C++ Online Programming Course Testimonials

[Kairav]

I don't usually write reviews for things but this course has been extremely phenomenal. In fact, the best thing to come out of this is that I have lost my fear of coding and I am now capable of far more than I ever was before I started this course. The exercises are very well structured in such a way that you apply the concepts taught in the lectures and in this sense such concepts remain ingrained into your brain as you have seen it in action per se. The instructor Daniel Duffy has done a phenomenal job of constructing the course in a way that develops your understanding at each level and my TA Avi Palley is extremely humble, intelligent and patient, providing quick and useful feedback on the homeworks as well as being extremely helpful on the forums. Finally, the forum experience is what truly makes this course unique, reading through threads to see the interaction between the TAs and the students as they work through errors in code and in turn, learning a great deal yourself (one of the best learning tools IMO).

Anyone still reading this thread, I cannot stress enough how much I recommend this course if you want to go from zero coding experience in C++ to a competent programmer in the language in such a short span of time (I would've taken months to get to where I am now in just a matter of weeks).

 

[CATHCHEN]

My mentor recommended this course to me saying that it would be beneficial to take since I want to become a quant in the future. It's great that it's a 16-week online course and I can study in my own pace and ask questions on the forum. The tutors and the professor are patient to answer my questions and they helped me solve my problems with guiding questions, instead of just giving out the answers. When I submitted my homework, I always received detailed feedback which is useful for my next step. I'm glad that I finish this course and enhance my C++/C programming skills, and had some experience with the Boost library, and tried some financial applications in Level 9.

 

[Kaleem bukhari]

I enrolled in the course for two reasons:
1. Become a programmer: I had some coding experience with Python and VBA. However, I wanted to become a better programmer and not merely a coder. This course has certainly helped me become a better programmer. Not only can I write efficiently designed programs but also I have become comfortable at understanding and debugging code. The course definitely introduces best coding practice. Last but not the least, I had heard great things about the TA support and I have had the pleasure to experience it myself. Along with being prompt at answering questions on the forum, my TA (Avi Palley) provided detailed feedback on the homework and guided me all the way to implement best programming practices.

2. Meet the programming requirements for MFE programs: I believe that this course is designed to prepare the students to handle grad school level programming.

 

[Daniel Duffy]

I enrolled in the course for two reasons:
1. Become a programmer: I had some coding experience with Python and VBA. However, I wanted to become a better programmer and not merely a coder. This course has certainly helped me become a better programmer. Not only can I write efficiently designed programs but also I have become comfortable at understanding and debugging code. The course definitely introduces best coding practice. Last but not the least, I had heard great things about the TA support and I have had the pleasure to experience it myself. Along with being prompt at answering questions on the forum, my TA (Avi Palley) provided detailed feedback on the homework and guided me all the way to implement best programming practices.

2. Meet the programming requirements for MFE programs: I believe that this course is designed to prepare the students to handle grad school level programming.

Congratulations. You communicated very well on this forum.
I doubt there is any course on the planet where you would get the same level of attention as you got from the TAs here.

 

[Kaleem bukhari]

@Daniel Duffy , thank you so much for putting together this excellent course. I agree with you, there is no doubt that the TA support for quantnet courses is unparallel. This achievement wouldn't have been possible without the support from @APalley and @WZhang.

It has been a pleasure, and I have thoroughly enjoyed interacting with the community here.

 

[Kevin Griffin]

Experience:
* A bit hectic by necessity. I knew I needed to finish 4 weeks early to have the course completed in time for my graduate application. I think the course is more than manageable if you have a true 15-16 weeks to split it up over.
* My only coding experience prior to taking this course was a single MATLAB course 8 or 9 years ago. However, I was able to complete the course with distinction with little to no external resources. The homework exercises had a good balance between specificity and openness, and nearly all issues I encountered were already addressed on the forum. Outside of homeworks 6 and 9, all of the assignments can be completed in 1-2 days. Homework 9 brings everything together -- it is very open-ended, utilizes much of the knowledge gained throughout the course, and applies everything to financial applications (options pricing, Monte Carlo, etc.).
* TA feedback throughout the course was plentiful and insightful. It was evident that the TAs actually scrutinize the submissions to assist students in building good coding habits.
* I would highly recommend the course to anyone looking to learn C++. Prospective students can probably expect to spend about 150 hours on the course. Perhaps less if you have more coding experience.

Reason to take the course:
* I took the course to fulfill the C++ requirement for an MFE program.

How I found it:
* I found this via Baruch's Pre-MFE program.

 

[Carol_Zhu]

This course is great for students who has learned Python and some basic knowledge of programming. Since all materials are very basic and clear, we can follow the course step by step. After each level, there will a quiz to test if you really grasp the knowledge and it is also the key for next level. This design is perfect! Most important is our TA Avi and the good use of forum. Once we have problem, we can immediately find similar questions on forum or we can just post new thread and wait for TA and other students' reply within couple of hours which is efficient.
Overall, the experience is wonderful here!

 

[zhaox]

The course was recommended to me by a senior in university who previously took it and went on to a top MFE program. Following his steps, I am trying to strengthen my programming skills and prepare for quantitative programs by taking this course.

The course material is comprehensive and TA's response is quick. I feel the forum information is very helpful as well.

 

[MikeLawrence]

Experience:
Prospective students can probably expect to spend about 150 hours on the course. Perhaps less if you have more coding experience.

Thanks for including an approximate hour commitment, that is really helpful. I'm going to start as soon as the semester ends, it is good to know how it could be divided up. I'm also committing to self-studying another topic in preparation for a course next semester, so I'm working on a game plan to get both done.

Can anyone else confirm or comment on this figure?

