Hi folks, founder of Make School here :) 4 years ago @alexisohanian hunted the Make School Gap Year on Product Hunt, it was an experiment to redesign higher education for makers entering the modern economy. @manifold and I started building products in high school and were disengaged with our own experience studying computer science in college, so we wanted to build an education centered around product development for students like us. Over the past 4 years we’ve turned it into a full fledged college - complete with product-based computer science courses, general education, career coaching, dormitories, mental health services, and more - while retaining our learn by making philosophy and ensuring high quality outcomes for our alumni. We’re now launching our first degree granting program in Applied Computer Science - through an accreditation partnership with Dominican University of California - with aims of redefining the status quo in higher education. 

Accessibility of education continues to be a top priority for us, with most of our students paying tuition through Income Share Agreements and using our living expense support to allow them to focus on their studies. 40% of our students are underrepresented students of color, while 50% come from below $50k/year family income. We're excited to share this with you and hear your feedback, don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions! Cheers, Ashu

Love this approach - existing industry leaders & emerging companies creating the future together :) coming from Europe, i had the privilege to be part of an ed program (although not in CS) where the student's private school tuition was paid for my the company as long as the student worked at the company after graduation with working semesters throughout the year. Win-win!

I went from Xcode tinkerer to full-time iOS dev in 9mos, being around that awesome community pushes you to new limits

Pros:

Project-based learning, low teacher:student ratio, instant social group driven towards creating products

Cons:

They're still refining their model (which also allows for your critical feedback), SF is expensive, very male dominated class

I went to the Summer Academy back in 2016... only good things to say about Make School: great people, hands on, and truly care about the tech community. Keep it up!

Hello, I'm interested in learning, but I'm from Barcelona. Is there any online program?

Make School is everything right about the future of Education, and it serves as a beacon of light for students that feel the quality of education they receive from traditional institutions is not preparing them adequately for the real world. Make School empowers their students to become great leaders and minds in the 21st century, and gives them the tools they need to be successful in the modern job market.

This seems like a fascinating new way of building the next generation of game-changers. I can only speak for European further education, but the gap between practically applied and theoretically explained knowledge/skills is huge. It is fascinating to see how Make School bridges that gap!

As a second year student at Make School, I definitely feel that I've gained a huge amount of technical and soft skills that make me a more valuable potential employee. I started with very little coding experience, and I've grown to the point where I have a solid portfolio of software projects (check it out at makeschool.com/portfolio/duncan).

Since starting Make School, I've come really far as an iOS developer. I now feel confident with building an app from scratch, along with taking on some of the other responsibilities like building and deploying a backend. I've also learned a lot of computer science fundaments, with projects like building base data structures from scratch in Python to building a tweet generator that uses Markov chains and probability to impersonate a source text.

Make School doesn't just focus on the technical side, though. The school really focuses on improving your soft skills with lessons on beautifying your LinkedIn profile, building your resumé, and acing behavioral interviews. The goal of Make School is to get you a job in the industry, and they're really good at helping make sure that happens.

When you've gained the necessary skills to be ready for industry experience, Make School makes it their priority to help you get the position you want. We're taught the ins and outs of the recruiting process, and all the tricks to stand out as an exceptional job candidate. We're also given plenty of opportunities to participate in mock job interviews, where we can practice technical interview skills and get feedback on how to improve.

As someone who also spent two years at a traditional college, I feel like I've learned so much more at Make School because of the complete immersion in learning software engineering, and focus on actually preparing you to work in the industry. I feel prepared to work as a professional software engineer, and I have some great resources here to help me find a job. To anyone that's interested in learning software engineering, and isn't too wild about a traditional college experience, I can't recommend Make School enough.

Pros:

Huge focus on industry prep and building hard and soft skills

Cons:

None

The teachers are constantly striving to keep us productive and learning, the staff is doing the same, everyone here wants to see you succeed.

Pros:

I just started here and have already seen a huge improvement in my coding.

Cons:

I love every part of this place

Make School is the future of the computer science education as they focus on equipping its students with the necessary skills and tools to succeed as a Software Engineer in Top companies in the U.S.

Pros:

Product - based education, solid curriculum, 2 year accelerated.

Cons:

i cannot think of any.

Been attending Make School for 2 months now, and I've already learned so much more than ever before. I feel welcomed in this community by inclusive students and staff. I also feel empowered to step outside of my comfort zone and create things that I never thought I would be able to.

Pros:

Product based learning environment; super friendly, inclusive atmosphere; great instructors and staff; heart of San Francisco

Cons:

Nothing comes to mind.

I'm a parent of a Make School student. Unlike code camps, students get a Bachelor's Degree.

Pros:

They teach relevant skills that change as quickly as the industry. They are literally invested in the students with their ISAs.

Cons:

Haven't yet found a down side.