App Academy Reviews
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Mary Seo
Highly recommend
I had a great experience at app Academy. The material is pretty difficult and the pace is very fast but if you love to code, work hard, and stay positive, it will most definitely be worth your time. The people are great, the TA's are incredibly smart and helpful, and the material is amazing (and constantly being updated).
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Colin
Be Prepared
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App Academy has been one of, if not the most intense and challenging academic experiences of my adult life. I'm really happy with the education I've gotten there, but there are a number of things to consider before you decide to attend.
Stress: The 9 week curriculum covers a huge amount of content and most of it is challenging. Class is from 9-6, followed by several hours of homework each day. The weekends are mostly devoted to studying for upcoming assessments, which are held roughly every week. So beyond the normal stress that this amount of work induces, there's not really much or any time to take care of yourself by going the gym, hanging out with friends, sleeping, etc.
Time Management: Even though the first 9 weeks of this course are highly structured, you will still need to manage your own time well. This includes giving yourself enough time to sleep, even if your'e not finished with all of the work due the following day. Weeks 7 & 8 comprise a self directed project, and weeks 9 - 12 have very little structure at all. How much you get out of those last 5 weeks, and the amount of time it takes you to get job offers once the program ends all depend on your ability to manage your time well.
Cost: aA now has several payment plans, some of which allow students to defer the bulk of tuition payment until they are employed as software developers. That said, the average job search takes between 3 and 6 months, during which those students are contractually restricted from part-time work. This means you will need to be able to afford food and housing, while not working for at least 6 months (the course + minimum job search). In New York. So even if this program was free, a large cost barrier still exists.
Culture: Even though there's not a lot of time to socialize, the cohorts do tend to get pretty tight, and you will need to to help each other out a lot (emotionally and academically). In my experience, there was a strong culture of collaboration, not competition, which I think is strengthened by the emphasis on pair programming at aA.
Okay, that stuff out of the way, you will learn more than you thought possible in the course. The instruction is fantastic, both in lecture and one on one settings. The curriculum also teaches you how to approach learning technologies not covered, which will be an essential skill upon graduating. Even though you will likely have to put in a decent amount of work after graduation in order to land a job, you will be well prepared to do so by the course itself.
If you do decide to attend, you can mitigate a lot of the negative stuff above by preparing well. Attend either JumpStart of Bootcamp Prep. Be really thorough when going through the alpha curriculum prior to the cohort start date. Reach out to people who have gone through the program and ask lots of questions.
Good luck!
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Dan
Great Experience, A Lot of work
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I have just recently finished the coding portion of the bootcamp curriculum at the NYC campus. I have to say I am definitely surprised at how much I have learned in such a short span of time, but that was definitely not without daily struggle getting through as much of the day's material as possible. The curriculum is definitely grueling. The 70-90 hours of coding a week is a real thing and will leave you without almost anytime for anything else (social life, sometimes laundry, mealprepping). Even after doing 70-90 hours a week, you will have to learn to be okay with some concepts / ideas falling through the cracks as it is inevitable at the learning pace. Throughout the course I felt like I was barely keeping afloat during the material, as most everyone else was, as your TA's will tell you, this is normal. As we progressed through the course, I found myself understanding concepts later on through the week, and slowly found myself struggling with newer material at the tail end of the course. I started to feel not as strong as I did earlier on and worried that I would not be ready to tackle the fullstack project that is completed after the coding curriculum. That was completely not true, once we hit our projects I found out how much I learned and quickly was able to cover the knowledge gaps I did have beforehand just by working through the projects. Overall, I would say that attending this bootcamp can definitely be worth it if you feel as though you can put the time and work in. I would advise any incoming students to put in as much work in as you can as the weeks really do fly by.
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Anonymous
Difficult but rewarding
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Came in with expectations that the next 3-4 months would be challenging and overwhelming, and indeed it was. One thing I did not expect was the feeling of accomplishment along with joy when developing projects from ground up. The type of projects I thought were impossible seemed doable even after months of learning. A valuable takeaway when completing this program is to be able to self sustain and continue to learn more about what programming has to offer. And of course to get a job that you love to do.
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Scott
From someone who was booted from a/A...
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I was going to write a whole review but I think it would be way too long so I'll do a TL;DR and supply my email if you have any questions about my time at App Academy and Flatiron School.
A little background, I was a psych and business major who wrote his first line of code 8 months before attending a/A. I was at app academy (a/A) starting in November '17 for 5 weeks before being released due to 'not passing' two assessments. The reason I am writing this review is to warn others like me and to hope they don't make the same mistake. a/A isn't a bad school. It's just not for everyone. Full disclosure, I am now attending Flatiron School and am 9 weeks in so I will be comparing the two because I wish someone told me what I am about to tell you.
I'm sure you've read it a million times, a/A is rigorous, difficult, and very STRESSFUL. And that can't be said enough. Even when I was released, an instructor told me that a/A is the most stressful bootcamp. Anyway, I am not afraid of challenges and that alone would never disregard a school, however, that along with a subpar curriculum, unnecessary attendance takes (you have to log your attendance three times a day, when you arrive, after lunch and after a 15 minute break), and LOADS of readings and homework every night makes learning and retaining information very hard. 100 hours a week is the time you will be grinding if you attend a/A.
