Looking at Colleges - Want to Intern at Disney

[eclipseSD]

Hey all, I'm sorry if this is too broad, arrogrant, or repetitive, but I would really like guidance about this.

I'm currently in high school (a very good Catholic one), with a 4.0 GPA, about to take the SATs, and have many extra-curricular activities.

I want to major in business (probably management), and my long-term goal is an executive position in Disney Parks and Resorts. My short term goal is a management internship at one of the parks.

Now, it seems to me that the school visited by the WDW college program are not "top tier" (Ivies, Notre Dame, NYU, etc) but rather state schools and community colleges. Not that there is anything wrong with these schools, but it seems the corp of students they attract and the positions they are put in does not fall in line with my resume or my goals.

In addition, many upper-tier colleges don't simply let you take off 6-8 months to work at Disney.

Currently I am considering schools such as Claremont McKenna, U. Penn, USC, U. Mich, Notre Dame, and MIT.

Can anyone offer me advice about how I should go about getting a management internship within the parks (or even corpate administration)?

My real question is what would the best path for me to take, a high school student with no college or job obligations right now, in the future to attempt to climb the ladder of the parks, or company, administration?

I would really appreciate any input from cast members, college program members or alumni, or just people who know more about this program.

Thanks so much!

 

[CrashNet]

Well I can't answer everything you asked, but I'll see what I can do.

"top tier" really isn't the right way to say it. The colleges and universities that WDW comes to, to my understanding at least, are those that schedule and request WDW's attendence (CPs correct me if I'm wrong on that). To join the Disney College Program, you have to be enrolled in college and have completed one semester and be in good standing, so if you can't take the time off during your college career, you can do as I am and wait until your last semester to apply. The only disadvantage is you are are putting all of your eggs in one basket.

WDW believes in promoting within the company, so joining the CP Program will definetly help. We all have to start at the bottom and work our way up (in all aspects of career life), so it would be a good way to start working for your goal. If I remember correctly, there is an Advanced Internship specializing in management, but to do that you need to complete the CP program first.

The positions you are put in are as I said above, entry positions. You always have to remember that you have to work your way up into the world (no pun intended ). Thats why many high school/college students start in parttime retail, etc, then work up to a smaller job in a company such as a receptionist or a lawfirm courier, and then work their way into a job that would set them up for a long and successful career.

Remember that its not just the job, but its the experience. You will get to meet all kinds of people from all over the world both as CMs (cast members) and guests, along with making friends that will last a lifetime. In the CP program you can network with other employees of the company and work your way up to your goals.

This is not related to the CP program, but I wanted to say it. Always remember that college is going to be a time in your life where everything you once knew and figured was "the way life is" is going to completely change. Your life and your choices and your freedom will expand beyond your reach, and there is nothing you cannot accomplish if you put your mind to it. With all of that, you have to remember to have fun, and the college program combines incredible work experience, network capabilities, wonderful opportunities to make fantastic new friends from all over the world, and the chance to have the time of your life and not just to open a door, but kick it wide open.

Hope that helps you.

 

[eclipseSD]

Thanks so much for your response.

As you can tell, park operations and management (and all the sub-categories derived from that) is the field I am most interested in.

I am trying to determine which colleges I want to apply to will not only allow me to participate in the program, but award credit for it as well.

Now I am also considering the Disneyland Summer College Program as well. Not only does it allow me to work Operations in my favorite park, but it is also during 12 weeks when college doesn't interfere. Also, if I go to college in soCal, I can work there throughout the year. Finally, it is close to HQ in Burbank, which is always a plus.

However, I would still prefer the WDW program because of the more immersive experience and wider range of contacts it provides. Also, the MBA/management internship I desire at WDW recommends being a CP almunus.

The question: Is working at DL 4 years straight (on and off) plusits advancement opportunities better or worse than one 6-8 month stay at WDW plus its advancement opportunities?

I still have a good 1-2 years before my college decision is made, and 2-3 years before the Disney decision is made, but I would like as much info as possible beforehand.

