Story by Alexis Schindler, Staff writer
Photo courtesy of Bridgette McAuliffe
The Disney College Program gives Murray State students the opportunity for an internship at “the most magical place on earth.”
Mary Kathryn Curtis, senior from Mayfield, Kentucky, was recently accepted into the program at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida.
Curtis will be working as an attractions cast member from August to January. The program allows for different terms of study ranging from as long as a seven-month stay to as little as a five-month stay.
“My best friend did the Disney College Program for a whole year,” Curtis said. “She really loved it, and I loved hearing her stories from her time there.”
She said when she heard the applications opened up, she just decided to go for it.
“It never hurts to apply, and if you love Disney, why not?” Curtis said.
The Disney College Program was established in 1981. It is a paid internship that allows current college students and recent graduates from around the world to work and live at either of Disney’s two locations in the U.S., Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida or Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California.
“This truly unique five-to seven-month program allows participants to network with leaders, take part in personal and career development classes, and build transferable skills such as problem-solving, teamwork, guest service and effective communication,” according to the Disney Careers website.
This program allows students to apply for different job positions in the park of their choosing. The job the students are assigned to determines how many hours a week they work and how much they are paid.
Some of the money that students make goes toward house fees. The park the students decide to go to and the apartment complex they decide to live in throughout their participation in the program determines how high these housing fees will be.
Bridgette McAuliffe, recent Murray State graduate from Shepherdsville, Kentucky, completed an August to January semester at the Orlando location her junior year.
“I got scheduled the bare minimum hours and after rent I had about $200 a week left,” McAuliffe said. “I ended up being able to bring back enough money to Murray State to almost pay my tuition for the next semester.”
McAuliffe said she saw this program as a way to pursue her passion of working for Disney and an opportunity to get her foot in the door with the company.
“Growing up, Disney was always my passion, what I loved and what I wanted to do,” McAuliffe said. “The music and movies really helped me get through a lot of difficult times in my life, and I knew that someday, somehow I wanted to work for the company.”
The program does have some enrollment requirements.
Firstly, students have to be enrolled in an accredited institution or program and meet the requirements of that institution to participate. A college freshman cannot participate during their first semester of college but can in their second, and college graduates can participate as long as they apply within a 12-month range of the date of their graduation. Secondly, the student has to be of the U.S. legal age of 18 years old by the time their program starts.
The amount of time it takes to get accepted into the program may vary.
McAuliffe said she was accepted within four days of her submission, but has a friend that had to wait three months to be accepted into the program.
This program has other advantages, like the participants being able to get into the Disney parks for free any day they wish with the exception of holidays and new-attraction opening days, which typically cause the parks to sell out.
Disney College Program participants also get three free tickets upon arrival to give to the persons of their choosing; they receive another three free tickets once they work 150 hours, another three at 300 hours and another three at 600 hours. There is a max of nine free tickets per calendar year. Participants get a 50 percent off discount at Disney hotels as well.
Disney also offers public transport for its program participants, so the students do not have to waste the extra money it would cost to have a car. There are housing events the students can attend to further connect with other students and Disney corporate members.
McAuliffe said she doesn’t regret taking a semester off because the program was worth it and helped her realize what job she wanted to pursue.
“This is really what is going to shape you into an adult, help you focus on yourself for a bit and figure out what it is you want to do and what you need to do while also allowing you to have fun,” McAuliffe said. “It was probably the best experience of my life and one of the best decisions I made.”