Open House

This week we opened our doors—and several boxes of pizza—and got down to business answering all things Launch for prospective students. Deciding to further your education in any aspect can be a scary thing. There are a lot of factors to consider. And while we think Launch is the best, it’s also important to see why so many have chosen Launch Academy to be their coding home. Get it, home, open house? 

But hey, everyone can’t be in a million places at one time, so if you couldn’t make it, know two things: we missed you and also don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Rounded up below are the best Qs and As from last night, as well as some seriously awesome advice from our alumni panel. This way you get our open house without leaving yours! 

Q and A overview:

Our Q and A was lead by 3 of Launch Academy’s staff members who know their stuff; Max our director of Admissions, Jarvis our Director of Experience, and Corinne our Senior Director of Business Development and Career Services.

What is the best way to prepare for the admissions process?

Max: You don’t need to have any knowledge with web development or coding to ultimately be successful at Launch Academy. The admissions process is quite simple and transparent. It consists in its entirety of an interview. The admissions process is an opportunity for us to get a sense of whether a potential student has the passion for web development and the dedication that is going to motivate them to come in here and be successful. We also look to make sure the student is a good cultural fit for the collaborative team-based learning style we use at Launch. 

How many teachers do you have for the students?

Jarvis: There are six people currently on the on-campus team. So, you will have six people who will be answering questions, providing clinic support, giving talks and you’ll be assigned one of four people for your specific mentor group. So with our max number at 40, you’ll be assigned to a group as one of ten. But there is also myself, the director, and additional support staff. 

Can you speak a little about the Tech scene here in Boston and how Launch Academy stands out against its competitors? 

Corinne: The Boston tech scene is awesome. I think it was a Business Review survey that had come out a few months ago that ranked Boston just behind San Francisco in terms of available jobs, and that includes entry-level jobs for people coming out of Launch Academy. So we find that the community is really welcoming for junior people. I have built a hiring network of over 200 companies that have hired Launch Academy graduates. We get to leverage those companies, we get to learn from them and what they’re looking for, and what kind of technologies they are using. So we bring that back to the engineering team and build curriculum that’s directly relevant to what the Boston tech scene is looking for.