CS Prep

I was initially hesitant on applying to the course due the online aspect of it - after all, why spend the money when there are so many free learning tools online? However, after hearing that the tuition fee can be applied towards the immersive program fee (thus, potentially being free), I decided to take the plunge. It's been about two weeks since the course ended, and I am extremely thankful that I had decided to take this course.

On the first day of instruction, what stood out to me was Ryan's approach to teaching. He started the class emphasizing the high expectations he will place on us, which I thought help set a positive growing mentality for our class.  Whenever we would hit a road block, rather than immediately providing an answer, Ryan would focus on assisting us so that we could figure it out on our own.

Throughout the course, Ryan modeled good coding practices/approaches to students, and when we did pair programming, students were given opportunities to practice what Ryan had modeled. Everyone in my class came with different coding backgrounds and ability, but the diversity of skill levels made each pair programming a unique learning experience (whether learning how to better communicate ideas or learning something new from a fellow classmate).  

When I applied to CS Prep, I went in with two goals in mind: 1) to further solidify my foundational knowledge of JS and 2) to improve on my technical communications skill. This course did above and beyond in helping me better work towards those goals and well enough for me to get into the immersive program. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is seriously considering coding.

You don't have to take this approach, but for those that are decided on taking CS Prep, I would recommend exposing yourself to the topics covered on CSX/going to the Hard Parts workshops - that way, you'll be able to ask for help/clarity on areas that come only after longer exposures to concepts like object oriented programming, recursion, closure, and etc. Also, if Ryan suggests sharing a technical commutations video on a coding problem, just do it. Do it early on in the course so that when you get feedback from Ryan (and classmates - if you choose to share with them as well), you can see what you need to improve on from the start and work on it throughout the course.

I took CS Prep to help bridge the gap between self preparation and the software immersion program and it was definitely worth it. I've taught in postsecondary education for years and can say that Ryan is the best online instructor that I've ever seen. He's very knowledgeable and will push you to do your best. The pace of the course moves fairly quickly but that ensures that all the necessary topis are covered. I took another prep course at a competitor school -- that is also highly rated in NY -- and CS Prep was a much better experience. Topics were delved into at a much deeper level and more thoroughly. If you're going to spend money on a prep course, CS Prep is the way to go. 

As someone with very limited experience with coding and even knowing where to start with learning how to code, I was very happy to find Codesmith. Codesmith has three main sections - CSX (online prep tool), CSPrep (two week online class) and Software Immersive (full time bootcamp). I started by signing up for their free CSX program, which allowed me to work through each part of the curriculum at my own pace. The problems are designed to have you figure them out and work through them without a lot of hand holding, which was tough at first but really helped you learn. From there I applied for CSPrep, which was an incredible experience. Our class of about 15-20 students all logged in each night with webcams. For being online, the class was designed to be very interactive - you definitely had to be alert and ready to answer questions. We also pair programmed each night with a partner, which is one of the foundational tenets of Codesmith's teaching philosophy. I would highly recommend applying for CSPrep if you have any interest in starting your coding career. 

I took CS Prep this February and it was a very fulfilling experience. I will start by saying that after taking CS Prep, I was passed my technical interview and was accepted into the Immersive on my first try. CS Prep provided me with a solid foundational Javascript knowledge and taught me the technical communication skills that were necessary not only to be admitted to the program, but to begin to think and work like an engineer. Each day of class for about an hour, we pair program which is a great exercise in learning to be a better communicator. Our instructor Ryan kept class interesting and informative and was always willing to provide extra help and guidance. The group project that we did at the end of the course was my first experience building something from scratch in Javascript and while it was challenging, it’s very rewarding to now have something to show my Javascript abilities. Some of us in the class who were based in LA met up outside of class to pair program and study together so the prep class was good at fostering a sense of community as well.

Trying to navigate your way to the RIGHT bootcamp in 2019 is a lonely, confusing place to be. Codesmith's CS Prep course, along with their free CSX courses and free streamed/in-person "Javascript the Hard Parts" are a great way to get to know the culture and pedagogy of Codesmith. I've been accepted to most of the top bootcamps and have had my eye on the space for more than a while. My experience in CS Prep confirms my suspicious that Codesmith's curriculum, pedagogy, and culture are unmatched in the 12-16 week bootcamp space.

Ryan Trontz, the teacher for CS Prep, has a long history of teaching subjects from Economics to Mathematics to Programming. He HIMSELF is a relatively recent product of Codesmith's SWE immersive. He's able to both zoom deeply in on topics to give you a step-by-step understanding of how the JS Engine works AND zoom out to give you a contextual understanding of where X tool fits into a SWE's workflow. If you're considering Codesmith or another top-tier bootcamp, I recommend CS Prep wholeheartedly.

