App Academy is a fast-paced program for getting you practical experience with many different relevant technologies in a very short amount of time. Right off the bat once the immersive portion kicked into high gear, we got exposure to Git, data structures, and we were pair programming daily through the day’s projects. The curriculum is well structured for layering in new technologies, and before you know it you’re familiar with relational databases and doing a deep dive into the inner workings of Rails. Things move at a bewildering pace, and it’s very easy to get caught off guard by this early on if you’re not careful.

The looming thought of getting kicked out over failing two assessments can be extremely unsettling, but this risk/reward setup also puts the entirety of the cohort into a hyper focused mindset. And it creates a unique environment for learning if you can sublimate the anxiety of it. Even through the online setup, it was surprising just how much there was a sense of community. You spend hours every day with your classmates, and even through a computer screen I felt like I got to know a lot of them really well. I don’t know how they’re able to isolate so many brilliant people into these cohorts, but they clearly have very efficient and calculated screening mechanisms in place to ensure they’re taking quality people into the program.

The TA’s are fantastic. The student to teacher ratio is very favorable for student teacher interactions, and they were consistently pivotal in getting me on track with the material on pace to get through the assessments. It’s a lot of information so be 100% prepared to have no life while you’re working through the curriculum. I thought 100 hours a week would be an exaggeration but I was consistently logging 95-100 hours each week studying the material straight through the weekend.

You get to build your own full stack project using the core stack of the curriculum, as well as other projects with additional technologies that you learn past the React portion of the course. They’re in a re-vamping phase with their curriculum with less of a focus on Ruby as far as I understand, so this is something to bear in mind moving forward. I’m confident that however they re-structure the curriculum will be just as effective as the current setup they have in place and I’m sure it’s necessary given the industry’s trending away from Rails, but any large scale overhaul of a curriculum carries with it at least some amount of risk.

I felt like the React portion was great. Past that things were still mostly well structured with minor hiccups. There were portions I felt were too rushed. For example, we had about a weekend to learn the MERN stack before we were working in a team to build an application in it that following week. Pieces of this curriculum might need some revision. Maybe something as simple as having at least one additional project with the MERN stack before having students code in a team environment in it. However I really enjoyed the Docker portion of the curriculum, and it was fun building an additional project with GraphQL / Apollo. I’ve heard this part of the curriculum is at the moment isolated to the online setups. You get to build a project in Vanilla JavaScript at the end of the course as well.

App Academy’s deferred payment plan was a strong draw for me personally. I felt that this established them as an institution willing to take on a lot of risk investing in the people they take into the program, and shows that they’re confident their curriculum will get people placed in well-paying positions upon finishing. I’d honestly like to see more institutions of higher education adopt a similar financing approach. There are pros and cons to deciding on doing the online setup instead of an in-person setup, and I do believe an in-person setup would have been very fulfilling. Some people would say the in person setup is vital to the whole App Academy experience. But I do like that the online setup at least had a longer space of time for absorbing the material. You get a month prior to the official immersive portion of the cohort to get solid with software engineering fundamentals. And the TA’s were always readily available to answer any questions I might have, so at least on the learning side there was nothing lost in translation going this route. An in person bootcamp really wasn’t feasible for me personally, and I would expect it’s not for many others planning on applying.

All things considered the past 24 weeks have been a grueling yet highly rewarding experience. You get out of it what you put into it, and you have to put a lot into it if you want to get through the totality of the curriculum.

App Academy was an amazing experience for me. The main factor that drew me to the program originally was the fact that it had an online option that still included the rigor and attention of a classroom atmosphere. I knew that I wanted to have a structured experience that would push me to continue learning the material at a regular pace. App Academy is definitely a challenging experience. There are a lot of concepts that are covered, but it is all presented in a way that allows you to absorb the material through application. The emphasis on pair-programming reinforces your understanding of the material by both constantly having someone else to bounce ideas off of as well as providing an opportunity to explain your thought process and code to another person. Participating in the program takes your full dedication, but is extremely rewarding in the amount of knowledge gained and the new doors that open up for a career in web development.

Aside from having material current to the day (e.g. Apollo), the staff and assistance was the best part.  Our lecturers and assistants were extremely sharp and super patient. They were personable and kind and did whatever they could to help us understand.

If you get in, work hard, harder, your hardest.  Learn to work with others. Learn to have self discipline.  This program will help you to become your best.

