I honestly went back and forth on whether or not I was going to write this post because of the current state of the world. I've ultimately discided that I have a lot of knowledge to share about Disney and the College Program. So I thought I would share, and hopefully, I won't go overboard with the Disney content. 

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i. What is The Disney College Program?

the Disney College Program is a paid internship with the Walt Disney Company. The internship focuses on the three pillars of Living, Earning, and Learning. 

Living: Living in either Orlando, FL, or Anaheim, CA in company-sponsored housing. 

Earning: Working for the company at either Walt Disney World or Disneyland. 

Learning: Learning about the company and the business practices that make The Walt Disney Company successful. 

A lot of people hear about the Disney College Program and see it as an opportunity to play in the parks for a semester, and while you do get the perk of being able to get into the parks for free, that isn't the main priority of the program and it requires a lot of hard work. 

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ii. Where does the "college" part coming in?

The internship is called the college program because you have to be a college student or recent grad (you are eligible for up to one year after graduation) to participate. Dual-credit high school courses do not count. For students who plan to complete the program during college, there are several ways to do so. Online courses are the route that I took and this kept me on track to graduate on time! This required a lot of organization and planning and didn't leave me with an abundance of free time, but it was possible. Several colleges and universities also offer internship credit for the program however, every school is different and you will want to see what the requirements are before relying on this option. Lastly, students can opt to take a semester away from school. I would personally be hesitant to consider this option because it could jeopardize scholarships as well as delay graduation. 

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iii. What kind of work do you do? 

The first question people ask me when I tell that I worked for Disney is "Were you a princess?" and the answer is no. While some lucky college program participants (CPs) get to work in entertainment (in Florida), many of them don't. Most CPs are placed in guest-facing roles that are in high demand. This means you will find a lot of CPs in quick-service food and beverage, merchandise, attractions, and lifeguarding just to name a few (you can find a full list of the roles on the Disney College Program website).

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The Disney College Program was an awesome experience, and I am so thankful that I got to participate in two programs. I hope this post was helpful to anyone looking for info about the Disney College Program. If there was a question that you have that wasn't addressed above please leave a thoughtful and kind comment blow! I'd love to answer anything that I can, and may even write another post to address more topics!