 

[Jaehwa Youm]

I could tell why the course is famous and recommended by the renowned MFE programs. The homework questions are well-organized and extremely helpful in learning important C++ concepts. Although the homeworks were challenging for me, as a beginner in C++, I found the time investment worthwhile and I believe they will be valuable in pursuing my career in quant finance. I wholeheartedly recommend this course to anyone interested in learning C++.

 

[Josue Jarumi]

I found the course very complete, the C++ programming concepts plus the exercises throughout the course gave me the security and confidence to understand them in a deep way and say that I know C++.
I found the course on quantnet and their testimonials convinced me, if someone wants to learn C++ in an accessible and correct way they should take the course

 

[vineeth_gopu]

This course was very useful in getting a breadth of understanding of not only C++ syntax and code structure but also general design and programming principles. I thoroughly enjoyed the course and would recommend it to other MFE candidates in the future. I would also like to especially thank Dr. Duffy and Avi for the wonderful experience.

 

[Runyi Fu]

I heard of this course from the forum of my college. I signed up for this course for a better understanding of c++ and it truly did give me better understanding. The video is a little confusing at the beginning, but it's no longer an issue when I get accustomed to Daniel Duffy's style of teaching. I have to say my TA, APalley, is one of the greatest TAs I've ever met. Great thanks.

 

[simaroberoi]

I would say I had a great experience with the course. The concepts covered were fundamental to learning C++ and were explained well be Dr. Duffy in the lecture videos. The design of the HW exercises was what I liked the most. They were structured to build upon the new material that was taught throughout the course, which I really enjoyed. All of this culminated in Level 9, when I was given the opportunity to use all the knowledge gathered along the way to create my own classes. It definitely took time, but gave me the freedom to make my own design choices, which I think is a great way to learn to code in a real life scenario. Finally, the course forum and Avi were immensely helpful to me throughout the course, and were accessible promptly. All in all, I would say this course is a great introduction to C++ for someone who has a little bit of programming experience prior to taking the course.

 

[Fangtong]

The course provided me with a solid foundation in C++, which I believe is essential for anyone venturing into the world of Financial Engineering. The modules were laid out in a logical manner, making it easy for me to understand complex topics. I particularly appreciated the real-world finance-oriented examples and problems, which gave me insights into how C++ can be applied in quantitative finance scenarios. The immediate feedback on coding assignments and the active discussion forums were especially beneficial in clarifying doubts.
While researching the prerequisites for MFE programs, I realized the importance of proficiency in C++. After consulting with some current MFE students and alumni, I found a recommendation for this course. The detailed syllabus and positive testimonials assured me of its quality. Thus I took this course without any doubt and really enjoy the whole process.

 

[Xu Ziran]

I enrolled in this course based on a recommendation from a senior student. After reviewing the course outline, I found it to be a great opportunity to enhance my programming skills, so I decided to join. Throughout the learning process, the course materials were clear and comprehensible. The instructor's explanations were excellent, and the timely assistance from the teaching assistant (TA) further ensured that I successfully completed the course. I also gained a wealth of knowledge from it.

 

[Eric Kopen]

When I started thinking about a career in quantitative finance, QuantNet was one of the first online resources I found. The website does a good job at promoting the C++ course and it seemed to have good reviews, especially when it comes to getting into an MFE program, so it seemed like a no brainer. This course has its challenging parts, but the challenge pushes you to think harder and ultimately learn more than you would have. I have never taken a coding course (including university courses) that nurtured such a deep understanding of a language.

 

[Jiehou]

This course gave me a basic understanding of the C++ language and focused on training in the use of C++ class functions. I have a deeper understanding of inheritance and polymorphism. In terms of courses, the logic of the video and the code explanation part are very closely combined. Every time I learn a knowledge point, there will be a code explanation immediately, and I will follow a lot of practice assignments, which consolidates my understanding of knowledge very well.

I think the homework setting of this course is perfect, and a lot of training in different details has improved me a lot. The Level 9 homework, which integrates what I have learned before, and is an option pricing model that can really be used in the MFE field, really benefited me a lot.

I want to extend my deepest gratitude for APalley's consistent guidance and expertise throughout the term. TA's patient responses and high level of professionalism have left an indelible impression on me. Lastly, I am immensely grateful to you and Professor Daniel Duffy for your dedication to this course. I am fortunate to have been under the tutelage of such expert mentors on my educational journey.

 

[MA Moreno]

I did an extensive search and comparison among all available on line courses that focus on deep C++ programming learning combined with high level, real world application of the concepts being thought, and I noticed that the course with the highest recommendations and best comments overall was QuantNet's "C++ Programming for Financial Engineering". After finishing the course, I found it to be thorough and with very good pace, covering the basics first, including the roots of the language in "C", and then taking us through different levels where new concepts, language features and applications were explained in an easy to understand manner, up to the final level were we are faced with the task to put together all the concepts and skills learned in a set of well-thought exercises and clever quizzes. Overall, a well designed and polished course that shows the remarkable experience that Dr. Daniel Duffy and his great team of collaborators have gathered over the years, making this course the de facto gold standard for learning C++ in general and for finance engineering in particular.

 

[Jiani]

I find the materials, homework and quiz given helpful, especially when I was reviewing the course for the final exam. I would say preparation for final exam contribute 50% to my understanding of knowledge taught in this course.
However, I do feel that watching the videos is not efficient for learning in my case. They are helpful, but can be improved.
Lastly, the level9 part was really hard for me. I don't think the materials explain enough to understand what's happening. Maybe more materials could be given. They don't have to be thorough, just explain the theory behind the codes as plain as possible, with necessary graphs etc. I spent about 3 weeks to understand PDE, lattice, etc., mainly relying on Internet.
Overall, I learnt a lot from this course. Above are just some suggestions that might make this course better.