The content was practical, guided, and cathartic.  I cannot recommend this program enough. Thank you to Kush and Ned for creating such an awesome program.

After working 7 years as a Mechanical Engineer/Controls Engineer, I decided to take 24-weeks to study Web Development at AA. I joined the program last January (2019) and was part of the App Academy's first Online Cohort. We were a group of 8, spread across the US and even had a classmate living abroad, eating and sleeping on US Eastern time.

The program is very intense in terms of time commitment, where I spent every hour of the day and night studying (100hrs+ /week). But the more time I committed to study, the more I understood about each topic and learned. Each hour spent was worth it. 

If you really enjoy programming, you will love this program! You will have access to great TA/instructors, well-thought and detailed ressources. And learned all the skills you will need on the job.

Our initial cohort had Live Lectures from our instructor, where I was able to ask tons of questions to really understand very deeply each lecture. A minus point for future Online Cohorts, is that it may no longer be true as more recorded lectures started to get used right after our cohort. Even though, AA breaks it down so you can still ask questions every 45mins or hour. Staying engaged and awake while watching video lectures was never my strongest point. 

I have no regret though, the education was fantastic! Please give it a try and see whether it's for you!

App Academy is a 3 months (5 if you're taking the online portion) web development boot camp with a very low acceptance rate.  The program is 8 hours of new materials everyday with 6 assessments  sprinkled in to test you.  The curriculum is pretty good for the most part and the projects you do a good job of testing what you learned for the day's material.  The peers you work with from the Teacher Aids to your peers are all great people to work with.

Some of the curriculum material could use an update/ be fleshed out better.

Be prepare to work your butt offs when you do get in.

I'd been programming for several years and decided to do App Academy more as a "formalization" of my knowledge than as a way to "learn to code".  After all, I knew how to code.  Well, I was wrong.  I learned so much.   For example, a) The "why" behind many things I already knew how to do, thereby allowing for better decisions.  b) The practical value of data structures and algorithms I had previously written off as "computer science stuff", c) Effective pair programming - started out hating it, grew to love it.  d) A major raising of the bar in terms of what's possible - how about learning a new technology and using it to create something significant in 10 days?  If you have the tenacity to go after what you want, it's for you.  If you give up quickly when things get tough (long hours ahead), stay away!

Overall, this was definitely one of the most rewarding experiences I have had. I learned an incredible amount of information and feel confident in my skills as a software developer. You can tell that a lot of time and effort is put into the curriculum and that they are always striving to improve upon it. I believe that everyone on the teaching staff really cares about their students' success and are constantly going out of their way to make sure everyone is getting the help they need to succeed. I would recommend this course to anyone who is looking to transition careers into software development. 

I enrolled the last 12 weeks intensive bootcamp program at App Academy. Apparently they are changing the cohort to 16 weeks from now on.

Overall, App Academy is not the place where you just sit there and hoping someone would hold your hand to review through programming related materials. Sure, there is help provided if you request so, but it definitely takes effort and dedication to be successful at App Academy, and more importantly, to be successful at your future job after graduation. Self-motivation is the key to success here.

Even though I came from software developer background, the topics that App Academy taught us are pretty challenging, that I constantly find myself running out of time to study ahead of next day's material. Though, I did feel fulfilled and satisfied by the overwhelming topics that we have to read and understand because it is also probably one of the few way we could improve ourselves rapidly. 

My only suggestion to future students are: do not slack off during the weekend. I learned that the hard way...`

Overall, I had a great time during the 12-week in-person curriculum. While I did come in with an undergraduate CS degree, I feel that the material supplemented what I learned in college quite well (although a bit slow the first few weeks). But given my background, I did not find the pacing of the course to be all that intensive until the projects hit. There is definitely plenty to learn. They go in-depth enough on topics necessary to be considered a web developer but there are a lot of topics only briefly touched on to explore further on your own.

Pros:
 - TAs are extremely friendly and willing to help
 - Plenty of interesting projects to work on throughout the course
 - Pretty much everybody was fun and easy to work with

Cons:
 - Trying to get help during projects can lead to a lot of waiting for TAs
 - Homework could be more meaningful rather than a bunch of small segmented assignments
 - Be prepared to keep working hard over the weekends, especially for the full-scale projects toward the end of the course

aA is great. You get what you put in. Anyone can achieve it, you just need to manage your time correctly. Would recommend 10/10

I'm not gonna sugar coated this. People get kicked out for failing 2 assessments. This was the single most difficult, stressful, mentally taxing, emotionally challenging, and wonderful experiences in my life. This is the best decision I've ever made. Expect the workloads of 100 hours a week, especially if you want to get good. I came in with a lof of imposter-syndrome, and at the end of it, I can build full-stack applications from scratch. I've become a lot more confident in my skills and how I communicate to potential employers, as I type this I have a few on sites scheduled next week.

