App Academy

I started with App Academy's boot camp prep, and it was WELL worth the money as someone who had no coding experience.  The boot camp itself was tough and stressful, but the instructional staff are amazing and supportive.  I always felt like I had the help I needed to succeed, and I feel confident about entering the industry, despite an unrelated background.  Highly recommend it! Read less

If you're looking for a structured program that pushes you harder than you could ever push yourself, this is it.

Pros:
- Daily projects to practice the concepts you learn
- TAs to help you along the way
- Three major projects for your portfolio towards the end of the course
- Your cohort-mates are just as motivated as you so it's a really good environment to be in

Cons:
- They move through the material really fast and it always feels like you never completely learn everything (which is expected I guess, given the amount of info taught in such a short amount of time
- There are weekly assessments - two fails result in a dismissal, which adds a lot of stress in addition to the course load
- They mean it when they say 'expect to work 80-90+ hours a week'. Read less

Overall, i really loved my time at a/A. The TA's are amazing, and really are there to see you succeed. But keep in mind they are app academy graduates (they are all very intelligent) so if you're going to ask a question outside of the scope of the curriculum don't always expect an answer, but i promise you if they don't know they will do there best to get back to you with an answer. This is not bad though because as a software engineer you'll always have to figure stuff out on your own and thats totally ok. My only real criticism of App Academy is not allowing you to use laptops in lecture. Honestly it bothered me more than it should but it definitely took me and my attention away from lectures, as i suck at taking notes. Just imagine trying to follow along to dry code while watching someone give you a lecture Redux. The days i got away with having my laptop in lecture, i was completely focused took incredible notes in notion, and learned a bunch. The days i didn't which was most, i didn't pay attention, i slacked off, and made up for it during pair programming and at night, which was super annoying. If you cant tell already it really bothered me.

When it comes to the curriculum, there are parts I definitely disagree with but overall they jam pack you with more than you'll ever be able to grasp all at once. Which is excellent. From high level algorithms to LRU Cache, and hashing functions, to understanding the foundations of a MVC framework. They definitely need to teach hooks in React though, and get away from only teaching class Components. It's out of date, compile rate is way slower and the industry is staying away from class Components, unless its dealing with error handling. They need to teach less ruby and more React. Ruby is a really beautiful but also a really easy language. The amount of time they focus on it is probably better spent elsewhere.

Job Support so far is alright, everything seems to out of order though. Not sure where to go or what to do most times. The lectures are way too long and could be shortened by 2/3, or a simple email.

Im being very critical right now, but thats because these were the things i wish i knew before i went into App Academy. Do i regret joining? Hell No!!
Did i meet some amazing people that ill be friends with forever? Yes!!!! Did i learn a lot? YES!! Can they improve? Yes! are they the best bootcamp youll get. Also YES!

Read less

They call it a bootcamp for a reason: App Academy is tough, but you've got this. 

I started a/A with a background in the arts. My experience in coding was pretty much limited to a few Arduino loops and some sine wave generation I had learned once, in a class in college, 10 years ago. 16 weeks later, just as they said I would, I have the skills to build fully functional and stylish web applications, with knowledge of roughly a dozen or so languages and APIs. It was great! That said, as I've mentioned, it was tough; mentally, physically and emotionally, just all around exhausting. 

If you are considering a/A, definitely think it over, don't just jump into it.  If you have family who will be around/helping during your time in the program, talk it through with them as well because it can be hard for them too. You might not get to see them as much as you'd think because the days run long. And you will most likely have a few bad days and it's good to let them know that's a possibility. Keep your communication open. 

Despite the toughness and frustrations that come with a program like this it is worth it. And a/A has a fabulous staff who really does have your back. They encourage and prop you up when you are down from day one to the end. 15 weeks in I had a major breakthrough and I sent a message to one of my main counselors saying "It's the first time in 15 weeks that I've felt like I've got this". Their response was "regardless of how you felt in the past 14 weeks, you've always got it!" I can't thank them enough, the technical help they provided was great, the compassion was priceless. 

