When does the next batch start?
Our third batch starts February 13, 2012.
Where is Hacker School?
The location for our next batch is 770 Broadway, graciously donated by The Huffington Post. Batch[0] was hosted at NYU, and batch[1] was hosted at Spotify.
What's the time commitment?
11am to 7pm, Monday, Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday. The next batch will start February 13 and end May 3rd. Hacker School goes until 9pm on Mondays because we all go out to dinner.
Do I have to be in New York?
Yes, you need to be in the New York area for the full three months. (One Hacker Schooler commuted from New Haven and never missed a day, but he was a little crazy.)
How does anyone learn if there are no formal teachers or curricula?

In place of formal teachers we have facilitators (Nick, Dave, Sonali) and fellow students who help find the best way to learn what you want. Instead of a fixed curriculum, we have a individualized approach. If you're weak on CS theory or want to explore functional programming, we'll help you find a path to learn it.

We've found that everyone learns a lot when a group of smart, curious people get in a room together to write code and help each other grow.

Do you have lectures?

Almost never. We much more frequently break into groups or pairs to help each other understand something new. We also all each give three-minute informal presentations every Saturday of what we've been building or learning during the week.

We also occasionally host guest speakers. These talks expose students to new ideas and, more important, serve as an excuse to get students interacting with speakers (you can always watch lectures online if you want, but you can't interact with a video).

Is this a Ruby on Rails training program?
No, we're language and framework agnostic. (Actually, that's not quite right: We're highly opinionated about languages and frameworks, but the purpose of Hacker School isn't to learn a specific stack but to become a better programmer. Hacker Schoolers write code in everything from Erlang to 6502 Assembly.)
Does Hacker School grant degrees or certificates?
No. The reasons to do Hacker School are to become a better programmer, to join a growing and tight-knit alumni network, and to get a free t-shirt.
How big is Hacker School?
The next batch will be about 25 students, not including us (Nick, Dave, and Sonali).
I'd like to start my own company. Should I do Hacker School?
It depends, but if your primary interest is starting a company, you should apply to Y Combinator.
I'm a contract programmer. Can I do client work at Hacker School?
No, Hacker School is not a coworking space.
I don't know how to program. Can I do Hacker School?
No, sorry. Hacker School is currently only for people who already know how to code. Think of it like a writers workshop. We're here to help people become great novelists, but you have to already know English and be comfortable writing essays.
How does Hacker School make money?
Startups pay us to recruit. If after Hacker School you want a job, we will help you find one. If you don't want one, or you'd prefer to search on your own, that's fine too.
Why/how did you start Hacker School?
Read this blog post.
How can I help?
We're always looking for space to host future batches. If you have a space that can fit 50 people and is available four days a week (including Saturdays) for three months starting in June, please let us know.
Was this site's design inspired by Y Combinator?
Yes. We copied most everything except the 90s markup.
Who took these great photos?
Hacker School alum John J. Workman, aka @workmajj.
Are you funded?
We were part of the Summer 2010 Y Combinator batch and have received additional funding from Founder Collective and SV Angel. We also received a Flash Grant from the Shuttleworth Foundation.
Shuttleworth