The day you've been waiting for has FINALLY come! Applications for the Disney College Program have opened! This is certainly an exciting day and one that many look forward to for days, weeks, months and even years! Before you click submit, however, here are some tips I highly recommend you consider before finalizing your application!
List the Jobs You've Had that Will Stand Out Most to Recruiters
List the Jobs You've Had that Will Stand Out to Recruiters When applying for the College Program, you don't get the chance to submit a resume. All you get to do is indicate IF you have job experience and list up to three (3) past positions. There is no room to describe job functions or responsibilities- you only put the title you held, the company you worked for and the dates you worked there from. Pick the three jobs you think will impress recruiters the most. If you have past hotel or theme park experience definitely list it! If you've held a management position list that! THOUSANDS of people apply to the college program each semester- do yourself a favor and list the jobs you think will stand out the most!
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Be Brutally Honest About Which Roles You're Willing to Take On
If you indicate ANY amount of interest in a role, Disney CAN and WILL consider you for that role. On the application you will have four choices in evaluating your interest in every role: High Interest, Moderate Interest, Low Interest and No Interest. You will be considered for roles you indicated low interest in equally with roles you indicated High Interest. Disney cannot consider you for a role you indicated no interest in. If a mistake is made and they offer you a role in which you indicated no interest, they will recast you. This being said, please do not indicate interest in any role in which you will be unhappy or uncomfortable! There is a myth that you will have a better chance of being accepted if you are open to all roles. THIS IS NOT TRUE! I indicated no interest in several roles my first time applying and I was accepted for Attractions. This time around, I only indicated any level of interest in nine (9) roles out of twenty-one (21). I still was granted a phone interview. You will only be doing yourself a disservice if you say you are willing to perform a role you are actually uninterested in.
Take Your Time Filling Out the Application
Don't rush through it! Read everything through carefully so that you don't make any mistakes. I've seen people go NLIC (No Longer in Consideration) because they accidentally said they were not students on the application. My advice: Click preview before submitting your application and read everything through at least twice to make sure there are no errors.
Make Sure You've Read the Fine Print
it's imperative that you know what your commiting to.The fees for Disneyland's program, for example are $860 while the fees for Disney World's are $350. Disneyland requires its participants to take classes while classes are optional at Disney World. Spring Advantage runs January-August while Spring runs January-May. Think all of these aspects through before selecting which property and which program length is right for you. You can apply to both Disney World and Disneyland and there is the option to have one program length be your first choice while the other is your second, but make sure you are completely comfortable with every option you list because there is a chance you will be sent somewhere you didn't really want to be sent to for a length of time you didn't want to go for if you aren't honest with yourself about what you truly want out of the program.
Do Your Research
Make sure you know every possible responsibility for each role you apply for. Recreation may sound great to you but you're just as likely to be a slide operator at a water park as you are to be a children's activities host. Know every possible placement for each role you're applying for so there are no unpleasant surprises down the road!
I think that's all the advice I have about submitting your application to the Disney College Program! If you have any questions I'm always happy to do my best to answer them! Have a Magical Day Everyone!
