BrainStation Reviews
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Anonymous
It’s a scam
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I quit my job to go through the UX design bootcamp as I had a scholarship offer by BrainStation and was optimistic but nearing the end they decided that my projects which I had spent essentially every minute of my time throughout the 3 month program were not good enough (even tho they were) and refused to grade appropriately. My entire class was shocked to hear that they wouldn’t allow me complete the last project and we all noticed how condescending some of the educators were throughout the program. The person grading my work is a TA with no experience in ux design. The lead educator is honestly a bit of a con artist, don’t submit any idea you value. The academic advisor does not have your interests in favour, they just care about their money. Mind you I studied neuroscience at a reputable university and I’d say I’m quite competent and my ideas were well executed and skills well demonstrated throughout the bootcamp. I noticed some off putting behaviour by the educators towards two mothers attending the bootcamp as they were struggling with balancing their schedules. I would 100% advise against taking the bootcamp, or even having any affiliation with this what should be called ScamStation. They take government funding for this… disappointed that this is where some of my tax money goes to. This was my experience but amongst my entire class, we would all agree that you’re better off pursuing real education at a real university. -
Anonymous
Data Analytics
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The Data Analytics course at Brainstation was a good course but it could be improved. I think Brainstation doesn't set the expectation from the beginning that this is going to be more of a self taught course. I understand that the course is short, and meeting once a week is not enough to learn everything, but with all of the material being taught you will need to put in the time outside of class to learn on your own. However, I felt like the course material wasn't very detailed and didn't break down the problems enough. This made it really hard to do the labs on our own (i.e. sometimes the material didn't correlate with what the labs were asking us to do). I also feel like there was a disconnect between Brainstation administration and the instructors, making the expectations for graduation not very clear. Brainstation would e-mail us just one time to do something (i.e. like write this review) but then we wouldn't get reminders throughout the course or in-class. The instructors also wouldn't mention these requirements in class and I found that strange. Overall, it was a good experience and I would recommend it to someone trying to learn some basic skills in Excel, MySQL, and Tableau with the disclaimer to be prepared to do a lot of self learning. -
Anonymous
highly recommended for anyone looking to become a software developer
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Pros:
- Learning with and collaborating with peers.
- Plenty of support from the education team for when you inevitably get stuck.
- Structured curriculum.
- Project-based learning.
Cons:
- The pace of the first 2 weeks was too slow given that the material was covered in the pre-program prep material.
- Some students without much coding experience struggled to keep up and they had no chance to learn at a slower pace.
- There are 4 projects where you worked in groups/pairs so it is possible you have to collaborate with someone whose skill/standards are not compatible with yours.
Overall, I had a great experience because:
- I had previous coding experience from learning data science.
- I sought help from the education team rather than get stuck for too long.
- I love coding.
Tips:
- Get help if you are stuck and can't figure it out alone after 15 minutes.
- Do the "diving deeper" parts of assignments that challenge you to do something new. That way, if you get stuck, you can get help. -
Anonymous
Intense UX bootcamp
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A great program with awesome educators. Covered all the bases and provided so many helpful resources in addition to course content.
One of the best virtual experiences I've had in terms of education and work as the scheduled check ins and live classes keeps you on course to succeed.
All this said, the fulltime bootcamp is extremely intense and I wouldn't recommend it if you have any kind of life events happening during the study period. Prepare to not see the outside world for a majority of the study period.
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Anonymous
Good curriculum, great educators, well organized and fast paced, with career advice and networking advice throughout
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I joined the full time Data Science bootcamp in April 2024. The past 12 weeks have been a whirlwind, but I have learned a lot about Tableau, Pandas, Matplotlib, and Machine Learning. The course is very fast paced so it needs full time commitment from the students, don't think you can work and do this full time course at the same time. The assignments are well structured and give the students a chance to review and implement what was taught during that week. This also means that you will be spending your weekends doing the assignments. Now that the bootcamp is over, I am ready to start my job search next week, while also reviewing all the things that we learnt during the bootcamp. Very good experience so far. -
Anonymous
Data Science Bootcamp
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Was a great experience. A challenge but one that I think would set you up for success. The homework was geared towards implementing what you learned through out the week, and there were always instructors available in case you ran into problems or had questions. The professional development side of the bootcamp was helpful in setting up my resume and my LinkedIn and I'm excited to get into this field of study. -
Anonymous
Worklike Bootcamp
Good work like bootcamp- gives a good experience of what it could be like working in the industry with lots of tight deadlines. Good cohort and educators. Timeframe was tight- lots of push. -
Anonymous
Intense but Great!