If you are interested in coding and you need a place to start App Academy is a great place for it.  Read less

What you get is what you put into it. I definitely learned a lot at App Academy, and going in with a month of programming knowledge, over the 16 weeks of this course I've learned much more than I ever imagined. However, the experience is extremely draining - mentally, physically, and emotionally. Be prepared to spend 10-12 hour days studying/working/commuting because that is what a coding bootcamp is. 

Pros: I learned a lot from the curriculum and the daily pair programming. TAs were very friendly, understanding, and willing to help. My classmates were warm, hard-working, and bright and I am happy to call many of them friends. You will come out of the program with 3 projects, a good understanding of the job market at an entry level but most importantly you will learn HOW to learn to code and find resources and work through problems on your own because there is so much to learn, especially starting from scratch. 

Cons: Lectures seemed very shallow and time-consuming and not the most helpful beyond a surface level overview. TA to student ratio was not the best and so at times it took a while for a question to be answered. Job search curriculum is generic and arbitrary deadlines are annoying to deal with when working on several other projects at the same time. Struggling through projects is difficult as you are not taught everything you need to know but also rewarding when you are able to learn and solve problems on the fly. Read less

I had a wonderful experience at App Academy. TA's were very knowledgable and supportive. I highly recommend. The curriculum was quite rigorous and has definitely been the most challenging yet rewarding experience of my life. Anyone looking to join a bootcamp should apply here. Read less

App Academy was a great experience for me. The teaching staff were very knowledgable and were quick to answer questions. The program really does take 60 - 80 hours a week to get the full experience, it is very hard work but well worth it in the end. The support they provide to help you as you learn new languages and frameworks to building new projects to showcase abilities and eventually guide you through the job search has been very solid. Overall a positive experience, but if you can't handle stressful deadlines and costly tests I would opt for a more relaxed and fleshed out program. Read less

Make no doubt of it, going through App Academy does actually require the rigor and work they warn you about. I had no idea I was capable of handling the amount of work and material taught, and as we got deeper into the program, I absolutely felt the stress that came with it. However, if you go through with the program, keep your head up and do the work you should, App Academy teaches you a lot, and tries their best to keep you job ready.

PROS:
Tons of information, some explained very indepth, some not so much.
Help from TAs.
Interesting projects, helped apply the technologies we'd learnt.

CONS:
Not allowed to use laptops to take notes... for a coding bootcamp...
Not nearly enough TAs to student ratio, especially when that help is a big part of their program
Personally feel like the Javascript portion should've been longer, and Ruby could have been shortened - even an extra week or two for JS would've worked great

Read less

It is an intense bootcamp, and you do learn a lot in 16 weeks, especially if you come into the bootcamp without prior programming experience. There are minimal breaks and you are expected to work over the weekend, and many do get burnt out towards the end, so the schedule could use a little restructuring. If you are an extremely self-motivated person, you may be able to learn the course material online by yourself, but the main benefit of the course is the wonderful team of TAs fostering a positive team environment, the constant collaboration with pair programming, and the invaluable friendships and connections you build along the way. Read less

I attended aA from December 2019 through March 2020, doing the full stack curriculum. This curriculum teaches you how to program from scratch starting with Ruby, then SQL, Ruby on Rails, Javascript and finally React & Redux. I came into this program with prior programming experience, so the first month of so was basically review to me while most of my peers were learning the basics of programming.

I can say that I came away from this course as a better programmer, and fully equipped with the tools necessary to find a job as a software developer. The pace is very fast - you're learning something new every day. It ramps up in speed - we spent the first month working with Ruby, and at the end we went through the Javascript curriculum in only a week. The pair programming experience is great - 95% of my classmates were there to learn and were motivated. You'll be doing pair programming for 10 weeks with a new person everyday, so at the end of it you make some pretty good friends and networking connections out of it. 95% of the stuff you learn is useful; you end up using most of it for the 3 projects at the end that you are required to do. The instructors are great and all of them are there to help you succeed and do better.

I am currently in the job search curriculum portion, where I get lectures on topics such as networking, writing cover letters and resumes, and interviewing. After I graduate, I will be working with a career coach from App Academy for upwards of a year until I find a job. Once you graduate, it doesn't stop - they expect you to spend 8 hours a day, 40 hours of week working on finding a job. If you work better with imposed deadlines, then this is immensely helpful as it prevents you from procrastinating.