My assessment story...
The first assessment that I failed was my fault because since a/A has class on Thanksgiving, I didn't get to see my family so I ended up meeting my brother in the city that weekend, he was here from Virginia. The night ended later than I thought and messed up my weekend studying and ended up doing poorly on the test. The second test I failed, I missed by ONE SPEC. There were 76 specs and I got an 83.33%, and 85% was passing. So after the second fail, you get to retake THE SAME DAY. The test was two hours, I was tired, but now I have to take another 2-hour test. You might be thinking I should be good because I only missed one spec so I should pass the second. Well, when the retake in 5X more difficult than the first one and you're exhausted from just taking a 2-hour test then good luck. I was in that room doing the retake with two others. One of them stopped typing after a half hour because she had no idea what was going on, and the other left with a half hour left. No one was close to passing the second exam and we were all booted along with the other 8 ppl that were booted before us. That is app academy for you.
I would say the biggest difference in a/A and Flatiron is that Flatiron not only teaches you how to code but to love it and know it. While App Academy teaches you how to memorize in order to pass ridiculous assessments.
App Academy has a take no prisoners feel and Flatiron has an all things have a soul feel. In other words, Flatiron cares about you, they know how to teach you how to code and build great things, and they get you to love code. Flatiron's platform is the best platform for learning code bar none and if you are falling behind the TAs are more than happy to take you one on one to make sure you understand.
App Academy thinks beating you over the head with the info via readings and lectures will get you to learn.You have to teach yourself at a/A. Yea the instructors give you the information, but the course moves so fast that if you don't understand something you have no time to try to understand it, so you are forced to memorize code in order to pass assessments.
You can email me at EsbeeScribe@yahoo.com if you have any particular questions regarding my time at either App Academy or Flatiron School.
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Rebecca Weir
Intense but Rewarding
App Academy is both one of the intense and most rewarding things I've ever done. The amount you learn quickly is incredible, and in two months you can make a website. It's difficult, so don't take it lightly, but it definitely can turn you into a software dev in a few months.
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Elliot Milco
Saturated learning experience
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I just finished the main portion of AppAcademy's full-time bootcamp in NYC, i.e. week 9 out of the full 12 weeks. (Note, for some reason Yelp tagged this as being for SF, but this is a review of the NYC campus.) I came into the program with about a year of experience tinkering with Ruby, Javascript, and Python, and some background in logic, and a long history of playing around with computers, but no academic CS background. My academic background is in the humanities (philosophy and theology) and I spent the first six years after college in grad school, then teaching, then working at a small magazine.
The course is extremely intense. (I say this as someone who graduated in the top 10% of my class at Yale.) About 25% of my cohort was asked to leave because they couldn't keep up with the pace. That said, the instructors do a good job of helping you through each day, and the structure of the course itself, from one day to the next, is very thoroughly regimented. If you do the course, I recommend surrendering to the routine as much as possible. There is always more work to do--you will almost never finish a day's projects. The name of the game is to struggle for 14+ hours, get some sleep, and then struggle again the next day. You will work on weekends, you will not have a day off before week ten (and if you think you do, you're probably making a mistake). If you can keep up, you will find that the rate of your learning is really high.
A typical day goes as follows: you arrive at the office by ~8:45am in advance of the morning checkin and go to your assigned seat for the day, with your partner for the day. 9 - 9:30am is spent doing a CSS exercise. 9:30 to about noon is spent in lecture (lectures have built-in Q&A time, and a five minute break in the middle). Lectures cover everything from O(n) and implementing backend Auth to meta-programming in Ruby and state structure design in Redux. Lectures are generally reinforcement of the essential concepts from the previous night's readings and homework. This means they tend to be more basic, and more Q&A oriented than the readings--as a result they can feel boring if you understood the readings right away, but the reinforcement is essential. At 12:30 there's a lunch break, which continues until 1:45pm. Some people work on homework during lunch, but the instructors encourage students to take the time to have a break. At 1:45 there's another checkin, after which you resume work with your partner, starting the day's projects. There are usually two or three projects, the first one deals with implementing the concepts in the day's lecture, and then the subsequent projects tend to be more advanced extensions of the same material. You will rarely get through the second project of the day. Many days you won't even finish the first. At 6pm an instructor dismisses the class and makes any announcements or reminders. After 6pm about 1/4 of the cohort will stay behind to complete their homework at the office. Most people go home to do the homework, which is usually ~3 hours, depending on the number of recorded lecture segments and readings. After finishing the homework, students are expected to review the solutions to the day's projects, and read through the next day's project instructions in advance.
That's life for the first 7 weeks of the course. Assessments are usually on Mondays or Wednesdays. They're terrifying, very difficult to prepare for, and intense, but if you do what the instructors tell you to do to study, and use the provided resources, the test itself should go fine. In the 8th week the typical lecture/project/homework schedule goes away and students spend about 10 days doing individual full-stake projects. This building a production-ready clone of a major web application (facebook, airbnb, etc.) from scratch, on your own. Project presentations happen at the end of week 9, after which the jobsearch curriculum begins. This is three weeks of lecture, independent projects, application/interview prep, etc. (That's where I'm at right now).