Great educators that have real world experience. The curriculum is all well done and allowed me to just show up and make sure I was active and a sponge. Plenty of project that give you great experience as well. I would recommend this camp to anyone who really has done their research on the field and truly wants it. -
Anonymous
The bootcamp was challenging but absolutely worth the journey.
My experience at Brainstation was an incredible journey. I was fortunate to have exceptional instructors who provided invaluable guidance and support, helping me develop my skills and expand my knowledge significantly. -
Anonymous
provides real world experience
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The bootcamp does a decent job preparing you for the CompTIA Security+ exam but more importantly it gives you work you will be doing day to day. You will be writing an average of 3 reports a week for a variety of assessments. From risk, threat modelling, data and network security, business continuity planning and 3rd party risk. You will also learn a handful of important tools like basic usage of a Linux operating system, metaspoitable, Nessus, Wireshark and a ton of command line tools. -
Anonymous
It was an awesome experience!
It was a great experience. I started out with ZERO coding experience and have been able to create a capstone project using CSS, HTML, JavaScript, React, Node.js, Express, connecting REST APIs. And they have given me the knowledge to continue learning and growing. 10 out of 10 would recommend. -
Anonymous
Great and Hardcore!
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this was great, very fruitful. it was intense but i definitely feel like it was so useful. i cant wait to go into the world with my knowledge. this was great, very fruitful. it was intense but i definitely feel like it was so useful. i cant wait to go into the world with my knowledgethis was great, very fruitful. it was intense but i definitely feel like it was so useful. i cant wait to go into the world with my knowledge -
Anonymous
Amazing educational experience
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My time at BrainStation's Data Science 3-month bootcamp was one of the most intense academic challenges I've experienced, but also one of the most rewarding. The teaching and content were excellent, providing a comprehensive and rigorous education in data science. Working alongside a diverse group of talented individuals with varied backgrounds was incredibly enriching. I particularly enjoyed the capstone project, which allowed me to delve deep into the world of data through my passion for F1. On the improvement side of things, I felt that the promised links to the BrainStation network and employers never really materialized. The career sessions were great for those starting out, positioning them head and shoulders above other candidates. For more experienced individuals, the classes served as good reminders and practices, though not groundbreaking. However, I appreciated the post-bootcamp check-ins for idea exchange and accountability. To further enhance the experience, more could be done to connect students with potential employers, such as an online portal, mixers, apprenticeships, and partnerships to help students find paid and volunteer work experiences after the bootcamp. Despite this, I highly recommend the course for its world-class instruction. -
Anonymous
Trial by Fire
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I had been self-taught in Python for a few years. However getting the BrainStation Data Science diploma, accelerated my learning in an exponential way. From in class tutorials and code-alongs to assignments which made me want to cry, and then into detailed lectures, the curriculum was, without a question, thorough and accurate. I didn't know a stitch about data science and data analytics before BrainStation. Now though, I can speak intelligently about the intersection of business and data. They've got a good program! -
Anonymous
Review
Amazing course materials. Lovely and Helpful instructors. The course was very informative,Patrick and Matt were a very efficient in this process . They focused on teaching us the concepts rather than just the formulas and really cared that we learned as much as possible. The course material was very helpful in forming my understanding of the investment banking/valuation oriented world so far. -
Anonymous
They offer it for free now after making me pay a year work of my salary!
