I first heard about the Disney College Program in high school during the summer of 2010 at band camp. The halls of the residence building at Grove City College where the band girls stayed were lined with leftover posters from the spring semester. The purple DCP posters caught my eye. I was always known as the “Disney Girl” among friends, frequently spouting off obscure facts about the movies and parks, and I knew this opportunity would be one that I wanted to pursue when I finally got to college.
Around the same time the next year, I moved into Kreischer Hall and hung the poster I had taken during band camp up on the wall above my bed. I wrongly assumed that my base knowledge on Disney trivia would be enough to score me a “role.” Make no mistake, the DCP is much more competitive than that. The program, which began in 1981, accepts up to 12,000 students annually from over 50,000 applicants. These students are from all majors, all over the United States. More students come from the Disney International Program and the Culinary Program.
After applying three times and being waitlisted, or “pended,” twice, I went on to participate in the DCP during the spring semester of 2013 for Quick Service Food and Beverage, and was recently accepted for a second program in Photopass during the fall of 2016.
On paper, the Disney College Program is an opportunity to work from four to seven months during the fall or spring semesters at either the Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resorts. The DCP is made up of three components: living, learning and earning.
The “living” component includes not only staying in company-owned housing with participants from around the world, but also events including a formal dance, movie nights, talent shows and a “graduation” ceremony for each semester.
The DCP offers classes that are recommended for three credit hours each by the American Council of Education. The University will count the DCP and the classes offered for up to one credit hour of an elective, depending on your major, when you register it as Co-op 50. In addition, seminars and networking opportunities are offered. This “learning” component explores topics such as hospitality management, communication, human resource management, environmental sustainability, marketing, leadership, engineering and entertainment.
When most people first hear about the DCP, they picture the “earning” component. DCP participants work across 20 different roles in operations, entertainment, lodging, food and beverage, retail and recreation.
It’s easy to spew these facts when someone asks me about the DCP, and I do frequently, but the part that I love to talk about the most is the emotional impact that it has had on me. The DCP is really a once (or twice in my case and the case of many others) in a lifetime opportunity.
The hours may be long and the job may be stressful, but you truly learn more about yourself and the world during your time with the program. Learning to overcome obstacles, fostering new relationships, developing confidence in myself and my work ethic and making “magic” for millions of park guests are just a few of the lessons that I came home with.
I could not imagine a better work environment. The DCP challenged me to improve myself inside and out and offered me at least a world-class resume enhancer, and at its best a life-changing experience that I take joy in recommending to everyone I meet.
Respond to Taylor at