If I remember, I'll come back and update this review once some time passes so I can assess the program in light of its key promise: to help you get an engineering job. As things stand, it could hardly have been better, except in minor ways here and there (a few unclear assignments, a few weak lectures), but as a learning experience it's up in the top experiences of my life. Totally practical, radically empowering. I learned a lot. And continue to learn about as much in the past two months as I think I could have. -
Dan Lee
Rigorous yet Rewarding
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I came into the program, like many others, as a career switcher. I had taken two intro level programming courses in undergrad before attending. The hours are rough - be prepared to spend at minimum 30 hours a week on top of the course completing homeworks, readings, and completing your projects. However, the instructors are more than helpful and there's nothing more motivating than surrounding yourself with some of the smartest people around. The course is very well laid out and each topic leads into the next which helps with absorbing the material. It's common to have to put your social life on hold while attending this course but the payout is definitely worth it!
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Brendan
An intense journey through web development
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App Academy is an extremely intense, though not entirely too difficult, course. If you're someone with no programming experience (like me), then it means making sure that learning software development becomes your #1, #2, and #3 priority. The pace of the material is set up such that you'll always have something new to learn, and there are always additional resources provided for your learning. I'd recommend a/A to people who are great at being self-motivated and can handle a fast-paced learning environment. If not, there are plenty of great programs in the city to choose from that are less strenuous.
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Justin
App Academy is Awesome; Job Search, Not So Much
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App Academy opened a door to a career in software development that I didn't even know existed (I had thought six-figure software engineering positions only came through traditional paths, such as four-year CS degrees, etc.).
But, after leaving a career in finance, I'm now earning almost double what I was previously (plus I'm in a junior/entry-level role, so that should increase with time/experience), I'm doing something that I love, and I get to work in a relaxed environment (busy, for sure, but it's fun, without any of the stilted corporate rules, like a 50's-era dress code, etc., that I left behind in finance). I have App Academy to thank for this, hence the 5 stars.
So I'm happy to report that it's all pretty much as advertised. It's a rigorous 3 month course that will consume your entire life at the time, but you'll learn a ton, make great friends, and be able to land a fun and lucrative position (eventually) to kickstart your new career in software engineering.
That said, something that wasn't fully emphasized to me upfront is that the job search can become a long, drawn out, exhausting process that I found much harder and less rewarding (at least in the short term) than the 3 months of intense coding. I believe the "average" job search time estimated when I first applied was "3 months", which was then later verbally estimated at "4 to 5 months", and ultimately ended up being 10 months, in my case.
Don't get me wrong; we had one student from our cohort who had a job within 2 weeks of graduating and a healthy number of others had new jobs within the first few months, but many others had job searches much longer than that. Some landed jobs at Google/YouTube, Yelp, Dropbox, etc., while others at smaller startups, and many took on temporary contract work or internships; there's not a single path here, so there's diversity in the success stories and App Academy is pretty flexible in supporting you however you get there.
In other words, I'd keep that in mind and plan accordingly; you might get a job right away, but more likely it will take months, and could very well take almost a year to get an offer, in which case you need to be mentally/financially prepared for that going in. There's a lot of rejection involved when trying to get your foot in the door and all of these companies receive hundreds, if not thousands, of applications. If you're skilled at networking, you'll likely fare much better.
You may have heard how much of a shortage there is for software engineers in the industry right now, but if you check out the job boards (or just attempt the job search), you'll soon find that the shortage is actually for experienced mid-to-senior level engineers, as there is an abundance of junior engineers coming from colleges, self-taught individuals, or one of the many bootcamps, which each churn out about 70 - 80 new junior engineers every three months, with largely the same technical background.
In any case, even though it took me a grueling 10 month job search to finally fulfill the dream, I'd definitely do it again, love what App Academy's given me, and am really excited to grow in my new career.
I can't recommend App Academy enough; just remember that it actually gets harder after the initial 3 month coding program and that you may not feel relieved or at rest until you ultimately accept an offer.
Thanks, a/A!
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Katie
Great! But know what you're getting into.
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While trying to switch careers and knowing that the tech industry is where I wanted to be, I did a lot of research into what the best process was to get started. I didn't have a CS degree, and I knew nothing about coding. After speaking with a couple of tech recruiters in the industry, I was told that App Academy was one of the only bootcamps they take seriously enough to hire straight out of with no previous experience. So speaking as someone who knew nothing coming into App Academy, I feel it's important to stress that they are not kidding when they say it's intense. You will spend on average 100 hours a week trying to learn new technologies at such an intense rate that you'll constantly feel a step behind. I personally loved my experience and am so glad I did it because I learned so many new things, am very proud of what I've accomplished, and truly feel as if I've learned the technologies enough to reproduce results at my next job, but it's not for everyone. I highly recommend it for anyone serious about switching careers and would tell you to not to count yourself out if you don't know a thing about coding coming into it, but keep in mind that if you can't handle 100 hour weeks or giving up your weekends and social life to learn how to code, this bootcamp is not for you. It will become your life for three months, but if you can get through it and want a change in your life that's both financially beneficial and intellectually stimulating, you should definitely apply! Again, I loved my time here and would do it again given the chance, but I feel like it's important to know up front what you're getting yourself into.