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First, let me give you a bit of context, I am an immigrant in the US and I have spent over a year worth of my salary to this bootcamp. I'm an engineer with a master's degree with a 1.5 years of Data Analyst experience at a big tech company. I wanted to expand my skillset before I apply to jobs in the US and decided to apply to BrainStation DS Bootcamp. I told them I need help with the payment. It is already a lot but it is over a year worth of my work in my home country (not the money I saved in a year, my whole salary!). They told me they cannot help me with the payment and around two months after completing the bootcamp my friend told me they offered her to attend the same bootcamp that I did FOR FREE!!! I'm extremely disappointed with BrainStation. I cannot understand how they offer it for free now and they did not even help me with the payment amount. DON'T BOTHER TO PAY A DIME TO THEM! APPARENTLY THEY WILL OFFER IT FOR FREE IF YOU WAIT LONG ENOUGH. -
Anonymous
Intense and Rewarding Experience
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I just completed the 12-week in-person Data Science BootCamp and can confidently say it was probably one of the most rewarding academic experiences I have ever had. The course is meticulously designed to get students up to speed with fundamental (and some very advanced) data science and ML tools. The educators are fantastic - they are incredibly knowledgeable and patient. The admin/student experience team is efficient and professional. The student body is varied, talented, and motivated. I would highly recommend this bootcamp to anyone who wants to challenge themselves and learn an astounding variety of key data science skills in a relatively short amount of time. -
Anonymous
BrainStation Bootcamp
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My experience with BrainStation has been overwhelmingly positive. I feel that the curriculum was well-structured and covered the major areas of importance for UX, to learn by doing as the main goal. It is very fast-paced and can be challenging if you don't know what you're getting into beforehand. The instructors and TAs were great, each had a different style of teaching and a different perspective and area of focus, which helped to understand how vast the field of UX is. -
Anonymous
Great Experience
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I was a little worried at first that I wouldn’t find the experience rewarding but I can confidently say that it was an amazing experience. The curriculum was relatively comprehensive and the education team was really knowledgeable and helpful.
The course is great for complete beginners up to seasoned programmers (that are lacking in certain areas). I came in with a lot of personal experience with a bunch of different programming languages and technologies but I was lacking in the front Front-End department. I’d especially recommend it to anyone with little to no experience with Web Development and is looking to transition from building things that print to the terminal/command line to building complete Full-Stack projects with UIs. -
Anonymous
Transformative Cybersecurity Experience
I learned a lot from the cybersecurity bootcamp. With experienced and knowledgeable mentors guiding me, I am confident I am on the right path to growth. Thank you Brice, Rohith and Valentine. -
Anonymous
Really thorough bootcamp
For the Cybersecurity bootcamp we were taught everything that's currently being used Industry. The instructors were really cool and gave help, instruction and personal advise along the way. I feel confident in my growth and knowledge from the first day of class to the last day. -
Anonymous
Intense, but worth the investment
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There were many times when I thought I wouldn't get through it, but came out on the other side feeling confident that I have the core competencies to be an employable developer. Not everyone gets through it, so you have to make sure that tech is something that you really feel like is the right path for you. If so, BrainStation will offer you a great experience, and will prepare you well for the real world. -
Anonymous
Eye Opening
After completing BrainStation’s bootcamp, it was really impressive to see how far I have come in terms of skills and readiness in the industry. I was thoroughly satisfied with the content that was taught during the 12-week period. -
Anonymous
Challenging, but Rewarding Experience
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BrainStation's bootcamp was very fast-paced and rigorous, but I learned a lot and met some great people along the way. Having multiple educators for the same subject threw me off at first, but I think ended up being a great way to balance and get different perspectives on the coursework throughout. I don't think it was the best format for me, but definitely took a lot out of the experience. -
Anonymous
Crash-course for UX Industry Essentials
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I signed up for the BrainStation in-person bootcamp to transition into the UX industry from being a studio artist. I have a background in design and a design degree, which I think helped me in this course. BrainStation would be a good fit for those who need to increase their understanding of Figma, work collaboratively with other designers and data scientists, get familiar with the design process, and build a framework for applying to UX jobs and a portfolio. There is support for graduates after the bootcamp to find and apply to jobs - I am writing this on my last day in bootcamp so to be continued! I really enjoyed going in person and working alongside other students, as well as my very knowledgable educators. -
Anonymous
Perfect atmosphere to learn how to code
- Overall happy with the skills that I gained from the bootcamp.
- Did not know any code and now I can build a front end website and backend databases.
