By Zijing ZENG, Class of GMBA 2017, Tsinghua-MIT Global MBA Program

Time flew incredibly quickly during Tsinghua MBA students stay in UK, as UCL GMSS exchange program was an amazing experience for everyone involved. UCL is a world leader in management sciences and worldwide sustainable development. The academic research and social impact of UCL regarding innovation, strategy and operations provided this GMSS short-term exchange program with solid academics and practical guidance. GMSS provided a great opportunity to fully get in touch with the UK/EU commercial environment, corporate management and culture. Neither of our team members from Tsinghua has ever worked for UK/EU companies, GMSS demonstrated how the management style, challenges and opportunities collaborate and push the UK economy forward towards globalization. GMSS provides an insight of how top UK/EU companies maintain their organizational function and gain sustainable development drives. GMSS invites professionals and experts with rich work experiences in UK/EU to deliver the cutting edge management practice and ethos to students. Culturally, London, with the best museums in the world, is famous for its splendid history and is also the center of global business. GMSS provides opportunities to network with the city and its outstanding residents. With no doubt, the GMSS program lightened our summer and extend our minds in breadth and depth.

The first day the GMSS program began. We took the picture in front of one of the oldest buildings on UCL campus.

We were deeply impressed with the integrity of the sessions GMSS offers and the unique analysis perspective. Through GMSS, We were immersed in comprehensive and classic learning activities including global corporate social responsibility, leadership, organizational behavior, accounting and finance, marketing, strategy and innovation management. GMSS equipped us to a large extent dealing with a complex and interconnected business world. What’s more attractive was all the issues were specifically delivered under UK/EU commercial context. Through GMSS we established an objective comparison between Chinese management & leadership style and UK, which was expected before we applied for this program to improve our business acumen regarding global trade.

The business tour in the London stock exchange.  A very professional expert delivered a wonderful lecture about the financing in UK.

GMSS program helped us to develop multicultural interaction with students from Belgium, Chile, India and Columbia. We worked as a team to conduct final project and became good friends. On the last night aboard a cruise on the beautiful Thames River, we danced and sang, talked and laughed. It was a moment that we will remember forever. Another impressive takeaway was the philosophy of University College London (UCL). UCL is a world-class multidisciplinary research university with over 100 departments, institutes and research centers. Innovation is carved into its soul at the beginning of founding. Our final project for every team was to conduct a consulting program to help a start-up project to grow. Not only did we need to figure out the original concept of this start-up project, but also we should develop a feasible business plan to breed our innovative idea. It was challenging and unbelievably practical. Focusing on globalization and all the content that GMSS delivered during this two intensive weeks, every team came out with great projects and presented on the final day. All of us will remember this 2016 GMSS exchange program and all the dear friends we met this wonderful summer.

The last day of the whole program. All the students had a cruise party on the Thames River.