Hellooo I found this website yesterday and I've been reading it constantly since! I've been to Disneyworld 3 times and have always wanted to work there. The problem is that I'm in my last year of uni and have been accepted onto a postgraduate course (which I'll have to get a loan for ). I'm obviously too late to leave this summer (good luck to all of you who just had your interviews!), but if I start my course I'll be left with debt to pay off and I wouldn't be able to go until next summer. Sooo I was just wondering if anyone knows what other people have done after the program? It's unlikely that I'll want to go back to studying after working for Disney! Thanks! - Vanessa (from the UK)
Hiya. Welcome to the madness. ;D It's funny, I used to have a bumper sticker that said "Is there life after Disney World?". Lol. ;D Well I graduated from uni then went on the WDWIP for 13 months, came home and went straight into a Post Grad course, grauated last summer, been temping on and off, I've been accepted for Disney Cruise Line, I'm still waiting for a departure date for DCL, I've applied for the new WDW Alumni Program for this summer and another new year long WDW program. It depends on you. The only thing I've ever known for sure, is that I want to work for Disney. I thought the WDWIP would maybe have been enough but instead it just confirmed that that is all I want to do. :-\ So all my energy is focused on getting back out there. :-\ Everyone is different. But I would def. recommend the experience highly. Ona x
Hi, thanks for the reply The bumper sticker sounds cool! I've decided that I'm definitely going to apply, so I just have to decide whether to defer my course for a couple of years or apply afterwards. Knowing that you did a course after the program really helps =) Was it relevant to working at Disney or in a different field altogether? I'm doing law so it's completely unrelated! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you getting a departure date soon! - Vanessa
Hey Vanessa! I can definately realte to the way you feel. I've wanted to do the WDWIP since I was 16. I graduated from high school when I was 17 and went straight into University. i never wanted to take a year off cause I was scared I would never go back to finish my degree, but now I'll be graduating in May so I figured it was the perfect time to apply. Ofcourse I didn't want to put all my eggs in one basket and just apply to Disney ... there's always the "what ifs", so I applied for Grad Studies too. I love my degree and I really want to go back for Masters eventually, nothing anywhere near related to Disney or Entertainment ... Medical Research ... that's lab experiments and everything. I had my interview for WDWIP on Mar 3rd and I'm supposed to hear back yes or no by Monday next week (Mar 27th) and at the same time I am getting a little further everyday in my Grad Studies application (my Department just approved my application and sent it to Admissions). So that leaves me with one question ... what if I get a yes from both? I decided Disney has to come first. If I don't do it now I may never have the opportunity again. I can always reapply for Grad Studies next year ... if they admit me once why wouldn't they the next time ... or I've heard some people can deffer their admissions and start a year later ... if they have good reason. I think leaving the country constitutes good reason. Hello ... this is working for the Mouse not the Golden Arches! Big Difference! My advise to you: If you go in to Grad Studies right away, what are you likely to do after you're done your Degree? I figure I'd start finding working in my field and Disney gets skipped over for a "career" and family and the whole bit ... On the other hand ... what if you go the Disney route first? What do you think you would do after? I think if you really love what you're studying ... that's it's really what you want to do with your life you'll do everything you can to go back to it ... and if you decide not to it's probably not your true passion and Disney just opened a new world of possibilities to you. I say, take a hint from Walt himself and follow your dreams and where every you are it will be the "Happiest Place on Earth". *HUGS*
i didn't go to uni straight away as i wasn't ready but many years ago i did apply for wdw and got turned down(boo) but i spent the last BLA amount of years geting great experiance in different things and getting my significant other through uni! now he is going off to work in New York and i was left with a decision...i wanted to work dor the mouse since before i can remember so i thought i would give it another go i also enrolled in an Languages course at college and have been accepted for a Masters in interpreting and translating at Heriot Watt (hoooray) BUT i got THE call and after college am taking year out..THE MOUSE GETS TOP PRIORITY!!! but college means i don't get to go out for donkeys....5 months 6 days..... wince :'( but at least i can practice my spanish on the south americans and gets some tips on german and french (so i can decid what to take at HW as my second language)
Oooh I'm so glad I'm not on my own with this! Thank you all for your help. I think I'd definitely feel like I was putting my eggs into one basket if I didn't start my course and just temp until the next round of interviews. Sooo I think I'll apply over summer but start my course, keep my fingers crossed for getting on the program and then if I'm accepted my career can definitely wait! Congrats for being accepted Ana, hopefully the 5 months and 6 days will go quickly! Thanks again