- It is a bootcamp and you only scratch the surface because there is so much you can do with coding. Would have appreciated more time practicing concepts rather spending each week focused on projects. -
Anonymous
Awesome Data Science Bootcamp Experience!
The comprehensive curriculum covers all facets of data, offering a deep understanding of the various career paths available in the field. It is designed to set you up for success following your bootcamp experience. -
Anonymous
Don't expect a job.
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I did the 12 week online SWE bootcamp. Lecture hours vary, and some lecturers pace better than others. Overall the learning experience was great, and I enjoyed the projects, which is good because that's all they have to offer. The career services team is garbage, and the whole '3000 hiring partners' is just 100% bs. A phrase like that paints a picture of some kind of pipeline that funnels talent into the market, but it doesn't exist, and they will be VERY evasive if you ask any questions about what that means. The Manager of Educational Experience has twice offered a 1 on 1 meeting and not followed through, even after I emailed them directly. It's not their fault the job market is terrible, but they could be a lot better about just not misleading students/ candidates. -
Anonymous
Data analytics course
The course is a fast paced general introduction to topics like databases and tableau. Instructors are very helpful.
I had zero knowledge with databases or tableau, it helped me
To understand some
Basics at a high level, but I feel I still have a lot more to learn -
Anonymous
Informative Experience
The class was very back and forth with the instructor to get insight into the day-to-day as well as the fundamentals of product management. Brainstation has tons of events to be informed by working professionals in the industry. -
Anonymous
BrainStation is a business NOT a school
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BrainStation is not a school, it is a business. They do not care about education. The first two weeks they order food for you, make everything sound like its going to be a good experience and that you are meant to be in their program, then after that... the "teachers" which are not industry lead as they claim are always leaving the class room, they go through power point slides just reading them not explaining them nor allowing you to take down notes. Everything they give you as resources you can't take photos of, take home and etc because apparently they have "confidential" material. Most of the time, you get redirected to the teacher assistance which is usually a student that just freshly graduated the previous cohort. so therefore they are also struggling to help you because they are new to it as well. When different companies came out to give us pep talks and tell us about what they do in their current role, BrainStation is all about taking photos, having everyone pose in front of back drops and what not. This contributes to their "look". Their curriculums are not even up-to-date with the industry and they state that a couple times throughout the program.They charge 17k for their in person bootcamp that to be honest off of my experience is not worth a penny. They do have scholarships which is how I attended BrainStation and I feel bad for the scholars who provided BrainStation with the money because they got scammed. Not only myself, but many students felt this way. BrainStation tries to cover it up and have us not speak our mind on our program by trying to convince us that they help us find jobs but in reality it's checking in on how many jobs you have applied to and telling you to switch up your resume 100 times to see what sticks. BrainStation should really be looked into by their scholars because it's a SCAM. Please, please do not waste your money here or your time. Take a look at other programs. -
Anonymous
BrainStation Digital Marketing Course
I met amazing and intelligent people while learning useful material that I can implement in my job. This course was so valuable. I highly recommend BrainStation to anyone who is looking to change careers or grow in their current one. -
Anonymous
Great Environment
Brainstation provided a great learning environment and sense of community. The instructors chosen for the course I took were great and very insightful. The location is pretty cool! It's located in a popular area in Miami called Wynwood, and it's next to a great bar that you can go to after class. -
Anonymous
It is a fast pace course
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I liked the teachers on the course and the only bad aspeacts is the final project, I think they should have a recess of 1 week at least before the final date of the project, just so people could invest more time, also I think they should invest more time going through Figma and explaining some basic things that can really make you above average, or making you step up in comparison to beginners on this tool. -
Anonymous
Amazing opportunity to learn from real industry experts
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I knew what I was looking for when I joined, which was to have a 1:1 opportunity to learn from an instructor that has real industry experience in the companies I am interested in. The course is well structured, but I would highly recommend to pre-study or come in with some initial experience and knowledge about the field. Amazing booster for those in related field, but if someone is about to learn about UX/UI solely on this course, it could be hard to keep up. Works well for people who are are looking to build or add a finishing touch to their portfolio in my opinion! -
Anonymous
Overall pretty good
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The course was good overall, I learned a lot. I do wish that it was a little bit less fast paced so we could focus on and learn certain concepts properly but it is a bootcamp in the end.