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Steven W.
Full Stack Web Development
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App Academy has been a great learning experience. The staff is extremely knowledgeable and the curriculum is tailored towards YOUR success. Having no prior experience, I walked into class thinking I had bit off more than I could chew. However, going through the daily pair programming sessions I learned more than I thought was possible in the short amount of time. It's stressful, and it's certainly hard, but it works. If you really want to dive into a career in software development, App Academy may be the right place for you. But be prepared to put in the time and effort required to succeed.
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Jongmin Won
App Academy
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App academy was an awesome experience. You'll learn something new everyday and you'll be surrounded by driven and focused peers. The course is super fast paced and difficult (even compared to other bootcamps) so you'll find that on top of technical skills you'll also build on your time management and communication skills as well.
Indeed the course can be stressful at times but if you go into it with a positive attitude and an appetite for learning you'll succeed! -
Alex
App Academy is most challenging experience
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It was amazing full stack coding experience with Ruby, JS, SQL and CSS. You will learn a lot in a very short period of time. You would be expected to work 90 hours a week!
If 90 hours a week is to much for you don't even think about a/A. The huge curriculum combined with the fast pace. For me the best part was algorithms.
AppAcademy will challenge you with the speed and depth of learning. You would be expected to build a 100% full stack website by the end of the program, even if you don't know anything right now. Be ready, this is stressful. There are 6 different assessments during curriculum. If you miss two you will be dismissed. Please be aware that this an environment where, once you fall behind, there is no catching up. I believe this was the most challenging education in my life. -
Albert Shin
Total Immersion (thats a good thing)
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As a potential student, If you're worried about your knowledge of code after just 12 weeks, stop your doubts and come try out for App Academy! The help from all the staff as well as the immersion into the code that you experience will help guide you to becoming a very sound Full Stack Developer! Not only do you receive a lot of support from the staff, your fellow students are right there with ya throughout the duration of the program! 10/10 would recommend!
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Kelvin
The most intense three months of your life
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These past few months have been quite a journey. This bootcamp will push and challenge you in ways you didn't think were possible. I went from knowing little to nothing about programming to creating a full fledge application in under two months.
App Academy is very selective of their enrollees right from the start during the admission process. Although the experience differs for each student, it typically involves submitting a coding challenge on a few common problems once you're ready. If you make through that part, you have to endure a technical interview where you cover a few more problems live over Skype followed by a non-technical interview to assess what makes you a candidate for their program.
If accepted to the program, you go through an at-your-pace online alpha curriculum that covers the basics of programming before you start the bootcamp. The bootcamp covers three months of education: 8 weeks of the coding curriculum followed by 4 weeks of projects/job search curriculum. During the 8 weeks of coding curriculum, you will learning everything you need to know about the fullstack process from backend to frontend. Also, during these 8 weeks, you will be tested on your knowledge of the material every 1 to 1.5 weeks through an assessment. Failing two assessments will dismiss you from the program. Even the brightest of students fail an assessment. The assessments are there to help maintain the quality of students coming out of App Academy as well as provide structure for students.
The structure is something you cannot get out of learning the material on your own. It forces students to learn the material as well as learn how to learn new material as technology changes in the job market. Every day, you go through a lecture in the morning starting at 8 AM followed by programming (usually paired) till 6 pm. Every night you will have readings and homework. During the day, App Academy has a strike system that ensures you are focused on learning, being present and doing your homework. This is also another area that can get students dismissed if they accrue enough strikes. Despite all these challenges, the time you have at App Academy will be among the best in your life. You will make great friends who will be your network entering the job market. The staff is also very dedicated to ensuring you succeed in the job market as an eventual software developer. They're always on hand to help answer any questions you have about the material or the program. Nearly everyone on staff has also gone through the curriculum and know of its challenges. They have also seen the program work for many students.
Make no mistake, this program will push you. This program is not for everyone. Everybody comes to App Academy for a reason. Make sure your reason for attending is strong. If you are really interested in pursuing a career in programming and willing to go through pains and joys of learning to be a software developer, apply today for the program. It will change your life.
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Tom Hansen
Great App Academy Experience
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The crown jewel of app academy is its curriculum and structure. They provide you with the tools to learn everything and help when you're stuck, but are hands off enough that you can really pick things up yourself. Yes the course is arduous and stressful, but I believe that's by design. People tend to retain information more when they're stressed out, and the proof of that is show by how much everyone is able to absorb by the end of the 12 weeks. The job search curriculum is a great transition for students to move from a lot of structure, to less structure, to then no structure once the 12 weeks are officially. As a fresh graduate, I would definitely recommend app academy to aspiring developers.
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Scott
Good experience
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Before App Academy (a/A) I was in a field that made a fair amount of money but stressed me out and gave me little sleep. I was a hobbyist programmer that taught myself C++ and Objective-C but I knew that web development was something that I needed to know to succeed as a programmer. So I decided to start reading up on short web development programming schools. I applied and was accepted to each 'boot camp' I applied to--including a/A and Hack Reactor. I picked a/A because I was focused more on how well I perceived their job search support to be. At the time, I felt that I really wouldn't learn too much programming principals but instead learn some frameworks and syntax with whatever boot camp I applied to. Well I was wrong. I learned things like recursion and time complexity at a/A. I don't know how long it would have taken me to even know these things existed if I was learning solely on my own. They are very encouraging throughout the entire process, but especially during the job search. That's not to say they hold your hand throughout the process--you're expected to be a self-starter and ask questions if you're behind. They are more than willing to help, but you've got to ask questions. One thing that I had mixed feelings about was the attrition rate (or amount of people that either got kicked or left the program.) When I signed up the a/A website said attrition was around 5%, now it says it's around 10%. But for my cohort and the cohort before mine it was about 20%. For me, this is a risk that I would not have taken if I knew it was this high. It's 3 months without work and no security that you will be allowed to continue through the program unless you pass all 6 assessments. From my cohort most people that failed out failed either to not putting in the work or being overly stressed about it and either not getting any sleep or overthinking the solutions. Much of passing the tests are memorization. The positive to this is that they are very selective (3% admittance rate like the other top boot camps) but in contrast to the other boot camps this one will continue filtering out students that they feel aren't going to work out in programming where as others will just push them through it. This makes the a/A brand an extremely strong mark on your resume. Overall, I suggest attending this boot camp if you have confidence in your ability to program going into it, but perhaps take a few timed tests or join their Jump Start or boot camp prep program to see if you will cut it if you're unsure.
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Calvin
great experience
Im amazed at how quickly I was able to go from zero to hired in such a short amount of time. The app academy curriculum is well designed and the instructors are really helpful. Not only is the educational side good but they have great support and resources during the job search period. I would highly recommend a/A to anyone looking to make a career switch.
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John Rudell
App Academy
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App Academy has been one of the most rewarding and challenging experiences of my life. You are thrown in and kept on your toes everyday. There is no time to sleep. There is no time to do anything else other than App Academy. This can be daunting at first, but it is for a reason. If you slack, it shows and it will cost you. They want you to be the best you can be. Because of that, they push your limits, resulting in gaining a tremendous amount of skills in such a short time. You will be amazed at what you can do in just twelve weeks.
App Academy also strives for diversity. They are increasingly promoting ways to provide more accessible opportunities for groups underrepresented in tech and it shows.
I would highly recommend App Academy if you are down to fully immerse yourself for the next three months. Just remember to breathe.
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Christina
Empowering
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TLDR; Is it super hard? Yes. Is it worth it in the end? Yes.
App Academy has probably been one of the toughest things I've done in my life, and that says a lot considering my life. One of my cohort mates likened it to being accepted to Top Gun, you already have to be good, and now you get to find out just how good. Not only do you learn to code, you learn to code under intense pressure, and depending on the person, probably not much sleep either. It literally wears you down.
But, then you start to look back and realize just how much you know. All those tedious projects, all those tricky little lines of code pay off, and suddenly you have substantial projects that function. You learn not just the language, but the logic of creating data structures and some of the nuances to create more elegant code. It truly gives you the building blocks you need to be a competent software engineer in the shortest time possible.
On top of that, App Academy is, as far as I know, one of the most inclusive and diverse boot camps out there. They take an active and intentional role in fostering awareness of discrimination and bias, and try to ensure that it finds no place in their environment. There were readings and discussions that really opened my mind to the challenges I may face as a woman in tech, and some that helped me realize some of the things I had been through. I feel so much more prepared to try and find my place in tech because of that.
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Ramon C
Absolutely worth it!
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I was part of the November 2017 cohort and I have finished the intensive part of the course. It has been absolutely worth it! You learn a lot about programming and web development. This really struck me when my cousin, who recently graduated from Syracuse with a degree in Computer Science showed me his final project while I showed him mine (both web apps). It was clear I App Academy, in just 3 months has put me on a level that would take a traditional school 4 years to do.
The App Academy course is not easy! From the application process to the prep work and the course you will need to put in A LOT of time studying to be able to proceed. That said, it is not for everybody. You need to have the time commitement and the support from your friends and family as you will have absolutely no time for social commitements or anything else.
I highly recommend AppAcademy to anyone wanting to make a career change or wanting to gain more skills or considering getting a masters!
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Kegan Cunningham
"Worth it, for the dedicated"
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App Academy is just as difficult as they claim. You really will need to spend upward of 85 hours a week on your studies if you want to be successful, but if you have the time and the discipline then don't be scared away. I've had very, very little free-time over the past months, but in exchange I've gained an extremely valuable skill in less time than I could have imagined before beginning the program.
The instructors are top-notch. Everything in general is conducted extremely professionally, from the location and the building/amenities (I attended the NY branch), to the assessments and the projects. Before joining the program I was under the impression that I could have learned all of the same skills on my own, using free resources online. Looking back now, this miiiiight be possible, but it honestly would have taken me more than 10 times as long to do alone. Having the instructors on call, and the other students as pair-programmers was indispensable for me. Again, the program is totally worth it for those who are serious about becoming full-stack developers. But again, there is no hand-holding. If you think you can give it anything less than 90% of your time and attention, you will likely fail out.
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Abigail Hersh
Great course
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Attending App Academy has been an amazing and rewarding experience. I've learned so much more than I thought possible these past three months. It's a huge commitment, so be prepared to spend basically every waking moment thinking about code. You'll be dreaming about it too.
The course does a great job of making programming accessible to everyone, no matter your background. The staff are extremely supportive and accessible, so there's always help when you need it. You also end up having a wonderful support system from your peers, since you end up spending most of your time with them and you all share the same struggles.
I would definitely recommend App Academy to anyone who's willing to devote all of their time to code. If you fall behind at all it's really difficult to catch up, so make sure you're ready to dedicate all of your next three months to the program.
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Matthew
"Stressful but rewarding"
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There are definitely pros and cons to App Academy. The curriculum covers a ton of stuff, including many computer science topics that many other bootcamps do NOT go over, which definitely helps when looking for a first job and beyond. That being said, the course is not for everyone. It's an extremely rigorous and stressful course, which requires complete dedication to the work and topics being taught. A loss of focus could lead to being dismissed from the course. Overall though, the course has been very rewarding and in the end if you put in the work, it will pay off.
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Brendan H
Intense(ly cool)
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By the end of the course, you'll be coding websites that make you feel like a superhero, especially for those who struggle to understand what OOP is all about. Make no mistake - it is a commitment, it is intense, it will consume your life for twelve weeks, and it is a ton of pressure. AA admits that their course is designed to keep you on the edge of comfortability. But for this student, at least, it works, and I feel ready to jump into the world of web development.
The weakest part of the course is the written curriculum - it is new, and it suffers towards the end of the course. It can be dense and unforgiving to parse, especially for those with no background in computer science or for those struggling with the course generally. Thankfully, the excellent TAs and instructors will do their best to assist you.
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Brian S
Very intense, very rewarding
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tl;dr: It's 100% difficult and worth it. I came from an Arts background with 0 tech experience and now I know how to build fully functioning web applications and have the foundation for a career in software development.
Believe what you've read: App Academy is a very intense and rigorous curriculum that does not ever slow down, but on the other side you discover that you've learned more than you knew there was to learn, and you have the skills you need to start a career in software development.
Before App Academy, I was a musical theater performer and PR professional. I had ABSOLUTELY NO TECHNICAL OR MATHEMATICAL BACKGROUND and I felt like a fish-out-of-water. But, it didn't matter. It was one of the hardest things I've ever done, but I committed to the course and the curriculum and App Academy taught me a tremendous amount in a short time: much more than I could have ever taught myself. Even better: App Academy taught me how to continue learning about software development and new technologies for my future as a developer.
It cannot be said enough that the curriculum is super intense. It does not slow down, and you are often moving on to a completely different subject before you feel like you understand what you just learned. The Assessments are also real and can be very stressful: people do/will get dismissed from failing assessments. That being said, everything you learn builds on itself and if you can manage your stress, trust in the curriculum (seriously: trust it), and focus 100% of your time and energy for just 12 weeks you will have nothing to worry about.
Soft skills and pair programming are key. You will almost never work alone during the course. That might sound uncomfortable or daunting at first, but it can be really valuable to help you absorb all the new information and also to teach you to talk and think out loud about code and programming.
Be prepared to keep learning once you've finished too. App Academy will teach you what you need to start a career, but you will probably need to continue studying on your own afterward to make sure you understand everything you need to to find a job and have that career. There's a huge world out there of programming languages, algorithms, and CS concepts, but luckily App Academy teaches you how to learn on your own as well.
App Academy was a challenging experience, but worth every second.They took a musical theater kid with no tech background and turned him into a software developer. It's intimidating, but don't shy away from it. If you honestly want to make the shift to a career in programming App Academy can help you get there.
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Kevin M.
One of the best investments I've ever made
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App Academy is an investment in your future. With hard work and dedication you can get through the program and be qualified for a fantastic job. I found a job rather quickly after graduation, and although your mileage may vary, there is a very real demand in the computer science field. They will teach you the skills necessary to land a great job. It is a very rigorous 3 months however, so be prepared. If you have the right mindset and a dedicated attitude to learn you will be successfull here. Be prepared to start your day at 9am and end at midnight or close to it every weekday. Take homework seriously as it prepares you for the next day. Weekends don't leave much time for relaxation as you will most likely be studying intensely for an exam (it is very easy to fail an exam even if you understand the material, so don't underestimate them!). Exams are scheduled such that you usually can only study on the weekend right before. Basically you should pretend fun doesnt exist for 3 months - slacking would be dangerous.
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John Lugtu
A Great Experience
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At first, I was skeptical about Bootcamps in preparing someone to be ready for a Full Stack Development role in 13 weeks. But after the first week, I immediately knew choosing App Academy was the best choice for myself. The entire curriculum was thoroughly thought out, the instructors were excellent and knowledgeable, and the community is inclusive-oriented which made meeting amazing people from all walks of life a breeze. The curriculum is demanding, you will be tested, you will change, and you will find the program to be one of the most satisfying experience.
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Trung Vu
An intense, yet enjoyable experience
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I recently graduated from App Academy, and as the title said above, it was an intense but also enjoyable experience.
Background: I had very little to none coding experience before joining App Academy. I wasn't able to attend the Jump Start either and had to studied by myself with the onilne material they provided before taking the online technical challenge to get it. After that, there was a prep-course that we had to complete online before actually starting the co-hort. All to prepare us for the very intense 12-weeks program.
The program: Yes, it is intense, very. And no, it's not a scam, people do become "software developer" after the program. How good? It depends. You truly get out of it what you put in. For me, that was 12 weeks of little to none social activities. My daily routine was school at 9, and got home by around 9-10pm, or even later. Most of the time I felt behind, but so did most of my classmates. The reason for that was most of us have no CS background, and the course was very very intense. But we all helped each other to get through it and the TAs did the tremendous jobs of helping and supporting us as well. In short, you can think of it like: being 30lbs over-weight, and signing up for some 12-weeks programs that promise to get you lost that 30lbs + the 6 packs. Imagine the effore and commitment that you have to put in to get that result. Now multiply it by 10. You get the picture.
Pros: pair programming was one of my favorite experiences in the co-hort. Each day I got to pair with different memember in my class, and it all gave a different experience one way or another. TAs were also very helpful. And the materials were very well instructed.
Cons: not much, and it's very much personal or opinionated, so I won't lay out too much. But as much as I enjoyed Ruby, I think the industry is steering more toward Python now. The rest of the materials are still good and up-to-date, especially React and Redux.
Overall: would definitely recommend it to anyone. But if you think this is college-like, you may wanna reconsider. App Academy doesn't teach you everything. It does, however, teach you how to teach yourself everything.
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Matthew
One of the best decisions I've made
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Attending App Academy has been one of the most rewarding experiences I've had thus far, and I have not even started job hunting yet. If you attend, be prepared to drop pretty much everything else from your life for the duration of the program. Also be prepared that if you don't truly love programming, you may get burnt out during that time.
I'm truly amazed at how much I have learned in such a short period of time, and how hard I've been able to work to achieve that goal. As cheesy as it sounds, now that I've made it through the program, I feel as if any goals I have are achievable if I can muster this kind of work ethic.
There are certainly things about this program that could be improved. However i do like that as the course went on, and especially now in the job search curriculum, you become more and more independent as you learn how to teach yourself. Some people may feel they want more hands-on instruction, but I thought they provided a good balance.
I'll update this review during or after the job search if I feel differently.
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T Vu
October Cohort - 2017
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App Academy is an incredible and worthwhile experience. My background is in Liberal Arts, yet I was able to make it through the main curriculum. Meaning you can too, as long as you are willing to put in the effort and hours. Expect a challenge like no other, which can be overcome with helpful peers and the attentiveness of the staff.
I highly recommend this school, and I think you should check it out. -
Mike Salisbury
Worth the grit and grind!!
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If you are looking to get into web development/coding, look no further than App Academy!
The process begins with some very difficult technical coding challenges to even be admitted (I was recently told by some TA's that the coding challenges to get in are harder than those given by many companies!).
Once accepted, you'll spend a month mastering the prep work to get up to where you need to be for day 1 - THIS IS IMPORTANT!! If you do not have complete mastery of the prep material, you will fall behind!
Reading reviews and talking to graduates, they'll all tell you to be prepared to spend 100+ hours reading, writing, breathing code - impossible right? The truth is, you'll spend every waking hour dedicated to coding - you'll wish you had more time to prepare for an assessment or to finish a feature on a project. The curriculum is definitely challenging and will bring you to your breaking points - all of this is to push you further and to ensure you know what you're doing. Along the way, you'll meet 80 awesome students all in the same stage as you - and you'll be advised by some really cool and really knowledgeable TA's.
tl;dr
If you are looking to change careers and want to get into coding/web dev. make sure App Academy is at the top of your list to apply for - also be prepared to dedicate the entire next 3 months ( don't worry, your future is worth the sacrifice ;) ). -
Joe Tessy
Best Decision Ever
Choosing to go to app/Academy was the best decision I ever made. Within 7 months, I was able to acquire new skills, and start a new career in something I'm passionate about. a/A was the hardest, but most rewarding thing I've ever done. Thank you!
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Nicholas Edward Williams
App Academy: A Great Experience But Be Prepared
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Having just finished App Academy's main curriculum, I can say with confidence that this program is not for everyone. Although I was extremely engaged by the material, had a great time working with the TAs, and have met some great people in my cohort, it's clear that coding bootcamps, especially App Academy, demand a work ethic that not everyone is prepared for.
Be prepared to spend 12-14 hrs a day working on code (commuting time included). Be prepared to undergo serious pressure as failing assessments can lead to direct expulsion from the program. Be prepared to embrace the fact that there will be some concepts that will stump you into submission. Be prepared to sacrifice your life as you know it to succeed in this program.
Would I do it again? Definitely.
