Applying to App Academy’s 24-Week Coding Bootcamp: What You Need to Know

In 2020, an estimated 1 million programming-related jobs went unfilled.

There’s crazy-high demand for coding talent and, luckily, folks are catching on. They’re also learning that a bootcamp is the quickest way to enter the workforce with a resume of programming languages to boot.

When you apply to App Academy’s 24-week course, it condenses the most desirable skills — from Python to Javascript to HTML & CSS — into a 6-month, full-time course. You’ll work (virtually) with a diverse cohort of students on paired programming projects and complete portfolio pieces to apply what you’re learning and showcase to future employers.

Keep in mind that this program and admissions process differ slightly from our 16-week immersive bootcamp. Regardless of whether you choose our 16-week or our 24-week program, we’d like prospective students to know that you do not have to have your start date nor your payment plan determined prior to applying. We’ll help you figure that out once you’re accepted!

If you want to apply to App Academy’s 24-week online bootcamp, there are a few considerations to make prior to beginning the admissions process. If you meet these qualifications, read on to learn more about that process:

• You can’t be a NY resident

App Academy is in the process of receiving regulatory approval to make its 24 week program available to New York residents. For now, New York residents are only eligible to attend our 16-week Campus-based Full-Time Software Engineering Track program, which requires in-person attendance at our campus in New York City.

• You must be available Monday through Friday, 8am-5pm PST

Regardless of time zone or location, you must be present for live instruction during these hours. You are also not able to hold a job or work while enrolled in the program.

• You must have a computer (not a tablet or Chromebook)

You’ll also need strong internet connection as well as a webcam and microphone. Your computer will need to use Apple’s OS X operating system (from at least 2010), Windows 10, or a variant of Linux such as Debian or Ubuntu. We now support Ubuntu on Windows 10 using the Windows Subsystem for Linux.

• To participate in our ISA, you must meet the following qualifications:

1. 20 years of age or older
2. Live or reside in the U.S.
3. Hold U.S. citizenship, a green card, or other form of eligibility to work in the U.S.

With these considerations in mind, we understand that it can be difficult for international students to study with us. However, students from all over the world are welcome to apply should they be able to pay the upfront tuition costs.

So you meet all of the qualifications and you’re ready to apply. What does that look like? Let’s dive a little deeper into App Academy’s 24-week bootcamp admissions process:

Applying to App Academy’s 24-Week Bootcamp

Apply to App Academy online.

The first action you need to take is to apply to App Academy online. This application is not in any way set in stone; your admissions specialist will recommend another program should the one you applied for not fit your needs. You also do not need to select a start date or a payment plan at this point, nor do you need any prior coding experience yet.

With that being said, our team does look at this application and take it seriously. Consider it an application to school, a job, or a promotion. You definitely want to put your best self forward and answer every question as well as you can.

Talk with an App Academy admissions specialist.

Throughout your experience as you apply to App Academy, we’re here to support you. Talking with an admissions specialist gives you the chance to ask any questions you may have about the program. From the curriculum you’ll learn to the time commitment you can expect, your specialist will help clarify confusion and guide you through the whole process.

Complete our non-technical assessment.

There are three steps at this point in the admissions process:

Aptitude (logical reasoning) test

This step takes roughly 15 minutes to complete. There are 50 questions and you complete as many of them as you can. They include verbal questions, math and logic, and spatial reasoning. You can prepare for this portion of the non-technical assessment by downloading this free app. You’ll also have two chances to take this test.

Typing test

You’ll also have two chances to pass this typing test, which takes about a minute. We’re simply gauging if you can type quickly enough to keep up with the pace of the course, which naturally includes a lot of typing. There are tons of free online typing tests to gauge where you’re at.

Personality assessment

We’d like to stress here that you will not be denied acceptance or eliminated because of your answers to this portion of the non-technical assessment. Rather, we’re looking to diversify our cohorts and want to get to know you better in order to do so. It takes about 15 minutes to complete this assessment, but we do recommend you fill it out carefully and thoughtfully. If we notice that your answers are sporadic or not finished, we’ll likely ask you to retake it.

Once you’ve completed these steps, we feel pretty confident that you could be a strong student. The next steps really get into the core of the program and how you will perform in a job interview. After all, we’re trying to help you kickstart a new career!

Complete a fit interview.

The fit interview is our non-technical bar. In essence, it’s a job interview. We want to feel confident that you will be successful in the job search process. It’s also recommended that you treat it like such; prepare the same way you would through a real job interview by having talking points, an understanding of the industry, and a genuine answer to the question “Why do you want to learn how to code?”

Most importantly, we’re looking to see if you can work well with others through an understanding of diversity and inclusion. With cohorts of around ~100 other folks from around the world, this is a really important factor in our decision.

While prior coding experience, job experience, and education are not at all required, this interview gives you a chance to elaborate on those experiences or bring something else to the table if that is not your past.

Here is a list of some preparation tactics that will help you feel more confident before the interview. Course Report also talked with some of our alumni about their experience going through the admissions process, and you may find it helpful.

Tentative acceptance.

If you’ve made it to this point, we’re confident in your ability to work with others and eventually find a job as a software engineer. The following technical learning challenge will ensure that you have the ability to grasp and keep pace with the material in our full-time immersive program. . .

Complete a learning challenge.

The learning challenge is our technical bar. It’s quite rigorous and designed to be challenging.

Prior to the challenge, you’ll receive 50-60 hours’ worth of learning materials, so even if you’re a beginner, it’s no problem! The learning materials will teach you the basics of HTML &CSS, Git and Boolean Algebra so that you’re prepared  to complete all three  challenges. These learning materials include live learning lectures with technical instructors. You’ll also get access to a forum to ask questions and receive feedback.

Each time you complete a challenge, you’ll receive feedback from our admissions and instructional teams. We understand that this is — for many folks — completely new territory, so we’re here to support you throughout the entire process.

Get accepted and select your cohort date!

Congrats! If all goes well, you’ll be officially accepted into our 24-week program. At this point, your Admissions Specialist will help you decide on a start date and  determine the best payment plan for your needs.

It doesn’t cost anything to apply to App Academy, nor do you have to know when you can start or how you’ll pay for the course at that point.

Conclusion

If the 24-week course sounds like a good fit for you, we encourage you to apply to App Academy. You can refer to our regulatory information to find our school catalog or find frequently asked questions + answers here.

If you’re not entirely sure you want to commit to a full-time bootcamp yet, we hear you. It’s a huge responsibility! We have our entire curriculum online, for free, at App Academy Open. This is a great option for folks who are curious about coding and want to dip their toe in first. Bear in mind that while our 24-week curriculum focuses on Python as its main language, App Academy Open uses curriculum from our 16 week program which focuses on Ruby on Rails.