FAQ
Join Berkeley Coding Academy
How does your Summer program work?
Students start the day learning new concepts in interactive lectures before applying what they learn via projects in small cohorts. Students are placed in cohorts based on coding experience and age. All students analyze big data and build machine learning models (the code behind AI). At the end of summer, students present final projects sharing their research, code, and findings.
What is your student to staff ratio?
Our student to staff ratio is 4-1 or better. Cohorts average about 6 students, and each cohort is assigned a lead instructor along with support staff.
How do you differentiate instruction?
It’s all about the cohorts. Beginning cohorts spend time reinforcing fundamentals, while advanced cohorts extend concepts further. Assistant staff and instructors work with students 1-1 in break-out rooms to troubleshoot errors and offer mini-lessons or resources. Additionally, lectures combine smooth on-ramps for beginners and deep dives for advanced programmers.
What topics do you cover?
Some topics we cover include loading CSV files as pandas DataFrames; plotting histograms, bar charts, scatter plots, box plots, joint plots, and regression lines; clearing null values; transforming categorical data into numerical data; building and tuning Linear Regression, Logistic Regression, K-Nearest Neighbors, Decision Trees, Random and XGBoost models; and building and validating densely connected neural networks with hidden layers. See our syllabus for more!
What do students gain from the experience?
Students gain confidence, along with real skills to become data scientists. BCA graduates have reported feeling like they knew nothing about programming before our summer program to becoming the student whom everyone consults after our program. Many students carry what they learn forward by taking more classes, starting clubs, creating podcasts, finding data science internships, majoring in data science in college, and including AI in science fairs. All leave with a long list of tech skills that positions them to become leaders in a world where AI plays a leading role.
Is your Summer program live?
Yes, students attend live classes together with staff online via Zoom. Live Slack channels are used to add chat support and additional communication.
Do you offer in-person classes?
Although we do not offer in-person classes, our online classes combine the best of the physical classroom with the virtual classroom. We facilitate opportunities for students to bond with each other and communicate with staff just as they would in person. But since we are online, we also take advantage of online tools like chat, screen sharing, file sharing, and breakout rooms to deliver a more robust learning experience.
How is this different than free options online?
Many online classes target adult programmers who work at their own pace without teachers. In free online classes, when students get stuck, there’s not a human being in real time to answer questions and provide motivation. As a result, free online classes usually have completion rates of far less than 1%. Our completion rate for paid students is 100%. The difference is that we engage with students directly on a daily basis. We hold each other accountable and communicate in real time.
How are you different than the competition?
Similar programs for teens generally fall into two categories: 1) They claim to teach AI but their students rarely move beyond basic Python or; 2) They are university-based with faculty at the college level. BCA program director Corey Wade has over 10,000 hours in the classroom working with teens, and our machine learning curriculum is designed specifically for teens. We also have one of the strongest machine learning curriculums out there (sample syllabus). We don’t use software written by others, but the best libraries used by data science professionals. We code from scratch.
What curriculum do you use?
We teach an original code-first curriculum designed by program director Corey Wade. Our curriculum includes Python Programming, Data Analytics, Machine Learning, and Neural Networks with a focus on AI Applications. The curriculum is revised every year based on student and staff feedback and includes hundreds of 4K videos with coding notebooks, coding lessons, slides, problem sets, and project guidelines.
What options do you have in the Fall and Spring?
We offer 1-1 Customizable Classes: From Python to Deep Learning year round.
Are your classes for teens only?
Our 1-1 classes are open to students of all ages (including adults), while our summer programs is open to ages 12-14, 15-18.
Is BCA only for advanced students?
BCA is for all students. We love working with first time coders and we provide extra 1-1 support and encouragement along the way. Some of our best students have been first-time coders. Since most of the content that we teach is new to everyone, the playing field is fairly level.
My child is advanced but not yet 12. Can we sign up?
Anyone can sign up for our 1-1 Customizable Classes: From Python to Deep Learning. For our summer program, it depends. We have made exceptions before. It’s essential that younger students can handle abstractions at the middle school level as we assume basic knowledge of functions, algebra and geometry.
Is this a UC Berkeley Program?
Berkeley Coding Academy was going to open as an in-person program in the city of Berkeley before COVID-19 hit, hence the name “Berkeley.“ Although we have no direct affiliation with UC Berkeley, we have contacts there and have hired UC Berkeley students as instructors every year to lead cohorts.
Is BCA only for Berkeley students?
Although based in Berkeley, California, we are 100% online. Students may join from anywhere in the world. One of the most exciting parts of online education is bringing people together from different geographic areas and backgrounds. BCA students often bond with staff and students from other cities, states, and countries!
Can this be used for college applications?
BCA final projects look amazing in college applications. Final projects include both slideshows for a general audience, and coding notebooks for programmers.
Is it normal to feel intimidated before starting?
Students have expressed that they initially felt intimidated before joining our programs. This changes on the first day when students develop bonds and have fun coding. At BCA, we balance challenging content with a fun, personalized and encouraging approach.
What if we have to miss a few days?
Since our summer program runs for 3+ weeks, missing a few days is generally okay. We offer 1-1 make-up sessions for 30 minutes per day, and we meet students before or after the next class to ensure smooth transitions. See our Make-up Classes Policy for more details.
What is your cancellation policy?
We offer a full refund minus an 8% processing fee for cancellations submitted within 2 weeks of registration in April or before. All other cancellation requests receive full class credits to carry forward, or a 50% refund. See our Cancellation Policy. for more details.
When should we sign up?
You can always get the best deals early. We finish hiring staff by the end of May, so signing up in Winter or Spring are probably your safest bets. If we have room, you can sign up the week before.
When do we receive the Zoom link to join class?
We provide Slack and Zoom links to our classes the week before we start. We send additional emails earlier in summer to make sure that we have the right contact information. Please check your spam folder to see if you are missing any messages.
What software/hardware do I need?
We code in Google Colab Notebooks which are 100% online. All you need is a decent internet connection. If your internet connection is good enough for Zoom, it will be good enough for all BCA classes.
Do you offer discounts?
We offer discounts ongoing to encourage early sign-ups with the best deals earlier. We sometimes offer additional discounts via our newsletter (see footer), social media, or website pop-ups.
Are there any scholarships?
BCA is committed to bridging the tech skills gap with a diverse student body. We offer limited scholarships for our summer program. If you want to be considered for a scholarship, please complete the BCA Scholarship Application. If you are able to make a donation for others, please visit the BCA Support page.
Anything else I should know?
We believe in the work that we do. BCA goes above and beyond getting students to code. When students enroll with us, they are treated as colleagues. As educators, we are here to inspire, strengthen, and create new pathways. The bonds that students create can result in friendships, mentorships, and transformative change.
Email Corey at corey@berkeleycodingacademy.com to pose new questions.
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