• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

College Magazine

College Life, Dating, Career & Campus Advice

  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • Colleges
    • College Guides
    • College Rankings
    • Campus Life
      • Academics
      • Dating
      • Freshman Year
      • Health
      • Social Change
      • Party
  • Majors
    • All Majors
    • Most Popular Majors
    • Choosing a Major
  • Intern
    • Internship Directory
    • How to Get an Internship
    • How to Write a Resume
    • How to Write a Cover Letter
    • How to Interview
    • How to Network
    • Career 101
    • Find Your Passion Career
  • Money
    • How to Make Money
    • How to Save Money
    • How to Get a Job
    • Credit Cards 101
    • FAFSA
    • Ramen Project
  • Travel
    • Study Abroad
    • College Spring Break
    • How to Travel Cheap
    • Things to Do
  • Shop
    • Writer Course
    • College Magazine Shop
    • Gift Guides
    • College Packing List
  • Find your college or university
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

You are here: Home / Career / Jobs & Internships / How to Nail the Disney College Program Application Process

How to Nail the Disney College Program Application Process

November 7, 2019 //  by Selena Ponton

Shares94FacebookTweet

If you’ve never wanted to give up your inner child, you might consider becoming a part of the magic at Walt Disney World through their Disney College Program. Through the DCP, you’ll get a behind-the-scenes internship, work and academic experience at various Disney parks and resorts in Orlando or California. With this rare opportunity, nailing its competitive application and interview process is crucial.

Here’s some advice from two recently-accepted DCP participants.

Apply as Early as Possible

DCP participants somewhat debate this topic. Some say that even if it means applying the day that applications drop – do it. But, the best advice? Apply at the time that works best for you, but try not to wait too long. Participants that wait too long to apply might have trouble getting accepted, especially if other qualified applicants apply before them. To avoid that, apply within a couple of weeks from the applications’ release date, or at least a few weeks before the applications close.

Pro tip: read over all of your information to ensure accuracy and honesty when applying to avoid conflicts with your application. Also, it helps to apply earlier in your college career rather than later if you know that you want to get the full DCP experience. “Try to apply as early in your college career as possible,” said Florida Atlantic University senior Rebecca Coddington. “That way, there’s more opportunities to apply again if you don’t make it.” If you’re not accepted your first go around, don’t get discouraged. The DCP offers many opportunities to apply, so don’t get caught up comparing your experience to others.

DCP
Photo courtesy of Rebecca Coddington

Do Your Research

Luckily, since the DCP has been a universally-loved program for a while, you have access to plenty of resources to help you through your application and interview process. “YouTube was my literal life saver,” said Florida State University sophomore Victoria Cardoso. “There are so many videos talking about the application itself, the web-based interview, and the phone interview.” Some DCP alumni have their phone interviews entirely recorded on YouTube in order to give future participants an idea of what to expect. Also, plenty of DCP vloggers on YouTube film their whole experience – from move-in day to move out. YouTube videos can also give you a great idea of what role might work best for you if you find yourself struggling to choose.

Choosing Your Role

If the YouTube videos don’t narrow down the search for you, trust your gut. “In the application, you’ll be asked to rate your roles from high interest, low interest, to no interest,” said Cardoso. “Even if you choose a role with low interest, you may get the role. Be true to yourself and pick the roles you will enjoy – don’t settle.” Recruiters want to see you have good people skills in any capacity. If you have retail experience, don’t limit yourself to the merchandise role. The experience you have working with customers can still help you in any role, because almost all of the roles involve heavy interactions with guests. Anything from working as a camp counselor to waitressing gives you all of the experience you could possibly need to handle any DCP role.

Advice for the Web-Based Interview

The best advice to remember for the WBI? Answer either “completely agree” or “completely disagree” when applicable. DCP recruiters want to hear firm and decisive answers from their applicants. Show them that you can function well on a team by showing you have solid decision-making skills.

DCP
Photo courtesy of Victoria Cardoso

Tips for the Phone Interview

For most people, the phone interview can come off as the most nerve-racking because applicants speak with a DCP recruiter directly for the first time. However, don’t fret. You can prepare in many ways. “Honestly, I just went online and watched YouTube videos of people during their actual interviews to get ideas of questions they asked and how the call would go,” said Coddington. “I looked up questions they could potentially ask and jotted down a couple of bullet points of what I could talk about.” For this interview, bullet points are the best way to go. In other words, don’t write a script. DCP recruiters can tell when applicants don’t seem authentic. “It’s really just a conversation about your favorite place on Earth with someone who’s just as interested in it as you,” said Coddington. “My interviewer was very conversational and it made it easier for me to communicate why I wanted to do the DCP.”

Another great piece of advice for the phone interview: remember to smile. “If you’re smiling while you talk, they can hear it through the phone,” said Coddington. “They want that energy at the parks in order to create better interactions for their guests.” Just like any other interview you go to, remembering your interviewer’s name and addressing them as such is very important. Recruiters love the personalization aspect that makes people feel special – just like at the parks.

