What Exactly will I be Doing

I have been asked a lot what exactly will I be doing while I am down at Disney. Some people think I am just taking a semester off of school and going to go play at Disney. Others think I am wasting my time because working for Disney has nothing to do for my major. Well I am here to set the record straight and explain exactly what the Disney College program is and what I will be doing while I am down there.

The offer I got was a Merchandise role! I did audition to be a character performer but I sadly did not get it. Merchandise was one of my top roles when I applied for the program. My top 3 roles where children's activities, character performer, and Merchandise. I have 2 years of experience working in retail, so I think that's one of the reasons why I got Merchandise. There are over 15 different roles you can apply for while doing the program. Disney has the ultimate say where they want to place you.

I am going to be working at the Disney's Animal Kingdom, or DAK, from February 9th-May 29th. Since I am Merchandise, I will either work in one of the shops at DAK or I will be working strollers because that somehow fits under merchandise! (I really hope I do not get that). I will not know until I go to check in, which is on February 9th! You get an opportunity to extend your program and if I choose to extend, I will be there until August 7th. When you extend, you can choose to stay in your current role or choose a different one. If I extend, I am planning on auditioning for character performer again, or I am going to try and see if I can get children's activities!

Although I am taking a semester off of school to go down to Disney, I am still taking classes through my college! I am still going to graduate May 2018 with the rest of my class. Doing the college program does not always put you behind with school. Depending on your major and college, you might even be able to get credit hours for doing the program. Disney also has a Disney University for students where they can take different classes, some of which transfer back to your college for credits. None of the classes Disney offers counts as credits for my major, Early Childhood Education, so I am just choosing to take two classes from my college. Make sure to talk with your advisor to see what the best route is. Also make sure you don't overload yourself with classes because you still are going to be working and wanting to hang out with friends!

Now even though you get free admission to the parks anytime you want, does not mean that you will have all the free time in the world to do so! The Disney College Program is a paid internship, so Disney is expecting you to work. You are guaranteed as a CP (College Programer) 30 hours a week. You could get more hours than that depending on where you work and the time of year it is. DO NOT do the Disney College Program just because you want to get into the parks for free. A lot of people go into the program with this mindset and don't realize how much work it is and they end up leaving the program early to go home. This is a hard program to get into and not many people get accepted. Don't take a spot from someone else if you aren't serious about doing the program. Disney gives you 1-2 days a week off work (unless the park is busy or it is during high season). Use those days to go to the park and have fun.

I hope this explains a little bit of what I'll be doing while I am down there! Yes I plan on going to the parks on my free days, but I will also be taking online classes and working a minimum of 30 hours per week! :) If you have any questions feel free to ask them here or click the questions tab at the top of the page and I will answer them! :) Have a magical day

ROOMATESS!!!

So I finally found my beautiful roommates that are going to be living and enjoying this whole Disney experience with me!! I am so excited and cannot wait to go down with them in February. We are all trying to stay in a housing complex called Pattersons. We want to get a 3bedroom/3bath apartment. There were originally 12 of us girls, but we all can't fit in one apartment so we split up in groups of 6. We all still plan to hangout and have dinner together while we are down there.

Here are some pictures of the apartment we are hoping to get:

It is such a beautiful apartment and is the newest out of the four we can choose from.

So in Pattersons, each room has two beds. My individual roommates name is Megaen. She is so nice and so sweet and I cannot wait to share a room with her!

My other five roommates who I will be sharing the apartment with, but not my bedroom, are Bree A, Julie, Laura, and Bree R. That is all for now, until next time!

My Acceptance!

I got accepted into the Disney College Program on October 11th for the Spring Program! I got offered a merchandising role at Walt Disney World. My program dates are February 9th-May 29th.

Assuming that I like everything about the program, I am going to extend my role throughout the summer and come home in early August!!

So I applied for the Disney College Program around August 29th. There are 3 steps you need to pass to officially be eligible for the program. The first step is filling out your basic information. This step is just for Disney to get an understanding about who you are. If you pass this step Disney will then have you do a web based interview. This step, is like an online job application. If you pass that, you then move onto the final step, THE PHONE INTERVIEW. This is the most IMPORTANT step. This is where a Disney rep will call you, and you'll have an interview on the phone with them. It is very important that you prepare yourself for this step. How your phone interview goes, will determine if you get accepted into the program. Not everyone is guaranteed a web based or phone interview. You can get declined an offer at any stage of the whole process. Around 40,000-60,000 applicants apply every year. Disney accepts 4,000-10,000 applicants, depending on what season it is. I was one of the lucky ones, and got an offer for a role on October 10th!

 

If you want to know more information about the program you can click here and read another one of my posts.

When I found out I was accepted, it was two days after I received news from my doctor that I had tumors inside me, and I would need surgery to get them removed. This acceptance was a blessing in disguise! I believe it was a message from God telling me not to worry, everything was going to work itself out and it will be alright!

I was sitting in my parents room kind of sad, looking through my email when I discovered one from Disney! I read the first few words and they said "Dear Sierra, Congratulations...". I was so happy and didn't know what to do or how to feel. My mood definitely changed that day and I couldn't wait to work for such a wonderful company like Disney!

Disney has always been my second home. I have gone there about 10 times and I always leave with a big smile on my face. Disney has a way of captivating some of lives precious moments for you, family, and friends. No matter how old or young Disney has something for you.

Welcome!

Hi! My name is Sierra and I am making this blog so my family and friends can follow me on my Journey as I earn my ears as a Disney Employee. On October 11th I got accepted to be apart of the Disney College Program. On February 9th, I will be embarking on an adventure of a lifetime! So sit back and relax as a share with you my wonderful adventures as a Disney Employee.