App Academy

It's a rough course and curriculum, but you get what you put in. Passing assessments and such does not mean you are geared towards success. It's going be difficult even past the 12 weeks of curriculum that they advertise, but they offer full support to everyone who has successfully passed the course and in job hunting. App Academy gives you a very strong foundation to work off of, but you still need to go that extra mile to be successful. Despite the challenging curriculum, it is a fair curriculum if you take the bootcamp seriously and treat as more than just a full-time job.

​Not for the faint of heart or limited of drive, but if you're looking for a program to teach you a whole lot about coding in not a lot of time, you could certainly do a lot worse. The staff is technically minded and eager to help and the deferred payment model aligns company goals with your success, but the hours are long and the processes can be exceedingly grueling at times. If you are considering a coding boot camp, put App Academy up at the top of that list.

If you are looking to get into a bootcamp but want to work on your coding skills first, I can also recommend their bootcamp prep course (either online or in-person). It will provide you some good coding fundamentals that will definitely give you a leg up, wherever you end up (it certainly did for me).

App Academy was a really great experience. It's crazy to think how much I've learned in so little time. I learned more in the first couple weeks here than i did in months of learning on my own. It is very pair-programming focused, which really helps you develop the ability to talk about code and effectively communicate your technical thoughts. The people here are all awesome too.

App Academy really focuses on the skills you need to become a front-end developer. There is not a ton of theory taught, it is more applications based. The skills you will learn here are still very relevant for all of web-development, but just know you will be learning more front-end skills. 

By the end of your time here, you really will be able to build your own applications, and do things you never thought you'd be able to 10 weeks prior. It is not easy, but if you like coding, it is honestly fun. Being able to geek out all day with other people rather than at home struggling to figure things out alone makes this a great experience. Just make sure when you start here you are prepared to put a ton of work in so that you can get the most out of it!

This program is a lot of work. A standard day consists of a lecture in the morning, pair programming with new material during the day, and studying for the next day's material at night. There are weekly assessments, which if you fail two, you may be asked to leave the program. As such weekends are spent primarily studying for those assessments. A lot of the curriculum is provided as reading material or videos which you solo study over night.

This program isn't for everyone and if the above doesn't sound right for you, then this may not be the program for you.

If the above does sound good and you're willing to put in the time and effort, then App Academy is the best way to become a software developer. The curriculum is up-to-date and relevant for the industry, TAs and fellow students are available for support and assistance, and a/A provides an environment that allows you to focus on learning the material. If I'd tried to learn all of this on my own it would have taken me far more time and there's no way I would have been able to stay this focused on the material.  

Overall attending App Academy was a great decision for myself and I appreciate everything I was able to learn in such a short amount of time.

Going into App Academy, I heard good things about it, but I was not sure how it would impact me for the future. 12 weeks later, and I could see why App Academy is one of the best bootcamps in America. They have such a structured curriculum and great organization that feels top notch. From the lectures to content that they provide to the TA's that help out, a/A had something for me whenever I needed help.

So if you any of you have any different opinions about considering this place, I would say try it! I am glad I switched careers and going into development. It's not for the light hearted, and I would recommend that you should only do this if you have a passion for this field. It won't be easy, but in the end, you will thank yourself later. 

tldr: It's worth if you're willing to put in the work. The curriculum and TA's are pretty top notch. You will learn a LOT in a short period of time.

There are many reviews here already, so I'll do a FAQ thing for some of the questions I had when I was applying.

1. Is it really 90 hours per week worth of work?
Yep, at least for many of us. People's experiences here range from never programmed before app academy to having actual software development experience (rare). But I think it's safe to say for the majority of us, it took up all of our time during the week and (for me) weekends.

2. How to succeed?
Work hard. Come study in the office if you can, that way you can ask other people questions. Ask questions from TA's, your cohort-mates, etc.. Ask questions.

3. What are the students' backgrounds?
Most people fall in between professionals looking for a career change, or people straight out of college who decided they didn't want anything to do with their major. Everyone who made it through are extremely hard-working and smart.

4. What do you mean "made it through"?
You can be dismissed by failing too many assessments. It does put a tremendous amount of stress on the students, however, I feel like I wouldn't have been as motivated as I was without the assessment stress. I do wish they would change the assessment structure to be more project-like though.

5. Can I learn this stuff on my own? Aren't there tons of free material online for this?
Extremely difficult, impossible in this short amount of time (for me at least). The free resources that I used seemed to go from doing for loops to "hey now go make a project". It's very easy to run into a bug or a question that you can't figure out when learning on your own. It's also very easy to give up. You won't have TA's to ask questions or give you feedback. When I was trying to learn this on my own, it was like running through a wall. At least at a/A, you got like 60 other people running through the same wall with you and the TA's to help.

The instructors Alvin & Chase are simply amazing, they both deliver the material in a way where you can get understand it through plain english. Over the four weeks in Bootcamp prep, I was really insecure about my coding skills but towards the end it was a great boost to help me be confident in the way I asess problems. I really recommend this program if you're really serious about your career and getting into any bootcamp. a/A rocks!