If you get a little nervous, don’t worry too much. The recruiters understand. DCP recruiters call thousands of applicants and won’t expect you not to have some nerves about process. “The DCP is a big deal, so they know you’ll be nervous,” said Coddington. “I answered the phone with a shaky voice during my phone interview. But don’t let that overshadow your abilities. Within a minute, I relaxed and got into the groove of the conversation.” When in doubt, don’t aim for perfection, authenticity is key.

During the interview, the recruiter might ask some scenario-based questions referring back to the roles you chose. In these scenarios, remember to put safety of the guests first, while also remembering to give them a magical Disney experience. Remember, when referring to Disney guests, call them guests. You’ll learn later on in your DCP to say “guests” instead of “customers”, but if you have that knowledge under your belt now, it can set you apart from others.

At the end of the phone interview you’ll have the opportunity to ask questions, so do it. Ask your interviewer an engaging question—even if it’s just one—to show your interest. “I genuinely think that the question I asked helped me relate to my interviewer more,” said Coddington. “We laughed together, and I really enjoyed his time.” At the end of your call, thank them and tell them to have a magical day, or something Disney-related like that. Recruiters love it.

Once you have these tips and tricks under your belt, your chances of succeeding in your application process will increase, and you’ll get your foot in the door of a large, well-respected company. From gaining experience in your DCP role, you will form connections for professional internships while getting unique work experience and memories to last a lifetime.

Shares94FacebookTweet

Filed Under: Internships Jobs & Internships

About Selena Ponton

Selena is a senior studying Media Communication Studies at Florida State University. She loves talking about film, quoting funny YouTube videos, and eating her bodyweight in Italian food.

You May Also Like

Barcelona Birds Eye View

Paid Internships Abroad: Five Tips To Stand Out From Real Students

courtroom

CM’s Guide to Working at a Non-Profit Law Firm

resume styles

College Magazine’s Guide to Resume Styles for Landing the Job

corporate

7 Insider Tips on How to Climb the Corporate Ladder

career development

How Your College Career Center Can Land You a Job During COVID-19

how to become a software engineer

College Magazine’s Guide to Becoming a Software Engineer

10 Tips and Tricks to Help You Find a Paid Summer Internship

Overview of three people at a desk working

Work in the Way? 10 Guilt-Free Reasons To Leave Your Job

10 Office Ethics Commandments That Apply to Daily Life

10 Ways to Get Closer to Finding the Internship of Your Dreams

how to quit a job

Don’t Be THAT Employee: How to Quit a Job the Right Way

How to Ask for a Raise Without Sounding Rude AF

Finance Managers

Become the Next Warren Buffett: CM’s Guide to Portfolio Management

business cards

How to Make Business Cards Too Pretty to Toss Out

peace corps

Top 10 Well-Kept Secrets to Succeeding in the Peace Corps

15 Things to Know Before Your Next Phone Interview

online portfolio

10 Steps to Building an Impressive Online Portfolio in 2020

starting a side hustle

Starting a Side Hustle in College: Five Steps You Need to Take

a computer with code on the screen

College Magazine’s Guide to the Information Science Major

Summer Internship

The Ultimate Guide to Summer Internships [Take Action with 4 Steps that Make it Easy]

internships

How To Make Your Internship Work For You

professionals working together

CM’s Guide to the Public Relations Major

woman working a remote job

Remote Job Offers: 10 Tips to Help You Make Up Your Mind

political campaign

CM’s Guide to Interning for a Political Campaign: Let’s Get Political

Previous Post: « The 10 Types of Straight Guys You’ll Find at NYU
Next Post: Sticking it to Senioritis: Mizzou Tigers Edition »

Primary Sidebar



Trending Posts

climate change protest
335

Top 10 Colleges Where You Can Make A Difference in the Climate Crisis

226

The 10 Best Organizations You Should Donate To in 2021

coffee w heart
11

A Barista’s Guide to Making Delicious Coffee Drinks at Home

6

5 Reasons Why You Should Become a Morning Person in 2021

2

Keeping Up with the Coronavirus: How is it Spread?

Featured Chapter: UCLA

Footer

logo

College Magazine is the national daily guide to campus life. Our articles for college students feature university rankings of U.S. colleges, college guides, academic advice, college prep, career advice, student health and collegiate dating tips.

Written by students for students, by a team of journalists from universities nationwide, we’re on the pulse of the college experience.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter

Colleges

  • College Guides
  • College Rankings
  • Campus life
  • Academics
  • Dating
  • Freshmen Year
  • Health
  • Party

Majors

  • All College Majors
  • Most Popular Majors
  • Choosing a Major

Intern

  • Internships Directory
  • How to Write a Resume
  • How to Write a Cover Letter
  • How to Interview
  • How to Get an Internship
  • How to Network

Money

  • How to Make Money
  • How to Save Money
  • How to Get a Job
  • Credit Cards 101
  • College Loans

Travel

  • Study Abroad
  • College Spring Break
  • How to Travel Cheap
  • Things to Do

Shop

  • College Packing List
  • Gift Guides
  • About Us
  • Team
  • Write
  • Apply
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sign Up
  • Advertise
  • My Account
  • Cart

Copyright © 2021 College Magazine · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc.