Tan Lines, Fireworks, and Trading Pins

    At this point you are probably wondering what makes me qualified to write about the Disney College Program... To say it simply, I lived it for six months! I participated in the Spring Advantage program in 2014, and I worked at Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show and a temporary attraction called Wandering Oaken's Frozen Funland at Disney's Hollywood Studios. My program was a little bit different than other college program experiences, and here are a few reasons why:

1. I worked outside for six months in the Florida heat, getting some pretty rad tan lines. Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt show is a completely outdoor attraction, and working for Disney you have to wear "Disney look" socks, which cover your ankle bone. This leads to some awesome tan lines, including the lines from the longer costume shorts as you can see by the picture below.

2. Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show is closed by 5:30 each day, so I actually got evenings to hang out with friends. Most College Program kids get the late shifts wherever they work, since part time or fulltimers do not want to stay till two in the morning closing an attraction. That being said, I got to hang out a ton with my fellow cast members, and have a blast during my program playing in the parks and hanging out with the coolest people ever.

3. I also got to work some pretty awesome fireworks shifts. If you have never had the opportunity to stand around in a hard hat, safety vest, and safety goggles while holding a light wand and telling people they cannot go that way because of fireworks fallout, you should totally try it. People get pretty angry, especially when the fireworks are not supposed to start for another twenty minutes. The anxiety from these conflicts all melts away when the fireworks start, however. Being so close to the fireworks that you could feel every explosion reverberating in your chest is an amazing experience that will stick with you forever.

4. I worked in Hollywood Studios during the 25th Anniversary of the park being open. Along with being able to work in Hollywood Studios during a really fun time including fireworks, a motorcade of characters, and a ton of freebies. We received keychains, awesome tumblers, and a really cool cast member exclusive trading pin. It was a time that made me extremely proud to work for such an awesome company, especially for the anniversary of 25 years of magic.

5. Lights, Motors Action! Extreme Stunt Show is the most intense show on Disney property, and  dealing with 5,000 people twice a day gets pretty crazy. Working at a show is a pretty easy job- you mostly just stand outside and greet all day, and only do about two hours of actual work during your entire shift. Those two hours can get pretty intense, though, when you are trying to seat 5,000 people in less than thirty minutes. This involves a lot of yelling and trying to get people to slide down, frustrated people at having to climb stairs, and lots of apologies as you try to find any kind of space for people to sit to watch the show. All of this frustration goes away as people watch the show, though, because it truly is a really awesome show. The only comment I really heard afterward was always, "That was such an awesome show!"

Overall, I had a super fun program that was unique, but every person's program is going to be unique because of your work location, your role, your managers, your fellow cast members, and whatever happens to be going on in Walt Disney World at the moment. Each person makes their program their own depending on the super cool stuff they do, so apply and start your own adventure!

Disney College Program- Is It Worth It?

      As you look at all the material about the Disney College Program particulars, all the cool stuff that you could do while on the College Program, religiously follow the Facebook group to see all the cool people you could meet, and watch a ton of youtube videos to see what housing will be like, you will ask yourself, is this experience worth it? The answer, totally and completely based on my experience in the program, is yes- with a few exceptions.


1. You should totally do the program if you eat, sleep, and breathe Disney and wouldn't mind a little magic to be ruined. If you absolutely cannot bear the fact that Mickey is sometimes a very old, very tiny Asian lady, then you may not want to apply. No matter which role you are accepted into the program for, you will see characters backstage or other onstage secrets that normal guests do not see.

2. You should apply if you are looking for a great resume builder and to get great job experience. I could talk for ages about how Disney has an absolutely wonderful business model, training methods, and policies so that all guest experiences are as magical as possible. I now bring that experience to other jobs I hold, and feel like it had a great influence on me professionally.

3. You should only come on the College Program if you are prepared to work a full time job. Whilst on the college program you are guaranteed a Minimum of 30 hours, but many locations will schedule you many more hours than that. I think my maximum amount of hours in one week was 86, which was a very hard week indeed. Also, be prepared to work many many days in a row. I think I once worked seventeen days in a row without a day off. Be prepared to feel like this quite a few days:

And a little bit of this....

4. Be prepared to meet the most amazing people of your life. No, I'm serious. I met the most awesome people ever on my College Program, a ton of whom were not college program people like myself, but were regular part time or full time cast members at Walt Disney World. The people make or break your program, and for me the people were the best part of the entire experience.

5. You should absolutely participate in the College Program if you want to audition to be a character performer, but don't expect to have a shoe in for another (much cooler) job at Disney. While on the college program you can still audition to be a princess or any other character performer! If that is your dream and you just want a way to be down here to audition, then the college program is a good way to be living in the area, have a stable job, and be able to audition if you ask for the time off work from your work location.

Now, if you are looking for a marketing or animating job from Disney, then the college program may not be your best option. There are professional internships that are more focused in those sort of areas, which are very competitive to get into. The advice I have heard is that it is looked more favorably on your application for a professional internship if you have done a college program, but it is not a requirement. Generally you work in the parks on the college program and do not have much contact with corporate level employees like imagineers or animators, so this may not be the best option for your career.

In all, if you do decide to participate in the college program, your life is going to be a little bit of this:

A smidge bit of this:

And you are most definitely going to feel like this:

If you feel like the Disney College Program is perfect for you, then apply! Live your dreams! There is no downside to applying, and I hope that you get to have such a great experience as I did!

All Gif content belongs to the Walt Disney Company and all Gifs come courtesy of thatdisneyblog.tumblr.com. Sorry if there was a bit of magic ruined in this post for any readers.

The Twelve Stages of Applying to the Disney College Program

      The Disney College Program is a wonderful experience for anyone in college, no matter where you are from, what major you are, or what background you have. I learned a ton of life lessons from my program, but before I get into those, here is a summary of the stages of applying to the program. Before you can understand what it was like actually learning from the Walt Disney World Company, you need to understand the emotions leading up to this experience.

1. When you first learn that the Disney College Program exists.

2. After reading about the College Program for hours, you feel like there is no way you could be accepted to the program.

3. Your parent's reaction when you tell them you are applying for the College Program.

4. Your friends' reaction when you tell them about the College Program.

5. Your response to all the haters.

6. That feeling when you actually submit your application. 

7. Your parents when they finally realize that you are serious about working for Disney for a semester.

8. Then the agonizing wait to hear if you were accepted or not.

9. Wondering if you could have done more for your application. 

10. Then a little bit more agonizing waiting.

11. The day when that email finally arrives and you just stare at it for awhile.

.... and your friends are waiting for you to open it...

12. That joy when you find out you were accepted!

All gifs courtesy thatdisneygif.tumblr.com. All original content courtesy The Walt Disney World Company.