I'd say overall App Academy is one of the best decisions I've ever made and one of the hardest things I've ever done. A few things that have been mentioned to me that ring true:

"Its kinda like having a firehose of information pointed at you, and you just do your best to drink up as much as you can"

There's also feeling that it really is a bootcamp of sorts. If you think about the traditional military bootcamps, there's a sense of discipline instilled in you in the process, and you walk out with friendships and bonds built from going through a difficult experience together. You can't get through this program alone. You'll need the support of the people around you and your classmates to really succeed, and as a result you'll end up with a strong network of very capable developers along with the skills you actually pick up here.

You get as much out of this as you put in. Don't come in expecting to have your hand held. Don't come in expecting everyone you're learning from to be perfect and know everything. Learning on your own and via collaboration is part of the skillset you build here.

The workload  is everything that you've likely already read about. I spent everyday and the majority of my weekends working/studying until I slept. 

The payoff is that you'll gain the skills you need to pursue a career in software development. It sets your work ethic and gives you the momentum to continue to work towards success. I am currently in the job search phase. Whether or not I am successful, I am thankful for what I've been able to learn and am confident in my ability to land a job following the cohort. Well worth it.

The 12 weeks at App Academy were the most amazing 12 weeks of my life. I learned so much in such a short period of time which I would have never been able to do on my own. You get to develop your own full-stack project and a JS project at the end of the course to show to the employers. They also groom you to make you ready for the job market, whether it's technically or behaviorally. While doing pair programming, you learn to deal with so many people each with a different mindset which is very important for both personal and professional life. App Academy has very good instructors who make you understand all the concepts so well and are always ready to help.

I would definitely recommend App Academy to anyone who is good at logical thinking and wants a career in Software.

App Academy has a great course. You learn a lot at app academy, and . you learn it fast. The TAs are very friendly, and helpful. When you are confused, or feel lost they will guide you through the masteral and help you understand. 

App Academy was easily the most demanding endeavor I've taken on. From Day 1, you need to be firing on all cylinders, and you need to be dedicated. The assessments are quite difficult, as they are timed, and they're not subjective at all. If you make a silly mistake, you'll pay for it, and if you fail two exams, you're allowed to retake the second one. If you fail the retake, you're asked to leave. They are not messing around with this policy.

Having said all that, the instructors are fantastic, and really know what they're doing. They genuinely WANT you to succeed, and are very patient. App Academy is something that I'm really happy I did, but would never want to put myself through again. I don't have a job yet, but I have no doubt that I've been given the tools I need to succeed.

Overall, I am pretty happy with the experience. Coming out of the program I feel like I have the tools I need to be able to start a career in software development.
Going through App Academy is rigorous, but rewarding.
I believe some of the curriculum can be updated (and I believe aA is in the process of doing this now), but what is currently taught will still teach you the fundamentals of software engineering.
Be prepared!
You will spend most of your life working on App Academy material for the 12 week duration of the course and you will come out of it with a solid foundation in software engineering.
Along the way you'll get to know work with a bunch of great people and make some new friends.

At times you'll feel like you're falling behind, but don't fear, there is a super helpful group of TA's to guide you through the material and make sure you have what you need to keep up. Be sure to ask a bunch of questions if you are unsure about ANYTHING.

App Academy is a great program that is starting to show its age a bit. The curriculum is intense and that intensity means you learn a lot more quickly than you would learn on your own. I personally found it super important for getting me started with no prior technical experience. They even have a free two-week prep program to help you pass the entrance exam. In addition, the TAs are friendly and willing to sit and be patient to figure things out with you. That said, the first 4.5 weeks of the program focuses on a language and a framework that is in decline. Ruby and Rails are decreasing in popularity and so it sometimes felt like a lost opportunity that we spent so much time on them. The subsequent 4.5 weeks were focused on JavaScript and React/Redux, however, and these are much more currently in demand. The tuition guarantee was a huge positive for me as I likely wouldn't have done a bootcamp otherwise. My caution would be that App Academy seems to be in a transitional phase of updating their curriculum and so it might be more in date in the near future. Overall I would say the high standards of the program and the reputation combined with the relative financial ease of entry are the biggest sells.