I came from a minimal coding background and my skills increased exponentially. I loved the curriculum and being in a pure learning environment--I thought of it like supercharged undergrad (having been on the quarter-system I was used to a faster pace).
Why I'm giving 4 stars: there is little to no diversity at all. I could count on two hand ALL students in my cohort who are queer, female, and/or of non-caucasian or non-Asian descent.Having grown up in the East Bay, I was shocked and discouraged by the lack of diversity in the classroom. It also became evident that most students came from educated, middle-class backgrounds and didn't have anything to lose by quitting their jobs to enroll in a coding bootcamp.
Coding bootcamps are a business, period. But I personally believe that because they advertise themselves as a sort of trade-school-esque-alternative to college, they should make an effort to market themselves to the communities that statistically enroll less in 4-year colleges: individuals from working-class backgrounds and select minority communities.
Bottom-line: the curriculum is fantastic, the people are great. just be prepared for a lot of work and a relatively sterile and uniform social environment for 3+ months. -
Alex Scott
Is it for you?
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If you have some coding experience and know that web development is the career for you, then absolutely enroll in a/A! The curriculum is incredible, and constantly being updated, meaning that when you graduate you’ll be well-positioned to land a job at one of the many companies who want to update their tech stack.
However, you get out what you put in... If you’re very motivated, and know that this is the career for you, then chances are you will put in the work and get the results. On the other hand, I would strongly advise against using a/A to “try out” coding as a career. You’ll just be taking up a spot that could be filled by someone more likely to succeed.
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Steven Stef
Best life decision!
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I have always been interested in development and prior to attending app/Academy I had been reconsidering going back to school. I had worked in many fields and hated most but wanted to make a change, I finally decided it was time for me to pursue my passion, developing apps. Still, I'm no spring chick and going back to school didn't seem like a valid option given time and financial constraints - thus enter app/Academy.
In my 12 weeks at app/Academy I truly learned more than I thought would be possible. Having gained the knowledge and resources in such a short amount of time has been an invaluable experience. The staff is incredible and super helpful, the curriculum structure is seemingly perfect and the pace is non-stop. When we were warned that it would be challenging they weren't kidding. I will say if you are ready for this, are willing to dedicate your life to it for 3 months, and are excited to make a change, this can also be easily one of the best experiences of your life as well! I am looking forward to my my new career as a software developer, thanks to a/A!
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Yawn
Graduated and Hired
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I'll start with some background because I remember reading these before I started a/A and wished people gave more thorough backgrounds. I have a B.A. in Chemistry (class of 2015) from a state university and I was working as a Research Assistant before doing a/A, I had little experience in programming before attending the program. I graduated from a/A at the end of August and was given my first offer which I accpeted in early November as a Full Stack Software Engineer in SF.
I couldn't have accomplished my goals in the time line I did without a/A and the people I met through a/A. The curriculum is great and so are the people that you will meet during your time at a/A, there are a lot of bright aspiring people that are excited to make the change just like you so it provides a great environment for learning. It is an intense course, but thats what you're signing up for, you wouldn't get the same results without it, but its doable.
The hardest part for me and what I was always worried about was the job search (it sucks... bad). But thats how job searches are, a/A will set you up with a good foundation resume / cover letter and application strategy (and a job fair where a few companies come out every few months) but thats about as good as it gets, its up to you for the most part. Just know from the start there is going to be a lot of rejections (350+ apps, 14 phone screens, 1 onsite / offer for me). You just can't give up, theres a lot of jobs out there, you just have to meet the bar for a company to give you an offer.
It's ok (and normal IMO) to feel skeptical about bootcamps especially at this time when some have gone out of business. The more technical you are (STEM majors, especially engineering or math majors) the easier it will be to pick up the material and find a job, but if you don't have a STEM degree that doesn't mean it isn't going to work out but its going to be more difficult and stressful.
All in all, if you know you want to do this, you can, but this is going to be your life for 5-10 months.
I'll also say the friends I made helped me a lot through a/A, its a stressful time and having people around to break the stress of the curriculum and job search was essential for me.
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Nixon YIu
12 weeks at app academy
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Coming from a non technical background, it was a very tough 12 weeks for me. Thankfully all the Teaching Assistants are passionate about making sure we learn the material and become software engineers. The curriculum is very well rounded, covering Ruby, JS, SQL, and much more. The aspect I like most App Academy is the environment and culture. Everyone wants to learn and is also eager to share the knowledge he/she has. At the end of the 12 weeks I was surprised by how much I have learned grown. But most importantly I made some great friends along the way.
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t
You Learn a Lot
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The intensity of App Academy is well reported at this point. The reviews you read are mostly true - certain weeks it is reasonable to expect to spend 90+ hours on your computer. That said, you learn a lot and you learn without realizing just how far you've come, which is cool. The staff is excellent and approachable and the curriculum is well thought out. My main complaint with the program is that you are treated like a child, which might be helpful for some but I found irritating. You are required to submit daily reports on your progress with questions like "what did you learn today", which are never responded to unless you appear to be struggling (i.e. failing an assessment). Additionally, you'll have to check in three times a day by clicking a little button you can only access while on the a/A network. These are minor things but they seem like needless added stress to me.