College Program for Education Majors?

[meg4disney]

I have been seriously considering the DCP since I was in high school. One of my best friends did it and ended up being hired full time in the entertainment department. When I was originally a PR major, the program would have been perfect to fit my major and internship requirements. I've recently changed to elementary ed and I'm worried that the program would almost be like a "waste" (which nothing Disney is a waste at all, it just wouldn't fit into my education plan). What would you suggest trying to do if you were an education major? I'm trying my hardest to make the program relevant experience to my field and a good experience to be able to put on grad school and job applications.

 

[wilkeliza]

I have been seriously considering the DCP since I was in high school. One of my best friends did it and ended up being hired full time in the entertainment department. When I was originally a PR major, the program would have been perfect to fit my major and internship requirements. I've recently changed to elementary ed and I'm worried that the program would almost be like a "waste" (which nothing Disney is a waste at all, it just wouldn't fit into my education plan). What would you suggest trying to do if you were an education major? I'm trying my hardest to make the program relevant experience to my field and a good experience to be able to put on grad school and job applications.

Recreation may be an option. Outside of that there is nothing really educational. My field was not applicable to my field and it wasn't applicable to any of my CP friend's field but we all put it on our resumes and have decent jobs and/or are in our first choice grad schools. That ranges from theater majors to pre-law majors who are now in law school.

 

[wilkeliza]

Just wanted to add if you want a Disney experience but something in your field look into taking an off year and apply for Disney English. You spend a year in a different country teaching English. It is great for your field!

 

[softball chick]

I am a Secondary Education/Math double major who is in the middle of the application process for Spring 2016. Besides what was said before about Disney being great for the resume, I feel like there are a lot of similarities between traits of a good cast member and a good teacher - doing DCP would help you improve them even more. Also it's the ultimate networking opportunity - in my interview I talked about wanting to meet people from all over the world and learn about their cultures/experiences and then bring that worldly perspective back to my students. If you want to talk more, PM me

 

[Hannah Gei]

I am a Secondary Education/Math double major who is in the middle of the application process for Spring 2016. Besides what was said before about Disney being great for the resume, I feel like there are a lot of similarities between traits of a good cast member and a good teacher - doing DCP would help you improve them even more. Also it's the ultimate networking opportunity - in my interview I talked about wanting to meet people from all over the world and learn about their cultures/experiences and then bring that worldly perspective back to my students. If you want to talk more, PM me

Hi! I am going to be an education major for math as well. I am wondering if you could give an update on what your experience was like and how it has helped you with that specific major?

 

[softball chick]

Hi! I am going to be an education major for math as well. I am wondering if you could give an update on what your experience was like and how it has helped you with that specific major?

Of course! Since that post 3 years ago I was accepted to DCP and completed my program as a Vacation Planner (fancy name for ticket sales) at DAK, came back home to find a long term sub position that eventually turned into a full-time teaching job, and I'm now going to be entering my third year at that school this fall. In terms of what DCP did for me career wise, I stand by what I said in my original post. I got to interact with people from around the world on a daily basis, practicing my communication skills and learning from their experiences. As a Vacation Planner specifically, I was also working a lot with money and different combinations/options for tickets, both of which were very math oriented. I also did a lot of teaching in my ticket window, both about the types of tickets we had available for guests but also about the parks themselves and how best to approach the day to accomplish what they were looking for. In addition to all of those, DCP also affected me career wise because I have yet to go into an interview where I wasn't asked about what it was like to work at Disney World. Not that those answers play a huge role in my getting jobs, but it always manages to put me at ease and help me relax in the interview when I can smile and talk about Disney for a bit!

Lastly (and most importantly in my opinion), it gave me a world of experiences that I now love to share with my students. They learn Day 1 of school that their teacher used to work at Disney World and throughout the rest of the year I get questions about it because they think that is so crazy/cool. I can use the experience as an example of why knowing a second language was helpful to me when I hear them complaining about their Spanish tests, I can connect with them when we discuss our favorite rides at Disney, and (my favorite) I can start to plant the seed of the DCP or other Disney professional programs. I've already had one student express interest in the culinary program and others start to be interested in doing a DCP of their own someday based on what I've told them about it. It's just a really fun piece of myself that I can bring to the classroom and use with my kids.