This is a great course to take if you'd like extra preparation before applying to the various programming bootcamps out there, but it's especially helpful when applying to App Academy.

The course is structured so that you get a sense of what the fullstack immersive program is like. There are assessments every Monday and Friday, and pair programming is a big part of the curriculum; you are given problem sets to work on with a newly assigned partner almost everyday. App Academy's immersive program is heavily pair-programming oriented, which is something that I really look forward to, so I love the fact that Bootcamp Prep gave us a sense of what that will be like. 

I would also recommend this course to anyone who just wants to learn the fundamentals of the JavaScript programming language. The course is four weeks long, and by the very end you will feel comfortable enough with your knowledge of JS to take what you've learned and apply it elsewhere. 

I participated in the Boot Camp Prep course by App Academy. I had no coding experience before I started the program. Now, I am on my way to learning javascript and hopefully gaining admission to a highly selective coding Bootcamp.

Instructors, Alvin and Chase were very helpful and even stayed after class to answer questions from students.  They care about their students and want us to be successful. The course moves fast and major effort is required for success.

Access to AppAcademy is limited outside of class time, so it is importaint that students find a distraction free place to study and reliable internet while taking the course.  The money back guarantee makes me feel safe to learn a valuable new skill.

Coming into the course I knew I had an interest in programming, but was unsure if I would be able to keep up knowing that I had zero coding experience prior to starting the course. These concerns dissapeared soon after beginning the Bootcamp Prep course. Our instructor, Alvin, did an excellent job of making sure each concept was fully understood before moving on to the next topic. It is extremely important that you understand why a certain solution works, and they did a great job of breaking down problems and solutions line by line. I had no idea that I would be able to learn so much in such a short period of time, and I can honestly say I am leaving the course confident in my ability to get into a top programming bootcamp. The course was challenging and rewarding. They are not lying when they say you are going to have to dedicate a lot more time than the two hours per day in class in order to get the most from the course, but if you take this on as a challenge you should have no problem spending time outside of class improving your skills. I would definitely recommend App Academy Bootcamp Prep to anyone considering a career in programming.

When I started looking at different boot camps I was already taking online open courseware classes. There were three main things I was looking for that I could not get self-teaching. The first was coding with other people - App Academy focuses heavily on pairing and you will pair for the majority of the day every single day for the first seven weeks. The second factor was having people actually look at and critique my code, as online code checkers really tell you nothing about code quality, only code correctness at best. This was addressed with pairing, TA code reviews, lectures on best practices, and studying the provided daily solutions. Lastly, I knew that I would seriously need help in the job search. This was the real kicker, as App Academy's tuition model of paying a percentage of your first year's salary really gave me confidence that I would be supported and pushed throughout the job search process. I'm happy to say that really was exactly my experience. On my own, I never would have pushed myself to apply so quickly and to so many places, but with App Academy's support I ended up nabbing a Software Engineer position I am super excited about in almost exactly three months after starting to apply, which is the average time. The stats are real! (Salary stats, too)

Overall I was very impressed with the structure of the program, so much is really thought through in advance. The admission process mirrors job search, and the tests serve not only to ensure you keep up with the pace but also are great preparation for timed coding challenges in interviews. I would definitely suggest studying a lot in advance and making sure you are strong in your fundamentals. The provided a/A material is really the bare minimum, I took CS50x and MIT 6.001x and would highly recommend them. If you are not prepared for the first weeks it is nearly impossible to catch up and I would say most people who fail out do so because they were not sufficiently prepared. Also, if you have sufficient time, I would recommend spending some time to learn algorithms in advance as you will have a ton of things on your plate during job search.

Truthfully, App Academy was one of the best decisions I personally have ever made - I feel very lucky to have attended. I am writing this days after having just accepted a job offer - the program really helped launch me and get me to this point, without a doubt. I attended a San Francisco cohort in 2016; I chose the program because I got the gut feeling it would be quite challenging and super high-quality, and this proved to be true. It is very hard work, and requires continuous persistence. Simultaneously, though, it was some of the most fun I ever had - you not only create a network, but more importantly you are simply taking a plunge into something new with a lot of bright people who are also starting this journey with you. I don't think I met one person who was really "cutthroat", everyone is eager and willing to help one another; this says a lot about a/A's screening process. 
If you are reading this, a big concern you may need addressed is the tuition model and if this is "too good to be true". It is not. I paid my $5000 deposit, then App Academy invested a ton of time, energy, and resources into me until I found my job, several months after the program ended. They mean it when they say they are invested in you for the long haul. I feel like they believed in me and stuck with me, honestly. They were more than willing to work with me on my re-payment structure, because frankly after several months of searching your finances inevitably dwindle. BOTTOM-LINE: App Academy just doesn't want to get screwed, and you don't want to screw App Academy. They are a business and need to get paid, but they have mercy and understand your situation. Again, I just ended my job search so this is all fresh in my mind - trust me when I say a/A is a wise decision.