Overall - I think that the program is worth the value in tuition. I would recommend payment upfront rather than the deferred model, since you pay less and there's less pressure to find a job after you graduate. But if you like that sort of pressure, then maybe the second option is better for you after all. If I could do it over, I'd definitely attend App Academy again.

Read less

There's certainly a reason they call it a bootcamp. App Academy is intense. It will consume your every waking moment for a full sixteen weeks. But that's a small price to pay for the incredible gains you'll make along the way. In sixteen weeks, I went from knowing almost nothing about coding to building two full stack projects and a JavaScript project that would have seemed impossible at the beginning of the course. My career coach also helped me craft a social media presence and resume that reflect my new skills, and I formed enduring friendships with my classmates that I hope will last a lifetime. Read less

My experience at App Academy was great! I had so much fun learning how to code and am grateful for this life-changing experience! Like many of the online sources say, it IS really challenging. In the 3 months that you dedicate to App Academy, it is essentially the only thing that you can focus on. However, it is very rewarding in the end and you gain so much knowledge in such a short amount of time. Here are some personal tips and key points that I picked up from my experience at App Academy (Please note that this is from MY experience, and people accomplish/approach things in different ways):

1. App Academy is challenging, but not INSANELY challenging. In my experience, I was able to keep up with App Academy's curriculum while maintaining some social/personal life. Other people say that they dedicate every day, every hour, every minute to App Academy (which is fine), but I felt that there was more free time than initially expected. I would be able to spend my Saturdays and sometimes Sundays doing social/personal stuff, and I honestly felt that this was needed.

2. SLEEP is important. The instructors at App Academy can't stress this enough either. I think the thing that kept my stress level low and made my experience enjoyable was the fact that I forced myself to sleep with my regular schedule (I slept at 10:30pm and woke up at 7:30am everyday). I never felt tired during the working hours and I was still able to keep up with the curriculum.

3. You have to put in the effort to maintain this healthy lifestyle. The only reason why I was able to have fun on the weekends and get 8-9 hours of sleep everyday was the fact that I worked hard during the working hours. It's just as they say - work hard, play hard. If you actually pay attention during the lectures and actually put in your effort during the projects, you'll be able to absorb the information better, especially if you're not tired or stressed. My previous advice isn't to show that App Academy is easy, it's to show that there is a way to maintain good health and a happy lifestyle while going through the rigorous curriculum.


Read less

App Academy stands out from the other NYC area bootcamps because of its tuition guarantee: your costs are forgiven if you don't secure a full time job in one year. To me, that level of confidence in the program convinced me to give them a chance, and it was well worth it.

Prepare to enter a demanding, yet nurturing environment composed of students and instructors who train you to overcome your personal hurdles and transform yourself into a competitive software engineer. There is no hand-holding here: you will be dismissed if you fail more than two assessments, and you'll need the self-discipline to keep up with the curriculum. However, your classmates will be there to cheer you on, and you'll experience the pride and joy of completing a full-stack project and a JavaScript project all by yourself.

I do wish that the curriculum had taught a different tech stack when I attended (Ruby on Rails isn't very hip these days), and the school's connections to the tech industry could be a little better. The school is improving itself though, and I credit it for helping me land a very good software engineering job. Read less

Sounds too good to be true when you first hear about the program, but I was desperate when I popped in. The definition of a hole-in-the-wall. I got the software in-track course and wow... it was good. A classic boot camp done right. Crisp Rails, juicy Ruby, stuffed with the essentials (job coach, TA's, and etc.). Just do it! Read less

What I respect the most about AppAcademy is that the curriculum is continuously being developed, and it is teaching me new materials even after graduation. The instructions are easy to read, and the projects are aimed to teach. It is a hard program where everyone was sleep-deprived and pushed to do better all the time. But by the end of the course, we were eating and breathing codes. Now when you graduate, don't expect the companies to come to your door with offers. You will need to write and keep updating your cover letter and work on your website and projects. Send many many applications every day and embrace the rejections. There will be back to back interviews that bear no fruit. But just like the course, you will be able to get through with the support from your cohort and App Academy career coaches. Good luck!

