There are a lot of responsibilities that come with participating in the Disney College Program. One of the most difficult aspects of the program is finding time to do everything that you both want and need to do. This is especially difficult when you are taking classes in addition to work.
Although I was a full-time online during my program, I did not have trouble keeping up with schoolwork. Disney offers an independent study hall to those taking classes, which blocks out 4 hours one day per week for participants to work on homework. Mine was on Monday, and I used that time to get my homework for the week done. If I didn't finish it or if something was assigned later in the week, I did it either before or after one of my shorter shifts. It was not hard to find time to do homework, as I purposely chose classes that I knew would not be too challenging to take while I was there. I took hospitality courses with professors that I already knew in order to make my semester as productive as possible. Although I was strongly advised not to take courses during my program, I knew my abilities as a student and I knew that I would be able to find time to get the work done. I got a 4.0 GPA because I made time to get my work done, but it is difficult for a lot of people to resist temptations to spend off-time at the parks. If you don't think that you can handle doing schoolwork in addition to working full-time, or if you just don't want to, it is completely normal and expected to take the semester off from school.
One of my biggest recommendations for those participating in the DCP, especially during the fall program, is to do the things you want to do as early as possible. My hours dramatically increased as the semester progressed and it got closer to the holidays. There were special events and things in the parks that I wanted to do during my program, but I waited until the end of the semester and struggled to find time. I would take advantage of time off in the beginning to get as much done as possible. I tried to go to the parks on at least one of my days off each week as an escape from the stresses of work and school. The social aspect of the DCP is one of the best parts of the program, and there are so many other great people that are doing the program, especially international participants that you would normally never get to meet.
The best way to manage your time is to look at your schedule for the week and try to assess what days you will be most tired, and what days you will want to go out. If I had a day off and then an opening shift the next day, I knew not to plan anything that would keep me out too late. I also knew that if I had 10 consecutive days of work, which happened a lot, and then a day off, that I probably would want a day to rest. I also tried to pick a day each week when I had a later starting shift to go to Target and get groceries for the week so that I wasn't tempted to eat out after work. I tried to prep meals on my days off and have some idea of what I would be eating so that I didn't end up driving through Taco Bell every day.
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