10 Fun Ways to Document Your Disney College Program

The Disney College Program is an incredible opportunity for college students that offers the chance to work at Walt Disney World resort and create memories that will be cherished for years to come. I participated in the Disney College Program in Fall 2018 and extended to a Spring 2019 program, spending a total of 9 months on the program. While working and exploring the most magical place on Earth, I did my best to document my experience through every medium I could think of: social media, journaling, blogging, and more. My goal was to share what I was doing with my friends and family back home, but I hadn’t realized how much documenting my experience would mean to me until memory notifications began to pop up a year later.

It was then that I realized how glad I was to have spent a little time each day documenting my adventures, as well as how important it is for other students on the Disney College Program to do the same. But with so many different options, what should you choose? In this post, I have compiled a list of 10 fun ways to document your Disney College Program, along with some ideas and suggestions for each.

1. Start a Blog

I’m obviously a bit biased on this one, but a blog is truly a great way to document your Disney College Program! You can write either for yourself, for your friends/family, for the world, or all of the above. You never know, you may just inspire someone to do the Disney College Program, too!

Trying to earn college credit for the Disney College Program? Discuss the option of writing a blog about your Disney College Program experience with your academic advisor. If approved, this not only helps with college credit, but it’s a great motivator to keep up with writing your blog!

Here are some ideas for blog posts:

• Why You Wanted to Do the Disney College Program
• What the Application Process was Like
• How You Got Your Acceptance
• Your Disney College Program Bucket List

(Another reason? A blog is a great portfolio that you can list on your resume when talking about your Disney College Program experience.)

2. Utilize Social Media

Social media is perhaps the most popular way that participants document their Disney College Program experience, but it’s also the easiest. Some ideas for social media posts include:

• What You Ate: You’ll probably make your friends and family jealous as you post pictures of Mickey pretzels, ice cream bars, and churros. But who can blame them? Disney treats are absolutely magical and you’ll want to keep a record of each one you try.
• What You Wore to the Parks: Your Disney College Program is a great opportunity to “Disney Bound” while at the parks or just dress up in general!
• Special Moments/Memories: There are so many magical moments that happened during my Disney College Program that I shared with my friends and family on social media. One of my favorite moments included Goofy dancing up to me during a parade and kissing my hand. (A moment I actually caught on video!)
• The Characters You Met: It’s fun to post photos of every character you meet and what you talked about.
• Rides/Shows of the Day: It’ll be nostalgic to look back on the posts and think, “One year ago today I was riding Jungle Cruise and Pirates of the Caribbean!” or “One year ago I saw the Indiana Jones Stunt Show Spectacular for the first time!”

3. Write in a Journal

If you want to document your Disney College Program with longer or more personal entries, then starting a journal for your Disney College Program is a great option! It’s also one of the best options if you want to make sure those memories are kept through the decades, as we never know when a social media platform might disappear. 

In addition to “regular” journaling, you could also try a bullet journal or a 5 sentences a day journal. I even started a section in my Disney College Program Pinterest Board dedicated to Disney-themed bullet journals, so be sure to go check it out if it’s somethign you’re interested in!

4. Film Some Vlogs

Another popular option for documenting the Disney College Program is vlogging. There are tons of Disney College Program vlogs on YouTube and they’re so fun to watch and make. Vlogs are especially great for remembering all the small details that you might not have otherwise remembered or had time to write down while on your program!

If you don’t want to spend the time putting together long vlogs, but still want to capture your program on video, try the 1 Second Everyday app! To be honest, I’m jealous that I had never heard of this app before my program, especially because of how cool it would be to watch a quick video “summary” of my time at Disney.

5. Send Postcards to Yourself

Sending and receiving postcards is a ton of fun and a great way to document some of your favorite memories while on a trip. So why not send postcards to yourself?

For example, you could write a postcard to yourself once a week and talk about some of your favorite memories of the week: what you did, any magical moments you had, etc.

After writing the postcards, send them to yourself at home or a P.O. Box you set up before your program. Then once you arrive home from your college program, you’ll be greeted with the postcards!

6. Start a Scrapbook

Are you dying to bring out your creative side while on the Disney College Program? Or maybe you enjoy recording moments in a more visual way? Then documenting your Disney College Program memories in a scrapbook is the option for you!

I recommend pre-purchasing some supplies so that you can document everything the same day that it happens, including the weeks leading up to your program. In your scrapbook, you can include everything from park maps to receipts to pictures. The best part about the scrapbook is that you can organize these items so that they’ll be with their corresponding events, rather than getting them scrambled up or accidentally damaged if left about.

7. Create a Memory Box

A memory box is a fun way to collect mementos throughout your college program, ranging everywhere from park maps to PhotoPass cards. What makes memory boxes even more special (or at least to me) is that while most people might not get the meaning behind a certain item, for you there’s an entire story behind it.

So where can you find a memory box? You can find souvenir boxes at Disney or at craft stores; you could even buy a plain one and then decorate it yourself!

Some ideas for mementos to collect:

• A receipt from the first purchase you made on your Disney College Program
• Park maps
• Wristbands from the Halloween and Christmas parties
• PhotoPass cards (be sure to write the date on them!)
• Name tag
• Ears from Traditions

8. Keep an Envelope System

For the envelope system, write a date range on each envelope. (I recommend one week each.) Then, each week, write a small note to yourself detailing what you did, how you felt, etc. Include small mementos that you collected that day, as well as any photos that you took. (Including photos are easiest if you have a Polaroid camera, but you can always get photos developed at a local convenience store.)

Once you’ve put everything in the envelope, seal it and tuck it away in a box. 

One year later, you can open one of those letters each week, corresponding to the same week range as you wrote it, and re-live all of your magical Disney memories. 

9. Keep an Autograph Book

An autograph book is another great way to document your Disney College Program. While on my program, I used the book “Everything I Need to Know I Learned From a Disney Little Golden Book” and had characters sign it. At the end of my program, I also had some of my fellow Cast Members from my work area sign it and write notes in it, which I go back and read when I feel nostalgic for Disney.

Although an autograph book is harder to document the day-to-day memories, it’s a great option for documenting your time in the parks! You could also print out the photos from meeting the characters and include them in the autograph book next to their signatures.

10. Take Some Iconic Disney College Program Photos

While on your Disney College Program, be sure to capture some iconic Disney College Program photos! These include everything from a photo in front of the Cast Member door to a photo of yourself at your work location. These are the photos you’ll remember your program by and will cherish for the rest of your life, so take a moment to capture them on film! Need some ideas? Check out 8 Photos Every Student Should Take on the Disney College Program.

Looking for some additional photo spots in each park? Be sure to check out these posts:

• An Instagrammer’s Guide to the Magic Kingdom
• An Instagrammer’s Guide to Epcot
• An Instagrammer’s Guide to Hollywood Studios
• An Instagrammer’s Guide to Animal Kingdom

Final Thoughts on How to Document Your Disney College Program

The Disney College Program is an absolutely amazing experience that you’ll want to document and share with friends and family, and (most importantly) to remind yourself of the magical time you had. Whether you’re vlogging your program, keeping a journal, or doing any combination of the items above (I’m not going to judge…I did 7 of them!), you now know 10 fun ways to document and share your Disney College Program experience. 

For those of you currently participating in or about to do the Disney College Program, how will you be documenting your experience?