I have many family and friends wondering about how I applied to the Disney College Program, or perhaps there are some Disney College Program hopefuls out there that want to apply to the program that want to hear about someone's application experiences. I'm more than happy to share my application process here!
You can read about the Disney College Program extensively here to save you all some time: http://cp.disneycareers.com/en/default/ I will mainly be discussing my process in this post. This was the first and only time I have applied for the Disney College Program, so this is my only experience applying.
When I decided that I wanted to seriously apply and participate for the Disney College Program, I researched which program would be suited best for me. Applicants have the option to choose from four programs: Fall, Fall Advantage, Spring, and Spring Advantage. The Fall Advantage and Spring Advantage programs include the summer months. I knew I didn't want to work during the extra months because 1) I felt like that would be too long for me to be away from home and 2) I have a summer job that I love and have been working there for some time now, and wouldn't want to be away from that job. So I then had to choose between Spring and Fall. I wanted to choose Fall because there is so much going on then -- they have the Epcot Food and Wine Festival, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party, Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, and more unique festivities. That all sounded like a lot of fun for me, especially since I've never been to Disney for the holidays. But knowing that I'd be away from home for the holidays had me thinking, maybe I should just do the Spring program instead. I eventually talked myself into deciding that although I'll be homesick for Thanksgiving and Christmas, participating in the Fall Program would be the most exciting for me.
Applications for the Fall/Fall Advantage program usually drop in late January/early February. So the semester before, I did tons of extra research on the application process and started gathering practice interview questions incase I made it to the phone interview. This definitely helped me a lot by preparing a few months early a little at a time.
Sometime in January, I joined the Disney College Program Fall/Fall Advantage 2015 Facebook group to stay in the know about all things DCP Fall 2015 related. I wanted to know right away when the applications dropped because I wanted to apply on the first day.
Applications dropped on January 26th, a week earlier than I thought it would. Of course, I applied right away. About an hour later, I got my "Thank You For Applying" email. It was getting real!
An hour after I got that email, still on January 26th, I got the email that I was selected to participate in the web based interview. Everyone is required to participate in the WBI before moving on to a phone interview. This web based interview checks to see if you are a strong enough candidate for the program.
I remember freaking out in class as snow was falling from the sky, too excited to pay attention and so happy that I was selected just to fill out my WBI. I raced back to my dorm after class and in a quiet environment (thanks to my roommate for leaving the room so I could answer the questions in peace!) took my WBI.
After taking my WBI, which took about 20 minutes give or take, I saw that I had passed and was moving on to the phone interview! I was shaking with relief and also nerves - the real deal was about to happen! That same day, January 26th, I selected the date of my phone interview, which I chose for January 30th at 11:15 AM. I figured the sooner I had the interview, the better. It meant less time for me to sit anxiously thinking about it.
The next few days, I anxiously prepared myself for the interview. Special shout out to my friends and my parents for keeping me sane during those moments, and for doing mock interviews with me. I probably would have lost it without you!
The night before my phone interview, I wrote some of my favorite inspiring Disney quotes on post it notes and hung them above my desk where I would be sitting during my interview. I thought that it would help calm my nerves a bit during my interview, and I can say it did! I also tried to go to bed at a reasonable hour, but I mostly ended up tossing and turning in my sleep.
I woke up way before my alarm went off that morning because I was so nervous. I went over all my questions a few more times to refresh my memory. I listened to some Disney music that morning too, to remind myself why I chose to do the program in the first place. An hour before interview time, I just sat in my desk, waiting.
My interview happened a few minutes after the time I selected, which had me freaking out because I thought they forgot about me haha. Obviously that wasn't the case. When my interviewer called, I made sure to write down their name right as they told me so I could refer to their name during my interview and wouldn't forget. That's probably one of the best DCP phone interview tips I can give -- make sure you write down their name and call them by name during the interview! It's professional and respectful to the person who is interviewing you.
Around midnight on January 31st, I got the Thank You For Interviewing email. And that was the last email I got for awhile because now it was time to play the waiting game.
On February 19th, at 4:48 PM, I got my acceptance email! I was sitting in the student center eating dinner before my night class when I found out. I was in such disbelief. The second wave of acceptances had happened that day but I thought it all ended after lunch. I figured I wasn't going to be a part of that acceptance wave that day. So I was clearly not expecting to get this glorious acceptance email!
It is honestly the best email I've ever gotten to this day.
So there you have it! My very first time applying to the Disney College Program and I got in the first try. I honestly feel so blessed and certainly very thankful for this incredible opportunity. I can't wait to share my memories with everyone along the way!
Thanks for reading! I hope you all have a magical day and I'll see ya real soon :)
<3,
Lindsey
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