DCP Tips: Learning

The Disney College Program has 3 components - Living, Learning, and Earring. The Learning component is sometimes overlooked, but still important. This is a college program, after all.

Talk to your school
After you have been accepted in the DCP, you will need to notify your school. You will be physically away from campus for at least a whole semester. Different schools have different policies when it comes to the DCP. My university had me take a temporary leave of absence, allowing me to remain registered as a student at the school without needing to be enrolled in courses. This paused my scholarships and GPA. When I returned to campus, I was able to pick up where I left off. 

One of my roommates went to a university that still required her to take a certain number of credits while doing the DCP. She was able to take her classes online. To find out what your university’s plan for the DCP is, talk to your advisor. 

On top of (or instead of) your regular college courses, the Disney College Program offers its own unique courses that anyone can take. Some of these classes will actually count as credits towards your bachelor’s degree. Again, check with your institution and specific major about this. 

My experience - lectures, seminars, classes
During my program,, I took 3 classes. I took a learning class, a leadership seminar, and a Walt Disney history class. 

My learning class was about the different styles of learning, and how hands-on educational programs are beneficial. or.  It was structured like a typical college class. We had some homework. We were assigned books to read outside of class (which I read while laying out at the Chatham pool) and a research project to do at the end of the course. My favorite day of class was when we took a “field trip” to Epcot. We were examining how Disney incorporated education in its attractions. Some attractions are more entertaining than educational. We were divided up into small groups and went on a scavenger hunt to find three examples of “edutainment”: one attraction that was more educational than entertaining (Living with the Land), one attraction that was more entertaining than educational (Soarin), and one attraction that was a good balance of both (Ellen’s Energy Adventure). 

Most of my classmates were in teaching programs and taking this class for credit at their universities. My school unfortunately would not accept these credits, so I really was taking this course for knowledge’s sake. I was a psychology major. I have always been interested in education. I had wanted to take some educational courses, but they were designed for a different program so I never got around to taking them at my university. The Disney College Program provided me with the opportunity to take a class I was interested in that wasn’t typically apart of my major. Since this class wouldn’t show up on my transcript, I did not care about my grades. I still did the work, but with less pressure. Taking a class without the stress of grades was so freeing. Unfortunately, this course is not currently being offered.

The Disney history class was a much sought-after course and always filled up quickly. On the first day, several students who had been waitlisted showed up, hoping someone had dropped out last minute - that’s how popular it was. Learning about Disney history was what led me to the Disney College Program in the first place, so I was very eager for this class. I may have raised my hand or blurted out a trivia question answer too many times. I was that student. But I was so excited! I felt this class was designed specifically for me. Even though I was a Disney nerd, I still learned so much from this course. I was told stories I had never heard before. My instructor was a higher-up at the Disney parks, and really knew park history. He was a great storyteller and presenter. I’m so sad that the Disney College Program is not currently offering this course. 

A course that the DCP is currently offering that I took was the leadership seminar. This course taught me about different styles of leadership, problem-solving techniques, and communication styles. Even though I do not plan on climbing up the corporate ladder, I am still glad I took this course because I feel like it made me a better follower and team member. I was able to take some of the advice I learned from this class and apply it directly to my role at the parks the very next day. And honestly, my work performance did improve after I started taking this class.

Experiential learning
The other type of learning that the Disney College Program offers is called Experiential Leaning. Disney will sometimes offer behind-the-scenes tours of specific attractions for cast members. These are announced ahead of time, and you can sign up for as many as you want - so long as they don’t interfere with your work schedule. One of my roommates went on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Haunted Mansion. Another roommate did Tower of Terror. I was able to do a behind-the-scenes tour of Kilimanjaro Safaris with all of my DAK co-workers who were also in the college program. We learned a lot about how they take care of the animals backstage, how the animal enclosures are designed to trick guest’s eyes into thinking it’s all open land, and what a day in the life of a Safari attraction cast member is like. 

Individual sessions
Currently, the Disney College Program is offering Individual Sessions. These are classes that only meet one time and cover a variety of topics related to your role. I have no experience with these types of classes. I don’t believe they were offered at all during my program, but I highly encourage Disney College Program newbies to attend one. 

When are classes?
A good chunk of your schedule during the DCP is determined by your work shifts. You may be wondering “when do I take these classes?” This depends on your scheduling manager, but typically you will take these classes on your days off. Rather, your days off will be scheduled around when you have class. You will have 2 days off every week. During the summer, I had a class Tuesday morning and a class Wednesday morning. My scheduling manager gave me Tuesdays and Wednesdays off. I could have worked Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, but it was easier just to completely block off those days to assure I would not be scheduled a shift. 

Where are classes?
In person classes that the Disney College Program offers will be held at the apartment complexes. They have built classrooms specifically for this use. I had a class at Patterson and a class at Chatham. Since I lived at Chatham, these classrooms were a few minutes walk. Some of my classmates who lived in the Commons or Vista Way (rip) took a bus over. You will be notified where your classes take place after you register. 

What do I need to bring to class?
During my program, all students of all classes were gifted a special DCP binder, paper, and pen to take notes with. I hope they still give these out, because they are a seriously cool souvenir.

There is a business casual dress code for class (except for experiential classes/behind-the-scenes tours). Be sure to include business casual clothing in your packing list if you intend to take classes. I wore mostly a blouse, dress pants, and flats. You could also wear your work costume to class. This was for those who had a shift scheduled right after class, but I had some classmates wear their work costumes to class because they were comfier than blazers. 

What if I need to take classes through my school? 
For those of you who do need to take online course to stay enrolled, the Disney College Program can help you. This is a path that many DCP students take. I had a roommate who needed to take some online courses to stay enrolled in her college. She was able to talk to her scheduling manager and request a specific time block off to do her classes. This is what the DCP calls “Independent Study Hall.” You will have to submit a request form online in order to have this officially reflected on your work schedule. 

Of course, there are other ways to schedule your study time. My roommate worked mostly in the afternoons and evenings, so sometimes she would do some classwork in the morning. We had two days off each week. She reserved one day off for doing classwork and one day off for having fun.  There was one time we did homework together at the kitchen table. She was doing homework for her online class, and I was doing homework for my DCP class. 

Besides your own room, each apartment complex has a small computer lab with a printer. The new Flamingo Crossings Village has 2 study areas for anyone to use. 

Including your DCP courses on your resume
After successfully completing a course, you will receive either a “Mouseters” degree or a “Ducktorate” degree. These are honorary certificates indicating that you were apart of the Disney College Program. I put these on my resume under either “Internships” or “Awards and Honors”. When I was fresh out of the DCP, I especially highlighted my leadership seminar or my learning course, depending on the job I was applying for. During a job interview, you can highlight your hands-on learning experience at the Disney College Program. In my experience, the Disney College Program always sticks out on a resume.

Your Opinions
Have you done the DCP? What was your experience with classes like? Are you applying to the DCP? What questions do you have? Leave a comment below!