I was a part of the DCP (Disney College Program) from August 2015-January 2016. The Disney College Program is 6-8 month internship with the company. The program gives students who are currently enrolled in an accredited institution, or those who are recent college grads, the chance to work for the mouse in various rolls including: merchandise, custodial, front desk, food and beverage, life guard, recreation, and character performer just to name a few.

The College Program is great for giving those interested in employment at Disney World/Land the opportunity to work and see how the most magical place on Earth operates daily. There are also classes available for you to sign up and take to receive credit hours at your home university, since you will be essentially taking a semester or more off to work for Disney.

What You Can Expect When Applying

I applied in February 2015 after seeing a link to the college program application on my University's homepage. I thought "why not?" I would be graduating in May and the program I was applying for would start in August, perfect timing. So after I applied, I honestly didn't think much of it. I finished some homework and went to sleep. The next morning I awoke to an email requesting I take an online interview. I did the online interview, and as soon as I was done, I was told to schedule a phone interview with a recruiter. I scheduled my phone interview for a week later, so I would have time to research the program better and educate myself more about the company. There are many online resources that can help with preparation for your phone interview including blogs and YouTube videos, all of which helped me. When the time came for my phone interview I went alone in my room, where it was quite. I sat in front of a mirror, because I was told if you watch yourself smile it will translate over to the recruiter interviewing you. My interview only lasted 20 minutes. I heard some can go on for an hour though. I was asked questions about how I would handle certain living situations, working with people from all over the world, and what position I felt most fit for. I told the recruiter I felt most fit for being a character performer. She told me I needed to attend a separate audition, which there would be a chance I could make it through my audition and not get into the program, or I could not make it all the way through my audition and still get hired with the company doing a different role.

The Actual Audition

My audition was a week after my phone interview. At the time of my audition, I still didn't know if I had even gotten into the program yet. I waited in line at my audition location and got a number, then I went to go wait in a room. There was about 300 people at my audition. We were broken up into groups of three and taught a cadence style dance, after that cuts were made. After the first round we were measured and taught an animation routine and a harder jazz style dance. We performed the animation and dance routine in small groups of five. The groups were based on height. After that, we were free to leave and told to expect an email about a month later if we had gotten hired for a character performer. My audition lasted about six hours.

How I got In

It was only two weeks later, and I was sitting at work. I saw I had a new email from Disney. My heart fluttered; I had "whatever happens, happens" in the back of my mind, but by this point I had gotten really invested with getting into the program as a character performer, that I would have been mildly crushed if I didn't. I opened the email and I got hired as a character performer! I was so excited that this was all coming true.

Moving to Work for the Mouse

I quit my job, I ended my summer internship, and I packed up my belongings to move to Orlando, Florida. I was nervous because I didn't know anyone. There are different Facebook groups for the Disney College Program that gave me the opportunity to meet people online. I met two girls online who I planned on rooming with, but other than them, there was no one I really knew. I was anxious to go, but knew I was ready for it.

Disney Living Conditions

Disney does provide housing, (you can choose to opt out and live on your own elsewhere), but they do charge you rent weekly and you can put in preferences for which apartment complex to live in (there are four to choose from). You can also put in preferences for who and how many people you want to live with. How much you pay in rent depends on which complex you live in, how many people you live with, and how many bedrooms there are.

I was put with the two roommates I put preferences for, however, I had preference with only living with four total people, but instead got six total people in my apartment. I also got the oldest, and most run down apartment complex, but it also had the cheapest rent.

Working in Entertainment

I had every intention of "being friends" with a princess. However, I was only being fur friends with Winnie the Pooh and Chip and Dale for my program. There are certain requirements for being friends with princesses, as well as requirements for being friends with fur characters. Those requirements are based on height, weight, and look for princesses, or height for fur friends.

Pros and cons of being in Entertainment

-The work is not really hard per se. However, it is very hard physically. You are outside in the Florida heat, daily. You do get frequent breaks but it is still draining.

-Even if you do get hired as face (princess), you are still required to hang with fur characters as well. *Side note* Pictures taken at your audition almost always mean consideration for face characters.

-If you had every intention of doing face, but don't get hired to do so, you will feel jealous and insecure of all the people who do get the privilege to do face.

-The costume rooms are huge, but you get the hang of it after a while.

-The kids love all the characters. It is so heartwarming.

-Some kids do not love all the characters. It gets annoying.

-Face characters do not have to be "pretty". They just have to have a certain look. (That was kind of harsh; sorry).

-You get to know all your fellow character performers pretty well and everyone is so sweet, nice, and helpful.

My Final Thoughts on The College Program and working in Entertainment

I will try not to elaborate much on my time there. Basically It started out good, I had fun, I met new people but by October I was ready to leave. Work got long and exhausting, I got over doing the same thing day after day. I felt like a prisoner living in Disney Provided apartments due to high rent, low pay, and certain visitor hours. My living conditions were not ideal.

Everyone spends hours upon hours a day in the parks, I didn't. I had a life outside the Disney bubble. I am appreciative for that. I got to explore different beaches, go to downtown Orlando, and even go to Miami. I do regret not spending as much time as I could have at the parks and experiencing it all to a full.

People make friends for life through Disney, I didn't. I keep in touch with my one roommates, that's it. All the friends I had at Disney disappeared once we all moved back to our reality.

I don't want to sound too harsh, but everyone always makes working for Disney seem beyond amazing, and for me it was enjoyable for a short time, and a short time only.

I did learn a lot about myself. I learned my strengths and weaknesses. I'm proud of myself for venturing out of my comfort zone, for living on my own and for trying new things.

Yes, there are things I would do over if I could, but I try not to dwell on the past and how many people can say they worked for Disney World?

If anyone is interested in learning more or applying for the Disney College Program, you can check out their site.To find Disney auditions in a city near you visit: http://disneyauditions.com