That first nine months consists of a basic education in programming, including a crash course in languages like Python and C. Rather than formal instructors, however, students largely learn from each other, with a handful of teaching assistants to provide guidance. The TAs were usually former Holberton students with no actual experience in the field, former students say.
Two former students independently described the educational dynamic as "the blind leading the blind," with students teaching each other material that had been sourced from somewhere else, and getting graded by TAs who were barely more experienced than they were. Holberton says the peer-to-peer model has been proven to work for decades at different institutions across the globe, and while the school has no formal teachers, there's a Software Engineer in Residence on every campus to answer questions and mediate. Holberton also has homework-checking software that gives "instant, bias-free feedback," the spokesperson said.
Former students also say that the school did not do enough to support them when it came to actually starting their career in the tech industry.The school promises students access to "professional advisors, mentors, and affiliated industry leaders," for networking and professional development. Those opportunities never materialized, the former students say, and they never met with any mentors.
But most of those prospective employers didn't show up, former students say, and there was no explanation for why. Holberton confirmed the incident but dodged responsibility: "The low attendance was unfortunate but outside of the school's control," the Holberton spokesperson said. School administration discourages students from taking part-time jobs while they're going through the program, urging them to focus on their studies. Holberton says it does encourage students to commit to its curriculum full-time, but that it works with outside organizations to help gather funding for students in need.
Former student Philliou says that students of color and students with disabilities in particular feel frustrated by the realities of the Holberton School. "They paint themselves as the pinnacle of diversity," Philliou said. "And yet there's no accommodation for students with disabilities or health conditions."
"What students owe is, according to regulations, proportional to what they consume," a Holberton spokesperson said. "Students have the opportunity to withdraw from the program up to one month after they start at no cost. That courtesy is specific to Holberton. The rest of the repayment guidelines are established by regulations.
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