 

[Rosso11]

I did the Disney World College Program 2 years ago and had a similar problem as you. I went to NYU which Disney does not go to but I still wanted to do the program. I knew I would have an extremely hard time receiving credit for my time at Disney so I planned ahead. I wanted to graduate on time, even though it really doesn't matter in the long run, so I did the program my senior year. However throughout my first 3 years I took a few extra courses as well as studying abroad one summer. This put me a semester ahead and gave me the extra time to participate in the program. It was well worth it for me because it was an experience of a life time. I made some incredible friends and lots of connections that I still have today. By doing the program they make it extremely easy for you to continue working for Disney. You will see when you get down there that most of your managers are almost all College Program Alumni. It really is a great stepping stone for working with Disney since that is your plan. Even though I did not continue on with the company I know I can go back anytime and easily get a job as a manager there when ever I want. I highly recommend getting close with your managers as much as possible and staying close with them even after your program is over. They can be a huge help to you latter on after graduation. Also when you’re in the program I highly recommend going to as many of the lectures as you can. Being in the college program they offer the group discussion with many of the executives who run Disney World. These are great opportunities to get an inside look of things as well as make wonderful connections. These consist of usually small groups of only about 20 people. The executive will talk about what they do at Disney for a while followed by a Q&A session after, and usually you have an opportunity to talk with them one on one after it’s over if your lucky enough, which is usually the case. In my opinion these are some of the best opportunities available to CPs and surprisingly very few take advantage of this. If you seriously want to work for Disney in the long run you can not go wrong with participating the Disney World College Program.

 

[eclipseSD]

Bump

Okay, I'm getting into the college search more and more now, and I would like to know what a good plan would be to get an (eventual) executive position in the parks, either within a specific park or as part of Disney Corporate (Parks + Resorts Worldwide especially).

College in California (USC, Claremont McKenna, etc) would bring me close to Anaheim and Burbank, allowing me to work hourly or intern throughout the whole year (esp. summer).

If college in California doesn't work out, then I could go anywhere (Notre Dame, UNC, etc) and apply for the WDW College Program.

Either way, I'd be majoring in business administration, working towards and eventual MBA in 5-7 years, and gaining valuable contacts and experience within Disney itself.

Nothing is set in stone right now, but I do really want to work for Disney Parks and Resorts on the global level as an executive, and I feel its better to plan out the proper career path channels now, before college, rather than later, when choices become more limited.

Any thoughts?

 

[wedway71]

Go to the best college you can.I dont work for disney but do have freinds who do and heres some info.


A- disney loves candidates with MBA.In many cases they require MBA from top tier university such as harvard,Duke,Stanford,etc.If you go to Disneycareers.com you will see most of the executive roles they are looking to fill says MBA is a major plus or a requirement.

B-Even though Disney is a promotion from within company doesnt mean you will have to start off making 6.50 an hour selling popcorn either.It depends on the need and what you have to offer.If you look on disney careers.com and even WDWCareers.com you will see Disney does hire externally for salaried and executive roles.

C-You can try other Disney units as well such as Consumer Products.They actively recruit MBA students from big schools like NYU.I was a Hardlines manager for Target before working for Coke.One of my buddies who had an MBA from Kellogg and 10 years of mgt experience with Target went to Disney Consumer Products for 3 years.Like myself he had a big love for Disney parks and transfered to Disneyland in a mgt role and loves it.He is now in segment marketing.
d-Network! Meet alot of disney people.As much as you can.I just spoke to my buddy last week and coming real close to selling my house in SW Florida and moving to Glendale,Burbank,or somehwhere close and using my experience to try to land a salaried role at disney too.I would love to wind up in disney attractions in Public Affairs,Global marketing,Human Resources, or Corporate Alliances.

Maybe ill see you there too:wave:

 

[CrashNet]

B-Even though Disney is a promotion from within company doesnt mean you will have to start off making 6.50 an hour selling popcorn either.It depends on the need and what you have to offer.If you look on disney careers.com and even WDWCareers.com you will see Disney does hire externally for salaried and executive roles.

Hmm...I read the quote above and thought about what I originally posted. I hope I didn't imply or make you believe that to get anywhere you have to start ALL the way at the bottom of the barrel, because as wedway71 says here, thats not true. My purpose of saying that was only to try and explain that jumping straight into a position within Disney that is lower on the corporate scale is still a great way to get in the door and start making a lot of wonderful contacts. Its a fantastic way to get started as a college student. Again I apologize if what I said sounded that way.

Nothing is set in stone right now, but I do really want to work for Disney Parks and Resorts on the global level as an executive, and I feel its better to plan out the proper career path channels now, before college, rather than later, when choices become more limited.

I commend you for wanting to plan your career path already. So many students don't even have a clue what they want to do with their lives, even after graduating from college. I will say that, at least in my view, your choices during and after college become more abundant than limited, particularily after landing your degree and MBA. Out of curiousity, I was wondering why you thought your choices would be more limited later?