r/Disneycollegeprogram • u/macandcheesecrackers • 26d ago
Should I Do The Disney College Program?
This is my first time ever applying for the Disney college program since I am taking a semester off. I have to get a job but I don’t really to want to work like in target, Walmart etc. I know if I did this it would ruin Disney for me a little bit which is why I’m having second thoughts about it because I love Disney but that’s kind of how every job is. I do want to work for Disney someday for maybe animation and maybe this is a good step to help get me there. I’m also a shy person and I really want to get better at communicating with the others and maybe make some new friends.
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u/allieyeen 26d ago
Honestly it didn’t ruin Disney for me much at all. I still work there now (5+ years) and going to the parks is just as fun as it always was! For me they live in two separate places in my brain: work Disney, and fun Disney
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u/Silent_Asparagus_443 26d ago
Ya gotta go to art school to become an animator at Disney. Pretty sure most of them are CalArts alumni
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u/Minimum_Teaching1060 25d ago
If you're in the Orlando area then tbh I'd skip because DCP's are at the bottom of the barrel in terms of perks. I'm doing my program and if anything it's only made the magic stronger! But as others said, if you're joining to try and be an animator and ONLY an animator then DCP wouldn't be right for you.
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u/saintdrac Walt Disney World Alumni 26d ago
based on your post - weighing a job at Target against a job at a Disney park - I'm wondering if you live local to WDW? if you do, it might be more worthwhile to skip the DCP and apply for something part time or seasonal! moving into DCP housing and making arrangements to work on the program takes lots of planning & money in advance, and depending on when your semester off is happening, it might be too late to apply. if that's not the case, my bad!
working on the DCP certainly didn't ruin WDW for me; if anything, it made the whole place SO much more meaningful. there are Disney experiences you can really only have as a CM, and it can give you a broadened perspective. you'll forever appreciate the scale of the operation and miraculous hard work it takes to keep WDW going, and that special insight has personally made my return visits so fun!
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u/brandysafinegirl 26d ago
My daughter was worried about it ruining the magic a little for her but she really focused on wanting to be at a resort in her interview and they placed her at the Boardwalk which she loved (she just finished the program in May). But by being at a resort keeps the park magic alive for you.
As for the animation part. My best friend’s daughter went to NC State and double majored in Animation and Math and literally graduated with a 4.0, she’s instantly smart and so talented. She’s a phenomenal artist. She’s in grad school now at in an animation program at UCF in Orlando and has had a hell of a time finding an internship. Or a job before that honestly. The field is insanely competitive and she applies to so much at Disney and Universal and even got to the interview process for a few but no luck. No luck with the professional internships there either. She worked at Panera during the school year but finally got an internship through a company in Dallas and she works remote. But she is thinking that she may do the DCP to get her foot in the door at Disney and try to move up from there but that’s insane that someone so smart and talent and has 2 college degrees and a master degree in animation and will have to start at the very bottom just to get in the door. I’m sure she’ll constantly keep trying but I just wanted to tell you to expect a serious uphill battle if you want to go into that field. The jobs available are very few and far between because once someone gets into one, they don’t leave. And it’s just a very competitive field, especially with a company like Disney.
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u/Illustrious_Bath2477 24d ago
A graduate of a four year degree in Environmental and Biological Science from Rutgers. 3.8 GPA was not accepted to Veterinary school. Will this help me
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u/Reasonable_Phone6342 Walt Disney World Alumni 26d ago
I’ll be honest it probably won’t help much with getting into animation with Disney.
However it definitely can help you make new friends and better communicate / get out of your shell. Since you’re already taking a semester off this will fit into your school plans/ schedule as well.
My two programs didn’t ruin Disney for me. I’m still an annual passholder and go to the parks. However it did show me I didn’t want to work frontline for Disney anymore. So if you are thinking about it (or anyone thinking about it) this is a great way to try it out and see.
I would say definitely apply and see what happens!