42 Silicon Valley

"42 is not suitable for people who have never coded before. It is virtually impossible to succeed if you don't already have programming knowledge, despite the advertising claim. The resources you are given to teach yourself how to code are quite poor. Everyday in the piscine you get a 15 minute video of a frenchman talking at the webcam about a particular topic. They talk in weird riddles as it's part of the pedagogy here to get you to struggle to learn. There are full time students available during the piscine but they will not provide any help. They just want the referral as a "team leader" but will not answer any of your questions. "Find out yourself" they grimly tell piscineers. In fact the full time students here have created a lord of the flies esque feel to the school. They revel in creating an "us" culture, where pisceeners are looked down and excluded from all events. Even outside of campus they somehow feel entitled enough to kick pisciners out of events. (A group of us newbies where invited to a house party. Some full time students showed up and said they "didn't feel comfortable with us there, and that we should leave." what!?). Learning to code here for virgin programmers is not only a waste of time, it sets many people back and makes them feel that they can never learn. But hey, at least it's a free place to stay for a few weeks in the Bay. You also meet amazing people from around the world in your fellow pisceneers. For that reason alone you can give it a shot. 5 stars for the fellow students. 1 star for the full time students. 1 star for the teaching resources. 3 stars for the free accommodation (it's not comfortable, but free is free)"

"42 is an amazing place for bright people who are interested in a non-traditional education. The admission process is very intense but well worth it. I'm grateful every day for the opportunity they've given me to study here. One thing I will say is that it can be hard to find a good job after finishing the program unless you are a top student or went to college beforehand. The school helps as much as they can, but as a new school in the area, they have limited reputation. Keep that in mind."

"I have seen the 42 campus before. The upper level has new appearance. The lower level has old appearance. In the future, the lower level will have a makeover just like the upper level. That way, the 42 campus would look very new. Even better, the surroundings will have a makeover according to the pictures from AR architectures. Going here is worth it if you all are interested in free education and coding."

"One security guard runs the school and bullies students liberally. Nobody can do a thing about it cause he's somewhat friends with the management. He treats all potential students like homeless hobos and literally makes up rules and decided who can be on the property. If you plan on making a start-up with students here be aware. He will terrorize you until you have to seek partners somewhere else. Our late night brainstorming sessions were violently interrupted by him multiple times and he made it very clear we couldn't work anywhere on the property. The free flowing of ideas is apparently too much for his ego trips."

"Fun and a great experience-- they provide you with free dorms and free tuition, you just have to be willing to work hard. However, due to the fact that they were so many lazy people taking up dormitory spots, they made the rules to keep free dorms extraordinarily strict. However, it's still a privilege to even get free rent within the Bay Area for over a year(or longer depending how fast you progress). A life changing experience and you will surely learn a lot."