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USACO
Bootcamp
Train for the USA Computing Olympiad. Designed for complete beginners and Bronze competitors.
Experienced USACO Silver+ competitors, contact us for private tutoring with Berkeley Algorithms instructors and former USACO finalists here.
What is USACO? Why compete?
What: The USA Computing Olympiad (USACO) is the premier national competition in computer science for high school students in the US. The USACO tests problem-solving in the domain of algorithms - like math competitions, but for computer science. Anyone who has taken an introductory programming course has the necessary background to compete.
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There are four divisions: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Everyone starts at Bronze, and you advance divisions by performing well in one of the four yearly contests.
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Why: If you intend to major in computer science, USACO is arguably the single best activity you can invest your time in. Interviews at tech companies consist of USACO-style questions, and several university courses test this style of algorithmic thinking. Its prestigious standing as a national olympiad can also bolster your college application.
Our Bootcamps
Cohort options: 12 week Spring programs beginning early February and mid-March, and 3 week Summer programs begining June and July.
USACO Bronze A
Intro to USACO and Algorithms
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Jump start your USACO journey: Designed for beginners who have taken an intro-level programming course.
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Master core Bronze concepts: Introduction to USACO and algorithmic thinking, asymptotic analysis, simulation, complete search, and fundamental data structures.
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Gain meta-level problem solving skills: Learn how to break down problems and arrive at a solution systematically.
USACO Bronze B
Advanced Bronze Strategies
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Promote to USACO Silver: Designed for Bronze competitors who have scored 400+ on a Bronze contest.
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Master advanced Bronze techniques: Greedy methods, graphs, DFS/BFS, recursive methods, backtracking, and ad-hoc problem decomposition.
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Gain meta-level problem solving skills: Learn how to identify underlying mathematical structure and construct logical arguments.
Our USACO Team
We are a dedicated team of former CS instructors from Berkeley and Stanford with extensive experience in algorithms and USACO.
Kevin Zhu
Instructor
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Former UC Berkeley Instructor | Software Engineer at Palantir | Quant at Citadel
Kevin taught 3000+ Berkeley students during his tenure as a lecturer for CS198-112 (Intro to Algorithmic Thinking) and 5-time Head GSI for CS170 (Upper-division Algorithms). He has also taken software engineering roles at Palantir and various startups, and ML research roles at Citadel, Goldman Sachs, and Berkeley RISE Lab, where he applied traditional machine learning techniques to the stock market and researched techniques for improving convolutional neural network inference efficiency. Kevin now serves as the lead director for the Algoverse programs, as well as an instructor.
Ryan Nuqui
Instructor
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Former UC Berkeley Instructor | Bachelor's in CS and Math, UC Berkeley
Ryan is a former 5-time GSI for Berkeley’s CS61B (Data Structures and Algorithms), where he was the Head TA for Academic Interns and Tutors twice. During his time at Berkeley, he worked with educational organizations both on campus and in the local communities, such as Computer Science Mentors, which is the largest undergraduate teaching organization at Berkeley. Ryan intends to pursue an advanced degree in CS Education and continue teaching CS at either the high school or college level. Ryan completed his bachelor’s at UC Berkeley, double majoring in CS and applied mathematics.
Mehul Raheja
USACO Advisor
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Former USACO Finalist | Software Engineer at Exafunction
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Mehul is a software engineer at Exafunction and a former USA Computing Olympiad (USACO) Finalist, ranking among the top 25 in the US. He has four years of experience developing curriculums for USACO classes from Bronze to Platinum division at multiple institutions. Previously, he has taken engineering roles at Citadel, Databricks, and Lucid. Mehul graduated from UC Berkeley with a bachelor's in EECS.
Program Overview
Logistics
Program Dates:
Spring A: 12 weeks: February 4 - April 21. Sundays, 1-2:30 pm PT
Spring B: 12 weeks: March 16 - June 1. Saturdays, 1-2:30 pm PT
Summer A: 3 weeks: June 3 - June 20. Mon-Thurs*
Summer B: 3 weeks: June 24 - July 11. Mon-Thurs*
Summer C: 3 weeks: July 15 - August 2. Mon-Thurs*
*Note: Summer time options: 10am-12pm PT or 1-3 pm PT, depending on the class.
Spring Weekly Schedule: The program has two weekly meetings, with optional office hours available. We recommend allocating a few hours per week for our weekly problem sets.
Weekend Instructor Lecture (1.5 hours): Learn algorithmic design paradigms, meta-level problem-solving strategies, and solve canonical problems.
Mid-week Discussion (30 minutes, scheduled by you): Review problem set solutions and Q&A style support in small groups.
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Summer Weekly Schedule: The program lasts 3 weeks, Mon-Thurs, 2 hours per day, with a daily problem set.
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Program Fee: The total cost of the program is $1450. A limited number of need-based scholarships are available.
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Language Requirements: We support Python, Java, and C++. Our bootcamp is language-agnostic, emphasizing algorithmic problem solving. Implementations are demonstrated in all three languages.
Our Advantages
1. Individualized mentorship: Our instructors are dedicated to your individual success. Classes are held at an 8:1 student-instructor ratio in a dynamic classroom. Office hours are available to deep dive into your individual thought process when solving problems.
2. Our curriculum: Our instructors have extensive experience in algorithms and USACO, and have designed a curriculum emphasizing meta-level problem solving skills and conceptual depth that cannot be found elsewhere. This includes 70+ hand-picked USACO problems from previous years that you'll internalize throughout the program. Furthermore, our curriculum has considerable overlap with interview questions at FAANG companies (e.g Google), as well as university-level data structures and algorithms courses.
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3. Expert Instruction: Developed and taught by former Berkeley Algorithms instructors and USACO finalists (top 25 in US).
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4. 24/7 Support: Ask for help in our Slack community from instructors at any time if you run into roadblocks debugging or want to bounce ideas.
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5. Career Advancement: Receive mentorship from Stanford and Berkeley alumni about the college application process as a CS major, SWE and Quant recruiting, applying for internships, and more.
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Become a talented programmer: Gain fluency in turning ideas into code. Improve your skills in problem decomposition, algorithm design, implementation, debugging, and testing - essential skills necessary for a computer science degree and software engineering career.
Outcomes
Enrollment
Secure your spot in our USACO bootcamp to jump start your USACO journey and promote to Silver under the mentorship of expert instructors.
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Enrollment: Enroll with a $50 deposit, refundable upon program completion. Choose weekly payments or a one-time tuition fee of ​$1450, billed at program start.
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Cancellation/Refund Policy: Full refund up to 21 days prior to the start of the program. No refunds are available thereafter.
Referral program: Receive a $200 fee reduction for each student you refer to our program, or if you enroll with a friend. Terms.​