Read less

App Academy gave me the foundation and programming skills to creatively build applications.   I have come a long way in just 16 weeks as a software developer.   Not only, does App Academy prepare you to become a full fledged software developer, the rigorous course and project based learning heightens your confidence as a transitioning individual into the tech world.   Read less

App Academy is known as one of the top coding bootcamps in the country and for good reason. The curriculum is stringent and top-notch. It is a very selective process to even get into the program and when you do the intensity only increases from there. It is a bootcamp after all. This bootcamp is probably the equivalent of the Navy Seals or Green Berets bootcamp but for your programming skills (and your mental capacity).
Most of the stress comes from having to pass 6 assessments in order to stay in the program. They range from topics like basic sort and search algos in Ruby and JS to SQL queries and Rails backend basics. I liked the intensity and learned a lot from the weekend study sessions and nightly homework. I cannot imagine another bootcamp having better, more informed, and brilliant Technical Assistants (teachers) than AA.
Finally, once you struggle through your final projects (building a full-stack application) and learn a ton from this process, you enter the job search curriculum. App Academy is just as stocked with good strategies for landing a well-paying job. Despite me not having the best projects and it being the Christmas / New year holidays, I managed to get some good traction with recruiters and hiring managers to land some interviews and ultimately get a job offer early in the new year. If you can make it through the 3 months of intense technical curriculum, then getting a job is relatively easy, especially in a market like NYC. If you don't mind being uncomfortable in order to grow and be pushed to your limits, this is the place for you.
I would highly suggest this bootcamp for anyone thinking of doing this type of thing. Read less

I am incredibly grateful to have gone through App Academy. I went from almost no knowledge of coding to being able to build a full web app within a matter of months. Here are some key takeaways:
- The 40 hours per week of class-time can seem daunting at first, but they do a good job of splitting the time between lecture and pair programming. You usually see people saying it takes 80-100 hours commitment per week, but I'd say 70 hours per week is more accurate if you are good at managing your time and staying focused
- I think a lot of students have mixed feelings about the amount of pair programming we do. Although it is definitely not the most efficient way to code, it really teaches you how to communicate your thought process well and learn to be open to others' ideas
- The student to TA ratio is fantastic. If you aren't too proud to ask for help, you have all the resources you need to succeed
- My main criticism is the breakdown of time spent learning different languages. We spent 4 weeks learning Ruby, but had only 1-2 weeks of instruction on any other language or framework. During our final projects we were expected to learn a new framework over the course of a weekend with minimal to no guidance from the instructors. Of course, you can't learn everything there is to know about coding in only 4 months, so they tend to focus more on practical application rather than theoretical knowledge or deeper understanding of the material Read less

The good : 
There is an established culture of cooperation, empathy, and inclusion. The curriculum includes materials on issues such as discrimination and monoculture, which was unexpected and welcome.

You will meet interesting people from a variety of backgrounds and the pair coding establishes genuine connections quickly.

Curriculum feedback is listened to and I found the instructors truly care and try to adjust their teaching styles to accommodate different students.

The bad :
Assessments require a lot of memorization, so you have to choose whether to study to understand or to burn all the time you have doing repetitions.

A lot of lectures are done via project coding demo in a lecture hall, but devices aren't allowed so you cannot code along or put notes where you don't understand something. Once you're lost it's all a blur.

When the formal instruction curriculum is finished, you're pretty much on your own. The instructors do their best, but they are vastly outnumbered. The size of the classes has exploded since we got here. There are several of them for 150+ students, it can take ~4 hours to get a question answered.

The handoff from formal instruction to career search and projects felt discombobulated- weeks in limbo without knowing when coaches would be assigned, confusion about who to talk to for scheduling medical appointments, etc. It may be they are short-staffed, as well.

Individual experience notes : 
Ask for monitor risers or ergonomic equipment when you need it. It's many many long days and your neck and shoulders and wrists are important. Monitor yourself for burnout, especially when you start coding 70+ hours a week. Read less