If you can focus for 10 hours a day, and have next to no life for 3 months, then you can get through this program.  Its rigorous, but you learn an insane amount

Disclaimer: Being compensated with a hoodie on graduation for this review.

App Academy has a 12 week intensive bootcamp program to prepare people for fullstack web development. It is a bootcamp (read: fast-paced and intensive), and will take up your life for the entire time you're there until you get a job. The TAs and lecturers are all students from prior cohorts so they have experienced what you will be going through, but they are software engineers at heart as well. The culture is great, and the pair programming experience is a fantastic way to develop your collaboration skills.

That being said, it is a bootcamp, and not for everyone. I've personally spent about 10-12 hours daily on campus, the majority of the time studying/working on projects. The curriculum is fast paced and rigorous, and you will live assessment by assessment. The Ruby curriculum is much better than the JavaScript curriculum, despite JavaScript being the more popular language by far. The time allocated for the three major projects seemed too restricting, despite the repeated emphasis of the importance of team projects. On top of that, the JavaScript curriculum is taught as ES6, but most of the resources given are for ES4 and ES5. 

TL;DR - It's a bootcamp, be prepared for many hours of work

There are many positive things about App Academy. However, it should be noted that the program is absolutely as rigorous as it is advertised to be. That said, you will certainly get out of it what you put in, and the opportunity to learn a great deal in a very short amount of time is certainly, at least to an extent, dependent upon how much effort and time you are able to put in. For me, App Academy was undoubtedly a life changing experience, and I would do it all over again if I had to. But the reality is that it is not for everyone, and the demanding curriculum and constant threat of being expelled are important considerations for anyone thinking about taking the dive with a/A.

I can confidently say that the first few weeks of the curriculum are very well organized. While the pace is aggressive, the structure is easy to follow, and the TAs are an invaluable resource. A majority of the day is spent pair programming with other members of your cohort, and asking questions is probably the primary way that you will learn the material. You quickly move from Ruby, to SQL, and on to Rails, before you run into something of a slowdown with the Javascript curriculum. Once you enter the land of JS, the instruction on projects becomes muddled, at times lacking, and is often just flat outdated. I understand that a shift away from Rails to more relevant frameworks and libraries will be a process. But it is unfortunate.

I will close by stressing that if you decide to take the leap and attend a/A, be ready to put everything else on the back burner. You will be tested and pushed to your limits often, but if you are able to meet the demands, then it can be a truly rewarding experience.

TA's are very helpful at App Academy, the curriculum is up to date with industry standards, and the deferred tuition model attracts many top talent. That being said, App Academy is a valid path to full stack development, or perhaps aspiring software engineers. Overall, my experience was amazing ! 

Pros:
Great TAs that are super helpful and are enthusiastic about their work
You get to work with other engineers and learn from them
Curriculum (for the most part) is very solid and definitely applicable in the industry

Cons:
If you're not willing to work hard, it won't work out for you
Still uses Ruby on Rails which is quickly falling out of favor in the industry
You have to set aside everything to be successful. I spent 13 hours (9 am- 10pm) every weekday and 6-8 hours every weekend with occasional breaks over 12 weeks. You only get as much as you are willing to give.

Yes, it's a demanding experience - that's a given. But, the App Academy experience is really what you make out of it. There is an abundance of content, and knowledgeable instructors. But, if you don't genuinely engage in the material daily, or deliberately ask the instructors for help, then you will not learn as much as others who proactively ask questions and challenge themselves. The instructors will never hold your hand, or give you an easy way out. Rather, they will train you to learn how to learn, so that you may become an independent programmer and thinker. 

If you have a basket that holds 5 apples, App Academy will throw 10 apples at you every week. Accordingly, you will have to drop 5 apples every week, and choose which 5 you will digest. This can feel overwhelming at first, but that's just how the curriculum is designed. The assessments keep you on track, but they are definitely not the perfect system - and the instructors also agree with this. If you fail 2 exams, you will be kicked out. Accordingly, if you fail one exam, you will constantly be in a stressed and anxious state throughout the program, and I can't imagine that being too great for your health. But as for the moment, assessments get the job done.

Overall, I've learned a ton through the program, and became a disciplined individual and developer. My expectations were not met, but I am definitely a better developer today than I was before the start of the program. 

Also, the building has no windows. When you feel burned-out, do take a walk outside and get some fresh air.