Welcome to Quant SC

USC's primary community for students interested in quantitative finance and analysis.

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Who We Are


Our Mission

Quant SC fosters an educational and supportive community where students explore and prepare for careers in quantitative finance.

Serving as an introduction to the dynamic field of algorithmic trading, Quant SC is a pioneer in the diverse fabric of student organizations at USC.

What We Do

Guided Algorithm-Development

The core of Quant SC is our algorithm incubator. Students passionate about mathematics, computer science, and finance collaborate to capitalize on quantitatively-driven financial opportunities.

Recruiting

We set members up for success in the recruiting process with professional development workshops, exclusive networking events, firm visits, and mentorship. By demystifying the recruitment process, Quant SC hopes to make it a more inclusive, equitable process that develops the best talent.

Guest Speakers

Quant SC hosts industry speakers from professional firms to give members a glimpse of what professional life as a quant might look like.

Community

Throughout the semester, we organize a variety of fun social events, including game nights and retreats. We will also be competing in different university-hosted trading competitions!

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Cohort Timeline

Strategy Research

Each member is taught fundamental financial information necessary to hypothesize and analyze a potentially successful strategy. Project teams then research algorithms and discuss academic papers to decide on one to implement.

Past projects have spanned topics including hidden Markov models, sentiment analysis, leveraged ETFs, and options chain analysis.

Implementation

With a specific strategy designed, teams will be given guidance on how to select a development platform, read documentation, and implement custom trading algorithms.

Workshops

Workshops will be given for GitHub, QuantConnect, and machine learning to give students from non-programming backgrounds a practical introduction to development.

Enhancement

Each team's project incorporates unique components that enhance their algorithms' performance, allowing students to conduct original research and determine the efficacy of introduced component.

Evaluation

Project teams will be instructed in how to compare their algorithm's performance against others' and determine market niches their algorithm can occupy. By learning to evaluate how their algorithm ties into the market, students will be able to further enhance their projects to meet their specific niche's characteristics or expand their projects to become more broadly used.

Alumni

Our members have gone on to innovate across financial, technology, and consulting industries.

alumni placement

FAQs

Does Quant SC accept members on a rolling basis?

Due to the structure of our project teams, we are unable to accept members outside of the application cycle.

When and where does Quant SC meet?

Quant SC meets in person on campus, every Tuesday at 8pm.

Do I need prior finance experience to join Quant SC?

Prior knowledge of finance or economics is not expected or required.

I already have an idea in the works. Can I continue to build it?

Of course! We're happy to help you continue developing what you're passionate about. Our resources are at your disposal.

Do you accept graduate students?

Yes! We take both undergraduate and graduate students.