I first heard about the Disney College Program, also known as the DCP, when I was a senior in high school. All throughout my childhood I loved everything about Disney. I grew up as Disney evolved as a company from animations done by drawing to now seeing live-action remakes made by computer graphics. The Walt Disney Company amazes me. So, when I found out that I could turn my favorite thing into a job I took advantage of the opportunity as fast as I could.
The DCP is either a hit or miss for people when it comes to if they know what it is or not. Thousands of the Walt Disney Company’s employees come from interns through the DCP.
In order to apply for the DCP you need to have completed at least one full semester of college. If you would like to do the DCP after you graduate (which a lot of people do) you can participate in the DCP up to one year after you graduate.
I will explain to you guys how I came about choosing which program to do!
I was a freshmen in college and had just finished my first semester. I heard horror stories about the DCP acceptance rates. To me it seemed like no one got accepted on their first time applying. This terrified me because I knew this was the one thing I wanted to do during my college years.
Lucky for me, I got accepted on the very first time I applied! I chose to do the Fall program which had three different move-in date options. My program lasted from the beginning of August to the beginning of January.
During the months I interned at Walt Disney World I worked at the Yacht & Beach Club Resort. When I found out where I was working I assumed I got the bad end of the deal. Turns out, I was completely wrong.
After a few works of getting used to things, I began to love my resort I worked in. Everything I talked about revolved around my job and work place. I was OBSESSED with what I did.
The Disney College Program opened up my mind to many new and rare possibilities. I go to Rutgers University in New Brunswick which is only a 30 minute drive from my house. To do the DCP I had to pick up all my things and drive 1,500 miles down the east coast and move to Orlando, Florida – by myself!
I was forced to be an adult and live on my own at only 19 years old. For some people, this could be easy. But for me, I have never done anything like that before. It was a new experience. Although it was terrifying for the first couple of weeks I shortly began to love it. Like I said before, I was (and am still) obsessed with my job during the DCP.
If you ask different Cast Members, they will all give you a different answer for what the DCP is. Some will say the generic “oh, it’s an internship where you get to live and work in a Walt Disney Theme Park or Resort” but those like me will say that it is not only an internship where you get to live and work in a Walt Disney Theme Park or Resort it is a whole other world you get to encounter. To me, it is the most amazing thing I have done in my whole life thus far.
All in all, do the DCP!!! You won’t regret it (or you might, but it will still be an experience)!!
Disney College Program Hacks 