One thing I wish was different was the assignment deadlines, it would be better if assignments were do Monday or Tuesday evenings that way students can ask for help on Monday/Tuesday during open studio as most of the work is done on the weekends so if you get stuck you have nowhere to turn.
An issue that happened a few times here and there was that sometimes you couldn't get help during open studio because too many people had questions so all the TA's where helping others and you end up not getting the assistance you need so best to ask questions earlier rather than later (Friday's before an assignment is do are probably the busiest open studio days). -
Anonymous
Highly recommend this course
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Attending this software engineering bootcamp from BrainStation has been a transformative experience for me. From day one, the instructors were not only knowledgeable but also incredibly supportive, ensuring that each concept was thoroughly understood before moving on. The curriculum was comprehensive, covering a wide range of topics from the basics of programming to more advanced software development techniques. What set this bootcamp apart was its emphasis on hands-on learning; the projects we completed were challenging yet rewarding, providing real-world experience that I believe will be invaluable in my future career. Overall, I would highly recommend this bootcamp to anyone looking to transition their career into the field of software engineering. It's hard work, but the skills and confidence you gain are well worth the effort. -
Anonymous
Intensive but rewarding at the same time.
Currently still in the program. It is very fast. I would heavily suggest studying some JavaScript before start this course. I would say based on your knowledge of programming languages and computer logic will help you decide whether you’re ready for a bootcamp. It requires me more than a full time job to keep up with this program. But I learned a lot in such a short period of time. -
Anonymous
very quick-paced, a little fluffy
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This course was pretty intense and moved very quickly, you often only received feedback required for the project a couple days before it was due. It's not necessarily a negative aspect of the program - I do feel like it has helped me learn to pivot and deliver quickly, which is really valuable in this field - but something that was at times very frustrating and something to keep in mind if you're considering this bootcamp and wondering what the workload looks like.
There was a good amount of student support from the educators and TAs, they were all very willing to talk on zoom or slack. I feel like guidance from the education team could have been a bit ... tougher? There were some general conversations about 'the reality' of the field/workplace and some difficulties we'll most likely encounter, but I feel like for the sake of being encouraging there were some missed opportunities for some feedback and direction that maybe would be tough to hear, but would be extremely valuable for people trying to break into job market.
Every now and then, they'd hit us with a "You aren't really going to ever need in this in the real world, but today we're learning about...." which would immediately make half the class shut their brains off. I wish they'd either leave those topics out of the curriculum, or be super clear about why it's still important to know, because with so much on your plate, you stop giving time to anything that doesn't feel relevant to the project you're working on that week.
For the major projects, like the hackathons and capstone---- I think they were all super valuable experiences, especially the cross-disciplinary industry project. Learning to work on a team in this specific setting, learning how to iterate and deliver quickly, and learning how to talk about your work are all incredibly important to being a professional software engineer.
That said, something I think they could do better with the capstone would be to let students push it further. There are some requirements that are pretty basic, but because of that, also very limiting. You also essentially have to come up with your own product, which isn't something I'm interested in and isn't very relevant to a lot of software engineering careers. I would have much rather pushed myself to go beyond the basics we had learned to try something that would have been challenging but also more relevant to what I want to do as a software engineer that wasn't limited to the front-end focused curriculum. You're also limited to working with languages and tech that the TAs and educators are familiar with, which was a little disappointing.
All in all, my final thoughts are: This is program focuses mostly on front-end work, some back-end, and not a *whole* lot past the basics, but you *will* learn the basics pretty well. It's real value lies in the team projects, the cross-collaboration with the other schools (UX and Data Science), and the network you're a part of when you graduate. I think you can learn a lot about deadlines and time management, working with others under pressure, and how you deal with frustration as a professional. You're probably not going to come out a whizkid genius coder, but you'll probably be a better learner in general. -
Anonymous
Fun, engaging, and supportive
I really enjoyed this course. The support from everyone was great. It was very fast paced for me and I would encourage asking questions and reaching out. They provide a lot of helpful resources for course work. All of the workers were kind throughout my journey and encourages me to move forward.