Whenever there are articles like this, they're usually clever titles for reasons you should actually do the DCP. This is different though. I'm being completely and totally honest when I say this is the one and only reason you shouldn't move to a completely new city and put your life on hold for 3+ months.
Do you love meeting new people? Making new friends and having memories you'll never forget? Do you actually sort of really hate saying goodbye to those you love and cherish most? If you said yes to one, two or all of these reasons, then you most certainly shouldn't do the college program. Because that's exactly what you're going to find. You're going to learn about new cultures, you're going to meet people from all over the world, you're going to hear stories of hardship and of greatness. And most importantly, you're going to meet the most amazing and inspirational people, hands down.
Three months doesn't seem like a long time. Hell, even six months isn't that long. Forming and strengthening friendships and relationships, though, doesn't take any time. In fact, it takes seconds to form a bond with someone and to have them leave an imprint on your heart for the rest of your life. It takes one conversation to spark an interest, and it takes one joke to break the ice. It doesn't take very much time at all to form a relationship that lasts a life time.
With the DCP, you will meet hundreds of people. After all, we're all working for a company that has 70,000+ cast members. We're bound to find one or two people that we like, and a few that we just can't be apart from. The most unfortunate part of it all is that this program cannot last forever. It's a short-term deal. We all sign up for x amount of months, and we all know how long we're going to be here for. And while time can go extremely slow and unbearably fast at the same time, we can't help but build these friendships.
That's when the dreaded day comes. The day you realize you can't live without your best friend, or you won't ever see someone again, that's where this program is flawed. Because the moment you realize all of this, these people will be ripped from your life. They'll be forced to move out of housing, go back home or get a part time or full time job with the company, and basically have to change their life all over again. And you have to watch it all happen, stand by completely helpless because you can't change it. It's not like you can change their mind or convince them to stay, because that's not the issue. Most of us will stay here for 9-12 months and that'll be the longest we can stay. We physically can't stay any longer and actually do have to say goodbye.
All in all, the college program is great. It's a great resume builder, it has amazing opportunities career wise and it gives you contacts for future endeavors. It also gives you friends, a family, and a home away from home. All beautiful things, until you have to say goodbye to them. So if ou like making friend and family and learning about new cultures, then by all means, apply for the program! Make memories that will last you a life time and make friends that will be there for you through and through. Because those are things that we should all strive to have. Just make sure you're prepared to stay the hardest goodbyes you will ever have to say. Be prepared to have to find a way to adjust to a life that is so mundane and slow that it's nearly unbearable. Learn quickly that these people you met and these people you had to say goodbye to will forever be in your heart, even if they aren't a 5 minute walk away.
Never forget, though, that one great mouse said something that couldn't be more true. It's not goodbye, it's "see ya real soon".
