My name is Yuhe Sun. I am a visiting student from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. I’m in the Berkeley Haas Global Access Program (BHGAP) for the fall 2021 semester. It has been a wonderful time so far living my life in Berkeley, California. I want to show you an inside look at how wonderful my life and studies have been here so far.

Study at Cal

My program is jointly managed by Haas School of Business and Berkeley Global. Haas is one of the best business schools in the U.S. and I was so excited to be admitted into the program!

BHGAP is a wonderful program focused on entrepreneurship, leadership, marketing and management. It is perfectly designed for developing business sense, finding your career path and building networks for people who would like to take the next step into the business world.

I took three classes in the program: Negotiations and Conflict Resolution, Opportunity Recognition and High Tech Marketing Management. I am enjoying all three courses! In my Negotiations and Conflict Resolution class, we are randomly assigned an individual role or a role in a team. It is like being an actor or actress in a play—you have to practice the lines and find out which is the best one for you or your team’s benefit! This is really a fun course and the skills taught could really be put into practice in real-life situations.

In the Opportunity Recognition course, every week we touch upon a real business case. Different companies have different business opportunities, trade-offs and decisions to make. It is similar to a consulting training class where we learn how to find solutions for companies that have had operational problems. The course content is very relevant to the trend of this era and it provides insights to different business fields.

In the High Tech Marketing Management class we learn about market simulation. During the first half of each class, the professor will lecture about useful techniques for marketing in the high tech sector. During the second half of the class, we are divided into six teams and try to compete against each other in a high tech marketing environment. It is just like playing a video game—full of excitement and participation. 

Aside from the BHGAP electives, I took another two concurrent enrollment classes. In these courses I am able to study with undergraduates at Cal. I took a data course and an accounting course. The program provides a wide selection for us when it comes to course options. All of the courses really fit my interest very well.

Extracurricular Activities: Fit into the Culture Here

Berkeley Global is a big family with students from all over the world with different cultural backgrounds and from different programs (BGA, BHGAP, LSGAP). We have all come together to experience a new cultural atmosphere here.

Berkeley Global provides a lot of activities to participate in on our weekends. I went to see my first-ever baseball game (San Francisco Giants vs. San Diego Padres) with other Berkeley Global friends! Although I knew nothing about baseball, it was still such a thrilling and exciting thing for me to see. I was deeply impressed by the competitive sports atmosphere here in America.

I also enjoy hiking with Berkeley Global friends. Hiking is fun because I can see the beautiful view and talk with my friends at the same time. I love taking pictures from above. This is a beautiful city worth being remembered for a lifetime.

Living at Cal: Making Lifelong Friends

I live in a four-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment very close to UC Berkeley campus. I have seven roommates who are all Chinese visiting students but from different home universities. We get along very well with each other. We cook together, go to the grocery store together and spend time with each other during any festival and holiday.  

We don't just have fun together, we often share our studies and deep emotional issues with each other. We have a very deep emotional connection which is special. Studying abroad far from home can be lonely, but my roommates have made me feel at home. They are more than just roommates but lifelong friends that I really cherish and love.

Traveling Around Here: Exploring San Francisco

San Francisco is one of the most famous cities in the United States. It represents Northern California very well. There are many beautiful attractions here: Golden Gate Bridge, Lombard Street, Alcatraz Island and so on. These places are perfect choices for taking nice photos! Silicon Valley is a great place to visit where you can see world-class technology companies.

The mode of transportation here is also very special. Scooters and bicycles are more common than buses. Both of which are very interesting means of transportation and well worth trying. Also, the roads in San Francisco are steep, which is a good exercise for visitors (just kidding). 

In the End

Applying for BHGAP was one of the best decisions I have ever made. I have not only gained knowledge and friends here, but I have also gained a new way of living—to put aside anxiety that stressed me out all the time, and thrive at Haas.