Some of you might be wondering, “What exactly is the Disney College Program? Are you guys just going to Orlando to play at Disney World?” Today, I’m going to give you some answers!
First, the DCP is the abbreviation for Disney College Program. If you walk up to a Disney College Program alum and say “DCP”, they’re going to be totally impressed that you know the lingo! And then they’re going to tell you all about their program and how it changed their life and all kinds of other Disney tidbits you never knew you never knew. So, when you’re playing around on our blog and see “DCP” just know that we’re talking about the Disney College Program.
So what is the DCP?
The Disney College Program is for college students or recent grads. The requirement is that you either be currently enrolled in college, or have graduated within the last 6 months. You can do the program in the middle of your college degree, or you can wait and do it after graduation, as long as you apply within 6 months of graduation. In our case, we are going out right after our graduation. AND it doesn’t have to be a Bachelor Degree and you don’t have to be a twenty-something. As long as you meet the college requirements, you’re good. My husband and I don’t fit in the traditional mold of what most DCP folks might be.
Disney College Program participants gain valuable work experience for their resumes. Participants are paid for their work. Each participant is given an assigned area of work, such as merchandising (what Adam’s doing), PhotoPass photography (what I’m doing), attractions, food and beverage, etc. They are also able to take seminars and courses while working. You can work with your university and arrange to take online courses for college credit. Disney also offers seminars that focus on the Disney professional experience. There are seminars on Disney Leadership, Customer Service, Entertainment and more! These seminars are free and offer you exciting information as well as opportunities for you to network with people you might want to work with later!
Now obviously there are a number of benefits for those chosen to participate and it is actually quite competitive. I heard the acceptance rate for the Fall 2018 program was 10%! So a lot of people really want to do it!
Disney gains quite a bit for this arrangement as well. Disney needs a lot of employees to run their parks and resorts! This program helps them get the numbers they need! It also means they get to see the DCP participants work and grow in their respective entry level jobs. And what company doesn’t like to hire people they’re familiar with?
After the Disney College Program, there’s the Disney Professional Internship program or the Disney Management Internship program. Of course, you can always try to go straight for full-time regular hire too! But the experience and the networking that you get in the DCP is an important stepping stone to getting a permanent position with the company.
That’s a little overview of the program. If you have questions or comments, we’d love to read them!
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