On July 10, a delegate of students and teachers in the College of Computer Science and Technology departed from Hangzhou and headed to California to attend three-week Summer in Silicon Valley program organized by SJSU in the Silicon Valley, US.
This program covered entrepreneurship and innovation projects. Under the guidance of advisors, students worked in teams in simulated entrepreneurial projects, from product design, drafting of business plan to road show, with teammates from India, Taiwan and other countries.
Each afternoon, students would spend time with teammates from all over the world working on the projects. Students were divided to different teams, and each team would design products in a popular industry, from its appearance to technology, and from user analysis to marketing strategies. This program would help students get trained on their teamwork cooperation, collaboration and communication skills and other inescapable skills.
Besides working on projects, students and teachers visited many world-famous companies including Google, PayPal and Cisco to experience enterprise culture and learn about design concept. Furthermore, students and teachers were also offered many opportunities to tour around cities and areas around the Silicon Valley to experience life in California. 
‘The summer program on entrepreneurship and innovation in Silicon Valley helped me truly experience life in America. I got my future development plan more clarified.’ Said YANG Yihui, a student of Grade 2014. ‘I could feel the drastic disparity between China and America on education concept, work model and atmosphere for entrepreneurship and innovation. I have learned advanced ideology on schooling and project, which would have a huge positive impact for my future study or work.
Many students indicated that education in America would prioritize cultivation of cooperation ability and problem-solving ability when compared with domestic education that laid more emphasis on education of knowledge and theories. It put many students jittery, who are aspired to pay more attention to elevate these qualities.
This summer exchange program helped students bravely step out of the ‘comfort zone’ of language. Being surrounded by an English-speaking environment, students overcame language barrier, made friends with many new foreigners who shared the same ambition and got their international horizon extended. All those would root groundwork for their future educational or professional pursuit in the bigger stage in days to come.
