I was 14 when I first heard about the Disney College Program.
I had come across some post on my newly created Pinterest account and fell instantly in love with the idea of working at Disney while in college. Fast forward 6 years and here I am- a DCP 2022 alumni who finally made her dreams come true. And I'm here to tell you that YOUR dreams can come true as well! In this post I'm going to go over everything you need to know about applying to the DCP. So fasten your seatbelts, keep you hands, feet, and all objects in the vehicle, and get ready for a magical ride.
Step 1- Check Eligibility
To see if you're eligible to apply to the DCP, check out these requirements on the Disney Programs Support website. Requirements include being over age 18, having completed at least 1 semester of college (or having graduated college no more than 2 years ago), and a few other things!
Step 2- Prepare + Research
After making sure you're good to go, you can turn your attention to preparing to apply! The application for this year (for Starting Spring 2023) came out on September 13. These applications covered arrival dates between October and April. Since the reintroduction of the DCP in the summer of 2021, arrival dates have been scheduled for once a week, year round. You are required to do the DCP for 20+ weeks (unless Disney schedules you otherwise). Start thinking about when you want to arrive/leave and how this will impact your schooling.
Step 3- Apply
I applied the day that applications came out. The application is fairly quick (less than 1 hour) and straight forward. I actually filled it out while in my theater class ha ha!
The application covers basic things like name, age, address, the dates you want to arrive/depart on (there must be 20 weeks between the arrival date and departure date you put), as well as asks about your education history and your work experience.
The work experience section is what they really look at when hiring students! You can include up to five different examples of work experience. This can be volunteer experience, extracurricular activities, and past jobs you've worked. Not all of these have to be paid experiences! You can also attach a Resume, though this isn't often looked at. Be very careful about what you put in the application and how that contributes to your overall image as a potential Disney employee.
Step 4- Complete Web Based Interview (WBI)
After submitting your application, you will receive an email within the next couple days (most people receive theirs in the next couple hours though) inviting you to complete the Web Based Interview (WBI for short). The WBI is a timed survey, much like a personality test, that asks you what you would do in certain situations, how you view certain characteristics about yourself, and your perceptions of yourself as an employee. The WBI is meant to be a little tricky, and the only way you'll pass successfully is if you're honest!
What to Expect on the WBI Test:
Very Straight forward questions
Questions where every answer seems "right" or every answer seems "wrong"
Questions that ask you to grade yourself on a scale of how much you "agree" or "disagree" with something (try to avoid the neutral point!)
Questions that are asked multiple times in slightly different ways
Questions that are asked multiple times but in the opposite way
For example, one question may ask, "True or False, I do drugs". Another may Ask, "True or False, I don't do drugs".
Many people want to give the answer that Disney "wants". Don't do this! Just be honest, read the questions carefully, and be decisive and you'll do great!
Once you finish your WBI, you will receive a note at the end that states you are a "strong candidate" or you are "no longer in consideration". If you've passed this stage of the process, CONGRATS! Now it's just a waiting game!
Step 5- Acceptance
It took me nearly 2 weeks to hear back from Disney, but it can be much longer (or shorter! Some people got it as soon as 3 days after they applied!) depending on your arrival date. Keep checking back on your dashboard, your email, and the recruiter's twitter accounts. They will announce when waves are going out.
After you've been accepted, you have one week to agree your offer, pay your fees ($350), and fill out a few employment documents. Make sure to check the dates, as sometimes the dates you applied for may not be what Disney gives you (mine was one week later arrival).
This doesn't take long at all and you'll probably just fill it out in a daze of excitement like I did!
I hope this post was informative and helpful as you're trying to navigate the DCP application. I was so stressed out when I applied to the DCP because I felt like my application wasn't as polished or well-thought-out as the other potential CPs, but I really had nothing to worry about and neither do you! You can do this! As always, reach out to me at my insta @goldenbrowniebeth if you have any questions whatsoever!
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