in Chatham (big mistake). Chatham is pretty lame. There's nothing much to do and you have to walk alot t0 get anywhere (Walgreeens or the gas station is the closest by). Also, when you have roommates you don't really click with, it can be hard to.

Anyways, onto the job. When you're employed at Disney they have this ridiculous point system to stop you from being late or doing bad on the job. You get a 1/2 point when you're late and a full point if you call in (SICK) which is ridiculous because it goes on your record card and it's looked at as a bad thing when you can't help if your sick.
So, I started off my program with no points. But it's really hard to keep a clean record card and the managers don't make it any easier. They give you discussions (which show up on your record card too) about anything! I got in trouble for wearing a wrinkled apron when other employees have told me they've come into work with stained uniforms and they didn't get in trouble.

The management at MSN shops (Casey's and Bakery and Cone Shop) is horrible! I've never met such rude and unhelpful managers in my life. They just sit in their office and gossip and do things behind the employees backs. They don't care about their employees or getting to know them, they treat them like ________ and think of them as a number.

I've given up on my job and hardly schedule hours anymore because I work hard as ever and feel there's a double standard. The workers that don't work hard never get in trouble yet I get in trouble for a wrinkled apron! It's ridiculous. I'm done being treated like ________ and I quit at the end of the month. This program was not for me. It may be for you if you have a better job or don't mind being treated like ________ and like a 2 year old with dumb rules at the apartments when we pay 95 a week!

In my opinion, if you get MSN shops (Main Street North Magic Kingdom) as a job here, DONT TAKE IT if you don't like being treated like ________, the job is not worth it. It's like I work at McDonalds and get no praise for my hard work. It's ________________ and I'm done with it.

OP, you're always going to get people that didn't like their program like jwein. Didn't like their role, work locations, fellow CMs, roommates, etc. Let me assure you that these people are much fewer than those that enjoyed their program. I had an absolutely amazing CP experience and would go back to do it again in a heartbeat. I lived in Chatham with 5 awesome roommates and loved it. 3 of those roommates and I are still great friends and talk weekly even over a year later.

I managed to not even get a single point on my record card during my program. The program isn't for you if you're not planning to work hard. You're going to have long hours, sometimes at strange times. You're going to put up with a lot of nonsense from guests but in the end, it's really what you make of it. No one likes getting yelled at but it comes with the territory and if you can let it role off your back and just smile back at them you'll get through it just fine. Overall, I never dreaded coming to work (except maybe those 5AM shifts )

Just like any job, some managers are good, some are bad. I had some of the best managers I could have ever asked for (Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge Front Office). Of the 13 of them I really couldn't pick one I absolutely hated. Honestly there was only 1 CM of the whole department who I didn't like working with so that's pretty good odds. Some of course were better than others but they all treated me respectfully and helped me whenever I needed it. They demanded a lot and have incredibly high standards, but that's what makes Disney what it is. The managers always told me what was expected and I never thought it was unwarranted. The company is unlike any other I've ever seen in given CMs wiggle room to make the guests happy. It was great to know I could do something (like upgrade a guest) and not get in trouble for it.

Every work location is different, ever role is different and every person is different. As far as if it's right for you, you're the only one who can decide that. As far as your major, my roommate was a film major and she met a bunch of people who she could network with. Maybe request photopass because it is the closest to your major of any of the others? Also, there are great classes on creativity that I'm sure would be beneficial to you. In the end, if you're looking to work with Disney in any capacity full time, it's a great thing to have on your resume. I'm still employed with them as a Campus Representative and am going to be applying for a PI for next fall (in wedding planning). In my eyes, it was completely worth it and I would give anything to do it again. But as I said, the decision if it's right for you can only be made by you.

 

[patricia27]

Program

I`d love to have done that--think I`m too old now!! Is there an age limit??