During the summer of 2024, 15 students of Zhejiang University from different majors attended the summer session of University of California, Berkeley (UCB). Zhejiang University has been partnered with the UCB for over six years and this initiative was made possible through the coordination of School of Economics of Zhejiang Universityand Zhejiang University’s Oversea Exchange Program toWorld-Class Universities in 2024.

Students had the freedom to choose from more than 600 courses in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from social psychology to English literature. Courses were offered over different sessions of varying lengths, the latest one ended in mid-August. More than 16,000 students worldwide attended thesummer school every year.

Aerial View of the Campus from the Bell Tower

UC Berkeley Summer Sessions was committed to offering high quality, innovative academic courses, and experiential education opportunities during the summer, as well as supporting the University’s goals of educating a broad and diverse student population. Through this program, students from ZJU have experienced unrivaled learning opportunities in a foreign country, which was also part of ZJU’s oversea training modules.

One of the students, Cui Zixin, who was enrolled in a course named Literature and Popular Culture said: “I chose this course because I wanted to know how native English speakers learn their own literature. I love pop fiction and I thought this could be the perfect class that covers both my major and my hobby”. Throughout the course, she re-read many classics of popular literature from a different perspective, learned how different cultural background and identities affect people’s understanding of the same piece of work, and started being aware of hidden implications or other hints and opinions left by the author that went unnoticed in Chinese translations. “This course left me with a new way of reading, thinking and expressing myself in English”, noted by Zixin.

School Architecture

Yadian Fan, a student majoring in Economics, chose the course Social Psychology.  Although this was her first time to take course in psychology,  she quickly adapted to the course learning and benefited greatly from the cross-culture discussions. “Economics is a subject that requires us to have a keen perception of society and a basic understanding of people’s behavior. Some people may think economics and psychology are two unrelated subjects, but that is Social Psychology which presents the micro foundation for economics as it can explain public’s decision-making and how people may tend to behave in times of crisis or in some specific situations”, Yadian said.

The program not only offers students opportunities for meaningful courses, but also helps them navigate the complexities of a globalized society. This experience has broadened their international perspectives and will have a lasting impact on their growth and future development.

This year is the sixth year of collaboration between Zhejiang University and the University of California, Berkeley in hosting the summer school program. Each year, the program provides ZJU students with the invaluable opportunity to engage with one of the world's leading institutions, opening up endless possibilities for their future academic research and careers.