Is the Disney College Program Worth it?

The Disney College Program, where you make amazing memories, and work your butt off to have The Disney Company on your resume. Is it worth it?

My Disney College Program ( also known as DCP) experience is fairly similar to others. I played in the parks, flipped burgers for next to nothing, went to Winter Formal with my roommates, Peter Pan knew my name, and my best friend hung out with Minnie Mouse on a daily basis. However not everyone has a great experience, in fact some people self-terminate (quit) a few weeks into their program. That’s right working for Disney is not all sunshine and rainbows. It’s really what you make of it.

How do you get into doing an internship for Disney? You apply, by going to their website and specifically looking at their programs and professional internships. You must be in college classes, at at least a sophomore level, to apply. The DCP is a great way for you to get your foot in the door with the company, a great resume builder, and can be a lot of fun. Programs can be used for college credit at some schools, or you could look into making it an independent study. I used mine as an independent study with a professor in theater and wrote an essay to show how Disney’s live shows are similar to Broadway and how working their gave me professional experience for theater.

What is a College Program like, what do you do, where do you live, etc.?

The college program is what you make of it, I made lifelong friends, worked hard, played in the theme parks, I even went to DCP events like winter formal and the talent show. It’s not always going to be great, you might have a manager that you don’t like, a co-worker that gets on your nerves, or a roommate who is super messy. It’s still real life, it just so happens your reality involves the magic of Disney now.

Speaking of roommates, NO you don’t get to live on Disney property, and contrary to belief the cast members do not live in the park. You live off property in apartment complexes, all relatively close to one another, this way you and other DCP participants can go to cool events and hangout easier. All the complexes are Iike a college dorm, suite style, you get roommates that can either be random or you can choose them. I got along really well with my roommates at the time and I actually don’t speak to a lot of them anymore. Just too much distance and all of us focused on getting our degree’s after DCP. However, you and your roommate could become besties. That’s what happened with my friend Lizzy, she and her roommate Brittany were DCP roommates in 2015 and are now roommates while they work full-time at Disney World.

As for transportation, you have the option to use DCP transportation or bring your car and pray you get a parking permit because they are limited. If you have a chance of getting the parking permit, BRING YOUR CAR! I can’t stress that enough, those buses are never on time and are constantly breaking down. Also having your own car gives you a lot more freedom while you are on your DCP. It means you can go to Clearwater beach on your day off, or go to any grocery store you want. Buses have specific routes and places they go to, there was only one bus route that stopped at two different grocery stores when I was there.

Working at Disney is really what you are there for in the company's eyes. I worked at Walt Disney World for a quick service job in Epcot. I loved where I worked, we were a family and everyone was really kind. The majority of staff were college program students which was really nice since the people I got to see everyday I could hangout with outside of work too. My best memory was my manager placing everything on hold New Years Eve five minutes before midnight so the staff could go watch the fireworks, this was also 3 days before I had to leave so I was so over emotional. It wasn’t always fun, it was a lot of flipping burgers, cleaning tables, taking hours no one wanted and occasionally guarding a dirty diaper (people don’t always know where a bathroom is and just do their business where it’s convenient, no worries Disney has a biohazard team for most of these situations).

Then there are the benefits to working at Disney. Like being able to go into the theme parks for free (not really though, you are working 40 hours or more a week for your park privileges), you also get discounts on merch, food, hotels, and even cruises! You also now have the option to have Disney+ instead of the park entrance pass, but I’d rather pay the subscription and go into Disney World. Also, you can take your family and friends who don’t work at Disney, with you! I got my family in for Thanksgiving week and we had a really fun time. My dad was way too excited to go into Disney World for free, and my step mom was all about that Disney food discount.

In short the DCP is just like any other internship, it just so happens you could work by Cinderella Castle, head over to Canada for lunch, or see a live performance by your merch stall daily. Everyday can be magical, and when you feel the magic you can make it too! So is DCP worth it? Absolutely! Make new friends, go on adventures, join the club, and work hard, because it pays off in the end! I have gotten more job interviews and work opportunities because I have The Disney Company on my resume. I say dream to your heart’s content and if you don’t succeed the first time, try again. Now go, live your dream, and have a great Disney College Program experience!