A fantastic way to break into learning how to code. I had a great experience in this program. You aren't simply fed material to memorize to pass a test or interview. The curriculum and classroom environment are very much centered around making sure you understand the material. 

One of the best things about the bootcamp was the instructors. The instructors were clearly knowledgable and passionate about programming. Also lectures were engaging, which is very important when trying to learn some of the more complicated material. The course not only provides a massive amount of practice problems, but also many resources to study to continue learning long after you have graduated.

Overall, it was a very pleasant experience. I grew very much as a person and as a student programmer. I am also proud to say that this program assisted me in being accepted into App Academy! 

For anyone who is trying to become a programmer, I can't recommend this course enough.

I chose to attend App Academy because they have one of most competitive admission processes in Bay Area and they help with the job search. The whole process took me almost a year (study for getting into, curriculum part, find a job).

I think the curriculum is structured very well, so you are learning new concepts step by step. Every day you are paired with different students for building new projects. Pair programming helps you to get a sense of working environment and get feedback on how you're doing.

I would recommend being overprepared during each and every step of App Academy - prep work, curriculum, assessments, algorithms, job search - overkill everything.

I just finished my job search and I'm pretty happy with results. App Academy worked out 100% for me.

App Academy was definitely a life changing experience. And I'm glad it was my first real exposure to code. But honestly having gone through several Udacity courses and Flatiron's immersive, it was the least helpful in me acquiring my position. 

The curriculum seemed oversimplified in comparison to the learning platforms I approached (including the other boot camp). But in all fairness. App academy will work for you if you've really struggled with programming before. The resources are all there to help you succeed. As long as you use them. 

My only complaint is with job placement. Although you do get an opportunity to attend the job fair, if you're not perfectly prepared to deal with the pressures of technical interviewing right away, it seems like nobody believes in you afterwards. 

Program was first intimidating but it helped me building up my tolerance for working longer hours. My turn-around point for me was after the 3rd week. That was when I realized keeping a schedule is a MUST. If possible, put your personal life on hold and put aA as your #1 priority. The amount of material to be learned demands such a schedule. As far as the subjects covered, they are some of the most marketable programming skills nowadays. I learned Ruby, Rails, JavaScript, and etc (just to name a few).

Again, it is hard but it is also very rewarding. If you dedicate your best effort into this program, you should not fail.

I signed up in July 2016 for the online bootcamp. The initial lessons were easy to grasp but as the course progressed I could not keep up. 

The latter lessons were confusing and too fast-paced. I have a biology degree and could barely understand what the instructors were talking about. 

I tried the online tutoring, but in the time alloted, only got 1 or 2 questons answered. In addition to having the tutor flirting with me.

By November 2016, I had tried the mock interview twice, and failed miserably. I reached out to them in December 2016, in regards to retaking the course in person. I was even willing to pay another $2000. They said they would reach back to me, and to this day I have never received a reply....

I am dissapointed I spent $2000, in good faith, and did not even get a response. They took my money and left me to my own devices, essentially.

I would not recommend the bootcamp to anyone. It was a very negative experience overall, and one of the most unprofessional situations I have encountered in my adult life. 

I have since given up becoming a software engineer, due to feeling duped and mislead, and will likely never pursue it again. I am now leery of anything promising such and such, but then asking for thousands of dollars upfront.

Anyone not already in Computer Programing, save your time and money and learn on your own or go to an actual university!

App academy creates a pretty miserable culture in which all of the students are afraid of getting kicked out. I was substantially anxious every single day of this program, and it honestly did not make me more productive. In addition to high pressure assessments, they have an absurd and unnecessary strike system that just adds a little extra daily misery to your life. The physical space of their New York location is overcrowded, and they seem to have not adjusted their teaching style while recently doubling their cohort size. When you are in the project phase of the curriculum, a new cohort will have started, and almost all of the instructors' attention will be on the new cohort, so plenty of students finish the exhausting curriculum only to find that they aren't even satisfied with the portfolio projects that will be central to their job hunt.

I learned a lot, but as someone who has taught at the college level before, I know that there is no justification for treating students in this manner. It doesn't improve results. It brings out bad student behavior, and when combined with all of the social forces already shaping the tech industry, contributes to creating a hostile environment for women and minorities.

I think that their tuition model helps them justify treating their students poorly. Everyone thinks at first "App Academy isn't charging me tuition, so I'm lucky to be here no matter what!" But then you rememer that you paid a $5k deposit, and you will eventually pay many thousands more, and that maybe, just maybe, we should expect to be treated like humans by educational institutions.

The curriculum here really pushes you. There is a good blend of core CS concepts with practical applications. The daily flow involves pair programming, working on one- or two-day projects, starting off with console games and moving into web-based applications. The full-stack capstone project really pushes you to synthesize everything you have learned and present it in a visually appealing way. There is a good spirit of camaraderie among the students and the TA's are ready to help and share their experience. I sometimes thought I wouldn't be able to do it, but by the end, I found myself succeeding beyond my own expectations.