Before I decided to join CSPrep I was using the CSX site offered by Codesmith to understand what's needed for their immersive program. I didn't realize that what I was lacking in wasn't my ability to learn, but how I could communicate to other developers. 

CSPrep is a nine day course spread into 2 weeks. It allowed me to collaborate with others who had the same goals which made it so much easier to develop my technical communication.

The course emphasized working with others over knowing the material as the goal is to learn independently. 

The instructor Ryan is also an amazing person who has a background in education which is apparent in his drive to help his students understand the curriculum and to be able to expand it further even after the course and continues to offer advice after the course ends.

Coming out of this class I learned how to explain myself as well as how JavaScript works under the hood and honestly I have learned more in the two weeks than I have in the 3 years of self teaching. 

I recommend this course to those who are seeking to apply to any bootcamp and want to improve their ability to not just learn new JavaScript concepts but why they work as diagramming problems takes up a good amount of the class time.

I also recommend to spend the Thursday off at Codesmith's free lectures to supplement one's ability to grasp new concepts and apply them as pair programming exercises occur for each session. It also gives people the chance to meet others taking the CSPrep course.

And to conclude, I strongly urge to look into the scholarships they offer as the tuition will be transferred to the immersive program so there's nothing to lose when taking CSPrep and if anything, the people who take the class will grow regardless of the initial skill level.

The instruction was very good and I became close with some of my cohort-mates. Ryan is a supremely knowledgeable teacher and an incredibly nice guy. The course helped me to fill gaps in my knowledge as well as build up more confidence before doing a technical interview for Codesmith.   

Since the lectures move quickly and the concepts require time to digest, I would HIGHLY suggest becoming familiar with ALL of CSX--the online pre-course material--before attending. If not, you may feel behind in the pair programming sessions and not get the most benefit from the course.  

Cs prep helped strengthen the weaker areas and gaps in my software engineering knowledge and helped me feel more confident in applying for the full-time Codesmith program. The instructor did a fantastic job of covering each topic in a way that was engaging and inspiring. He also was open to answering questions and made sure that some of the more challenging concepts were understood at a foundational level. This was helpful because the people within my cohort all varied in their level of experience. Cs prep also put a strong emphasis on pair programming as a learning tool and I couldn't agree more with how beneficial it has been to my overall growth. The program ends with the building and presentation of a group project. During this time, you get the opportunity to apply what you learned to something more tangible and although it is challenging, it is really nice to see it all come together in the end into something you and you group can feel proud of. I would definitely recommend Cs prep to those who are serious about applying to Codesmith but are still on the fence about their technical communication and foundational software engineering skills. I am happy to say that after I attended cs prep I got accepted into the December 17 cohort and I am really looking forward to all that is to come. 

This review is only for the CS Prep Course but I look forward to reviewing the full immersive. As a person who has completed 3 bootcamp prep courses - including CSPrep - I can honestly say CS Prep had the most advanced curriculum, was the best taught course, and had the best people. I took Fullstack and HackReactor's prep courses before and I'll outline the differences below
FS
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- Too easy, instructor didn't care and just recited from powerpoint slides, students weren't serious and dropped after a few classes

Hackreactor SSP
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- Literally 100 people in a videochat with instructors that can't explain concepts well even though I don't doubt their coding ability. No structure - you're left on your own. The only thing I really got out of it was doing the 150 toy problems which really helped my ability to use array methods but I could have done that myself.

I am glad I went through those 2 first because it really prepared me for CS Prep. CS Prep is NOT for beginners! You learn things that go past beginner javascript like ES6 syntax, execution/callstacks, closure, recursion, HOF, AND Big O Notation, concepts either rarely or never taught in other prep classes. The curriculum was great but the best part was the community. Ryan, our instructor, was one of the most eloquent, funny, and understanding teachers I've ever had the pleasure of learning from. The members were also great and made the learning environment enjoyable where we all helped each other. Even after taking the class, I still keep in contact with the instructor and students who I pair program with as we continue to become software engineers.

Every program has its cons however and I would say the price is one of them. It is way steeper than every other program but it's really for those serious about the full program and so in that case, it is pretty much a free class. 
The second thing is the duration. The concepts taught are way too advanced for beginners so either they need to increase the standards to get in or make the classes longer (which I believe they are considering). I got a lot out from it and was able to keep up but I also took 2 other prep courses before. I believe some of my other classmates were struggling toward the end unfortunately.