CS371g Summer 2021: Shaharyar Lakhani — Final Entry

Hey there! Welcome to my final blog entry, and final assignment of college!

How well do you think the course conveyed those takeaways?

The course was very well structured and the material was also conveyed well. This is the second course that I have taken with Professor Downing, and I have learned a great deal in both courses. I liked learning about C++ generics, and they were challenging but intellectually stimulating.

Were there any other particular takaways for you?

One takeaway for me was don’t always take the easy path. At the beginning of the summer, I was debating between this class and another class that would’ve been a great deal easier. I decided to take this class, despite the difficulty, so that I would learn more and be more equipped for my career in tech. I don’t regret that decision, and I am happy I was able to juggle this course while doing an internship.

How did you feel about cold calling?

I like cold calling; I think it’s a good way of getting students involved. I am all for participation, and I think professor Downing is very understanding when students are unable to participate as well.

How did you feel about grading?

The grading system was confusing at first. I ended up liking it, but I wish there was a little more leeway. For example, some of the in class activities I wasn’t fully able to focus on because of my internship and also because 2 hours is a long time to stay attentive and productive. I am glad that there was a 5 minute break in between though!

How did you feel about office hours?

I thought they were helpful. Amogh was always helpful on Discord because I was unable to make the regular office hours.

How did you feel about support from Amogh?

I thought he was one of the best TA’s I have had. He was extremely helpful and knowledgeable about the material. I can tell he is passionate about coding, and he is good at it as well.

What required tool did you not know and now find very useful?

At first, I didn’t understand pointers, or really how to use the C++ documentation. After this class, I like the documentation. Especially on cplusplus.com. Extremely helpful, and I feel prepared enough to do coding challenges in C++ now!

Give me your suggestions for improving the course.

The workload was quite high. I understand it is a summer course, and that may be why, but I found it quite stressful. This was probably also due to the fact that I was juggling a full time internship, but that would be my only suggestion. Other than that, great course, great professor.