Courtesy of Eva Keller
- Eva Keller is a travel blogger and former Disneyland and Disney World employee.
- Keller participated in the Disney College program four times, working at the parks as a student.
- "If you're there to make friends, that's easy," Keller said. "If you're there for work, there's so much opportunity."
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Eva Keller, a travel blogger and former Disneyland and Disney World employee. The following has been edited for length and clarity.
When I was 12 years old, I learned about the Disney College Program. It was around the time people started asking me what I want to be when I grew up, and all I knew was that I wanted to be able to go to Disney World whenever I wanted.
My family went on Disney vacations every summer and for some holidays, so I didn't want to grow up and not have that luxury. The program was perfect.
When I got older, I learned that I could study travel and tourism at college
I went that route for my bachelor's and master's degrees while in the Disney College Program. I participated four times, during my undergraduate program at Saint Leo University in Florida and during my graduate programs at the University of Central Florida.
Courtesy of Eva Keller
I started at Disney World in Orlando, Flordia, in the fall of 2014, and again, in the summer of 2015, I was part of an alumni college program. I graduated in December, so I applied for the Disneyland program in Anaheim, California, and got to check out the other coast.
I was there until the following August, I went back to Florida to do the Disney College Program again while I started graduate school. It offered great perks, such as free admission to any park, except Tokyo Disney, almost any time I wanted.
I had to apply for the Disney College Program each time, so I learned the process well
The college program application just requests super basic information from you — it's not one of those long, 100-question type things. It's just a simple form where you upload your résumé, and you can upload a cover letter if you'd like.
Soon after, you find out if you're going to move forward with the online interview. It's a timed, automated questionnaire.
Courtesy of Eva Keller
When I went through the process, they would schedule a phone interview with you if you passed that portion. In the call, you spoke with a recruiter who places people in the Disney College Program and Disney's professional internships.
You want to apply as early as possible
They tell people way in advance when applications will open, so I recommend signing up for the Disney College Program's email list and being ready to apply on day one.
The sooner you apply, the sooner they can consider you. If you wait until the very end, a lot of spots will already be taken.
Next, you'll get to the online-interview portion
You're presented with statements like "I'm always late" or "I would rather work in a fast-paced environment." You then respond on a scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree — if you only choose middle-of-the-road responses, it makes you look as if you can't make a decision or that you don't have strong values.
Courtesy of Eva Keller
You also shouldn't lie. They're going to ask you the same questions in different ways, so it will be obvious. For example, you might get a question that asks if you're always late. Then later, it might ask if you're always on time.
For the phone interview, they always say to smile the entire way through because it makes your voice come across differently. You should also be prepared with a story for when they ask you why you want to be part of the Disney College Program — it doesn't need to be a big production of a story, but you need to have an answer.
They'll also ask why you indicated in your application that you'd prefer certain roles
I'm not sure if it's to catch you off guard, but they'll say things like: "What are your thoughts on a custodial role?" or "Why did you not put that you had an interest in it?" I know I wasn't always prepared to talk about things that I'd never had an interest in, so those kinds of questions can trip you up.
If you really want to prepare, every year, people make Facebook groups where they'll share what questions were asked so people can get an idea of what will be asked.
Courtesy of Eva Keller
While I always opted for roles in attractions, some of the seemingly less-desirable roles actually have a lot of benefits. Those in custodial roles get to roam around a lot and aren't micromanaged. Plus, you get to interact with the guests a lot.
Ultimately, the program is what you make of it
I have lots of friends who participated, and they were miserable and left early, then there are people like me who kept going back.
If you're there and want to make friends, that's very easy to do. If you're there for work, there's so much opportunity. Everyone's experience is vastly different.