The Most Important Tip You Need To Know To Get Into The Disney College Program

A dream for many Disney fans is to be part of all the magic by working as a Disney World Cast Member.

One of the most popular ways of becoming a Cast Member is to participate in the Disney College Program (DCP) — a competitive internship program that allows both college and graduate students to work at Disney World while often attaining college credits. As a College Program participant, you’ll have the opportunity to work in one of several available roles, from attractions operations, to food service, to custodial roles. Some even work as character attendants, character performers, and lifeguards! With thousands of applicants, it can be difficult to achieve a spot in the Disney College Program. If you or someone you know are hoping to apply, you’ll want to keep reading!

Several of the team members here at AllEars have completed Disney College Programs in the past, and they each gave their BEST advice to those who are applying. We’ll first talk about what the application process looks like, and then we’ll get into those tips on how to increase your chances of getting accepted. Let’s go!

The Application Process

So, you want to apply to the Disney College Program. Applications open on a rolling basis, so you’ll want to pay close attention to the Disney Programs website as well as some Disney College Program recruiters on Twitter, where they share application and acceptance updates.

Once the applications open, we recommend starting your application sooner rather than later — just so that you can take your time completing the application before the deadline approaches.

General Application

The application will ask you several questions about yourself and your college career — such as your school, major, and extracurriculars. If your major isn’t hospitality-related, don’t worry! The Disney College Program is open to all majors — your work and serve experience is what counts.

Next, you’ll have the opportunity to fill out a form that will tell the recruiters about all of your previous work, service, and internship experience. Do NOT be shy, here! This is your time to shine and show the recruiters just how qualified you are to work at Disney World. You’ll also have the opportunity to upload a .PDF version of your experience in the form of a resume or CV. This isn’t required, and many say the recruiters don’t even look at this, but we totally recommend doing so just to show the recruiters that you’re thoroughly prepared.

When filling out your job experience and creating your resume, it’s important that you speak Disney’s “language.” Disney trains Cast Members to serve guests based on 5 Keys: Safety, Courtesy, Inclusion, Show, and Efficiency — listed from most to least important with inclusion in the middle, because they strongly believe that inclusion is what ties all of the keys together. Using these key words in your resume can increase the chances that your application is selected. Further, instead of using words like “customer” and “client,” use the word “guest.” Disney World is ALL about the guest experience!

Web Based Interview

Once your application is approved, you’ll be invited to complete a Web Based Interview (WBI). This portion is what usually causes hopeful participants to not be selected. You have 24 hours to complete this web-based questionnaire before your application is no longer in consideration. The WBI asks you a series of personality-related questions to help the recruiters better understand how you’d handle situations if you were working with guests at Disney World. It’s VERY important that you remain consistent in the way you answer these questions. They’ll ask you the same questions in different formats to ensure that you answer the questions the same way each time — based on your own personality and gut feeling rather than how you think Disney wants you to answer.

Further, it’s important to remember the 5 Keys during the WBI. Safety is THE MOST IMPORTANT aspect of operating the parks at Disney World, so always consider safety first when answering a question.

After you complete the WBI, you’ll know immediately whether your application is still in consideration or if you failed the WBI and your application is no longer in consideration. If you passed, you’ll be prompted to fill in information regarding a phone interview.

Phone Interview

Alright, it’s your chance to truly shine and show off your inner Cast Member! A recruiter from Disney will call you and interview you over the phone to get a better idea of your personality and all the reasons you want to work at Disney World. The phone interview typically lasts anywhere from 15-25 minutes, but if it takes less or more time than that, it generally doesn’t mean anything — so don’t worry.

The best way to prepare for these interviews is to research the 5 Keys and be prepared to incorporate them into your answers. We also recommend writing down a few things about yourself and your prior experience beforehand so that you sound prepared and confident when speaking to the recruiter. Remember to use words like “guest” and “service” as well!

There are numerous videos on YouTube of DCP phone interviews so that you can watch and see how successful applicants have answered questions and behaved during the phone interview. We definitely recommend doing your research and watching some of these beforehand to help prepare.

Acceptance

After the phone interview, you can continue to keep an eye on your application status via the online portal from which you applied. You should also receive email updates! You’ll either get a notification that your application is no longer in consideration, or you’ll receive an acceptance email during periods that the recruiters like to call “acceptance waves.”

Acceptance waves are the days (typically once a week) that another round of applicants get accepted into the program. A few people get accepted outside of these “waves,” but for the most part acceptances will roll out several at a time once or twice a week. The recruiters typically share on Twitter whether or not you can expect a wave or not! Once you’re accepted, you’ll be prompted to pay your program fees and fill out some magical paperwork to get you in Disney’s system and prepare for your arrival to Disney World. Congratulations!

Now that we’ve gone through what the application and acceptance process looks like, let’s reiterate some points and give our very best advice.

Best Tips and Advice

1. Be yourself ALWAYS. Personality plays more of an important role than experience once you make it to the phone interview portion of the process. Smile while talking on the phone, even though they can’t see you. It makes a big difference — you sound happier!
2. Remember the 5 Keys and keywords like “guest,” “service,” and “experience.”
3. Don’t be shy! Show off your theme park knowledge and any other guest service experience you may have. If you’ve worked in a theme park, water park, or in a lifeguarding role before, really highlight that and what you learned from it.
4. Do your research and come prepared. Write down those points you want to say to the interviewer so that you don’t forget them in the midst of the excitement. Watch interview videos on YouTube so that you have an idea of what they’ll ask and how you should respond.
5. Be consistent in your WBI answers. Inconsistency is usually what causes people to fail their WBI. Be yourself and answer similar questions in the same way.
6. Call the interviewer by their name during the interview and even ask about their experience working for Disney. This will show genuine interest in your future with the company and will set you apart. Plus, remembering the interviewer’s name can really help build rapport and show the interviewer that you have no issue interacting with others and making meaningful connections.

Well, there you have it! If you’ll be applying to the Disney College Program soon, we wish you the best of luck. We’ll continue to keep you all updated with any and all Disney news, tips, tricks, and advice, so make sure to follow along for more.

Considering the DCP and hoping to see the apartment situation? Click here!

Will you be applying to the DCP soon? Let us know in the comments!

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