PrequelReviews of joinprequel.com

My experience at Beta Camp was amazing! It was inspiring to learn from and work with such talented, intuitive, and creative individuals. Salman, the program director, was also an amazing mentor and guide and I really enjoyed learning from him!

This program was definitely worth it, I learned so much from all of the mentors who have such valuable experiences to share, and I had a great time building a business with my team!

The real-life experience was priceless. I couldn’t have had it any other way. One quick suggestion - there were a bunch of issues with reaching out to my teammates. It made the startup process a bit more difficult (but still worth it!). Maybe create a system that holds everyone accountable?

Choosing to participate in Beta Camp was one of the best decisions I have made in my career! It exposed me to the world of tech and I discovered my interest in product and UX design. Some of the friends I have made at Beta Camp are my closest friends now in the University of Waterloo!

I've interned at MIT Startup Accelerators, worked in my state government, but among everything I've done, BETA camp shines as one of the most impactful experiences. Beta Camp was truly a phenomenal life changing experience, one that helped me become more confident in who I was and allowed me to hone my leadership skills. Before BETA Camp, I always planned to become a successful entrepreneur in the likes of Steve Jobs and others, but I didn't know how to realize it. BETA Camp's support of my dream, along with hands on exposure, fantastic mentors, and an awesome global community allowed me to change my life. The guest speakers have helped me gain internships and opened up new doors that I didn't even think was possible for a high school student. BETA camp is the spark that lights the fire. A year after the program ended, and the people I've met in BETA Camp have become some of my best friends, the experience I've gained starting my own company has helped me in future ventures, and I've emerged as a leader in my community. For any ambitious student, either looking to further their college application or to gain real world exposure to startups, I'd highly recommend.

BETA Camp was a great experience that completely changed my perspective on navigating the education systems around me. Before BETA Camp, I was so focused on simply absorbing knowledge that I didn't really understand the point of, and dumping that knowledge onto a test, only to forget it the next day. This was a very passive way of learning and wasn't very fulfilling - I couldn't employ my knowledge gained to create any change. Through BETA Camp's hands-on approach, whether it be through industry-leading guest speakers from notable companies, workshops being led by CEO's, and much more, I found myself becoming more active and passionate in the way I learned. I asked questions, networked with the impressive speakers, and went through the trial and error process necessary for a start-up to thrive. These skills that I learned will not only benefit me in the start up process, but in every day life as well. Thanks BETA Camp!

I owe so much to Beta Camp. One of the best decisions of my life was choosing to apply. Despite the intimidating costs upfront, in the end, my experience was ultimately priceless. Keep in mind, the Beta Camp staff have an insanely valuable network. We were able to have frequent group calls with admirable professionals who would walk us through workshops designed by their own companies, or help help us with our own startups. I was able to follow up with these incredibly accomplished professionals and had access to top talent at the age when that wouldn't typically be possible. This made way for further growth beyond Beta Camp, as I was able to secure internships and many more connections / coffee chats at the young age of 16-17 years old. At Beta Camp, you literally learn by doing. I couldn't tell you the specifics of everything we learned at each live session, but if you were to put one of the workshops back in front of me, I could do it successfully on the spot. Their method of teaching is actually effective. By building a revenue generating startup in just a few weeks, and by being challenged with engaging, participation-based, interactive workshops every live session, coupled with the mentorship provided, you feel like an entrepreneur-- as much as you fully have become one. Being entrepreneurial positively enhances any aspect of your life. I've used the breakdown we were taught during our cold calling workshop (where I literally received a discount from calling a local franchise) to get others on board with my ideas more effectively in council, at work, in interviews, etc. I've used Ikea's design thinking model in several initiatives I've created to make sure that they are actually useful, or to simply have a bias towards action when helping friends around me. There are so many skills that are necessary in today's world that school doesn't cover, but that Beta Camp goes all in on teaching: negotiation, sales and pitching, finance skills, out-of-the-box thinking, etc. Important skills to learn at a young age! In all honesty, high school business courses do not do the dynamic, innovative field that business is, the justice that it deserves. Beta Camp introduced me to industry professionals, and I was able to get a glimpse of the interesting projects, thought processes, and innovative companies driving impact in today's world through their own unique, and most importantly, current, perspectives and stories. I discovered interesting roles beyond what I had heard of in high school (accounting, finance, HR), such as product management, innovation lead, or creative director, and started to envision myself one day filling the shoes of the cool, brilliant professionals I was talking to. I had always felt like no specific profession was fully encapsulating of everything I would want from a career, until at Beta Camp, I realized that there are so many niche roles out there in the field of business that would be the perfect fit for me-- I just never knew what was out there! Business is more than just spreadsheets and desk work. Lastly, the community you're surrounded by is so fun, inspiring, and supportive. I'm still good friends with the people who were in my cohort, who have gone on to keep growing and continuing to do awesome things! It's the best meeting up with them too after having so many interactions virtually. I also feel welcomed when reaching out to my Beta Camp mentors / staff for professional advice and support, which has been invaluable as I continue along my professional journey. I went from wanting to pursue medicine, to pursuing business! No matter what happens, I'm glad that I took the time to try out the field of business when I did.

Beta Camp was a phenomenal experience and allowed me to gain many skills not attainable elsewhere during highschool. The ability to express our creativity and learn the stages of startup development in-practice, as well as rejection training and interpersonal skills were extremely valuable in preparation for university and full-time jobs. I had the opportunity to return to Beta Camp as a mentor as well, and would recommend the program to any highschool students looking to build something of their own, either now, or in the future.