What an amazing week I have experienced! Although three weeks have passed since I returned from my GNAM Network Week, the memories feel as fresh as if they happened yesterday. The class I attended, the people I met, and the things I experienced keep playing over in my mind.

We were invited to select our Global Network for Advanced Management courses in mid-July, about one month before the start of autumn semester. I chose Berkeley Haas for its “Bay Area Innovation & Entrepreneurship” module. I spoke with a UCD Smurfit MBA alumna last year when I was applying to the program: she told me that UCD Smurfit is the only business school in Ireland that offers the GNAM opportunity, and now, a year later, it is my turn to benefit from it.

Day 1: Arrival and First Impressions

I arrived in Berkeley a day early to get settled and explore the sights. San Francisco, home to the first Chinatown in the U.S., dating back to 1848, is famous for its vibrant and inclusive atmosphere. Strolling through the streets of downtown San Francisco, you can see modern skyscrapers everywhere, a variety of restaurants and shopping malls, and many Asian faces in the crowd. Especially near Chinatown, you can even hear Chinese songs and see elderly Chinese people practicing tai chi or square dancing in public parks. Although they are living in the U.S., they still maintain a lifestyle similar to that in China. All of these scenes make me feel a strong sense of familiarity and excitement, perfectly setting the tone for the week ahead. My timing was perfect—I even caught Fleet Week and spent the afternoon watching an impressive air show over the bay.

Day 2 & Day 3: Class Time and Panel Discussions

The highlights of the first two days were panel discussions on entrepreneurship and investing. Young entrepreneurs shared their startup stories and experiences, while seasoned investors offered insights on evaluating and helping those startups.

We also explored the Bay Area ecosystem by visiting the Bakar BioEnginuity Hub, a facility equipped with world-class bio laboratories and advanced equipment for Life Science startups, and SkyDeck, a startup accelerator and incubator program jointly run by the Haas School of Business and Berkeley College of Engineering. These visits revealed how startups flourish within this unique environment. Hearing from experts at the forefront of global tech innovation and investment was truly inspiring, and seeing how these individuals built their companies within such a supportive ecosystem made me understand why the Bay Area is such a hub for startups.

Day 4 & Day 5: Team Collaboration and Site Visit

The next two days were all about teamwork. Our assignments required collaboration with teammates from different business schools and backgrounds. Working alongside such a diverse group was challenging yet incredibly rewarding. We brought different perspectives and skills to the table, and as we worked through the project, I could feel my understanding of multicultural dynamics and importance of teamwork growing.

On the afternoon of Day 4, we had the chance to visit Terabase, a solar plant construction robotics startup located in Davis, California. The CEO introduced us to the company and gave us an impressive tour of the factory, where we saw autonomous vehicles and robotics used to install solar panels. This technology reduces the need for large manual labor crews and, more importantly, significantly improves efficiency, making solar farm construction safer and faster.

Day 6: Closing Reception and NBA Game

The final day, we had a chance to explore the UC Berkeley main campus. And in the afternoon, we gathered for a farewell celebration in downtown San Francisco. Everyone shared stories throughout the week and exchanged contact. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to new friends who had become an integral part of this journey.

Later that night, I attended an NBA preseason game between the LA Lakers and Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center. Having been an NBA fan since high school, this was a dream come true—the energy in the arena was electric, making it a perfect way to end the week.

Reflections

Looking back, my GNAM tour at Berkeley Haas exceeded all my expectations. I left with new insights into entrepreneurship and investing, valuable connections with peers from around the world, and a deepened understanding of how cultural diversity enriches the business world. This experience not only broadened my perspective on global business but also reinforced my belief in the power of collaboration across borders.

—Lianbin Chen, FTMBA Class of 2025

There was excitement in the air as the MBA batch of 2025 gathered for a class photo. My classmates were chatting about their upcoming Global Network for Advanced Management (GNAM) week adventure, which gives MBA students the opportunity to pursue a mini module at network schools. I stood among them, smiling for the camera as FOMO crept in. While they would soon be exploring different corners of the world, I would be spending my time here in Dublin. But instead of letting the week pass me by, I decided to create my own adventure.

I began the weekend by taking a breather from the fast-paced MBA routine and enjoying some personal time. I tried my hand at cooking a delicious meal, and spent a relaxing evening at home. This pause gave me a renewed sense of energy and set the tone for the days ahead. With this quiet start, I felt ready to explore Dublin from a fresh perspective.

On a whim, I decided to visit UCD’s main campus at Belfield, where I caught a film at UCD Cinema, and strolled around the campus afterward. As I walked along the paths and explored the James Joyce library, I found myself with a renewed appreciation for the place that’s been shaping my MBA experience. It was a simple, almost meditative moment, but it reminded me of just how far I’ve come since starting here.

With Halloween approaching, I embraced the festive spirit and went shopping for decorations, costumes, and treats, exploring Dublin’s hidden corners along the way. Each store and street revealed something new, a side of the city I had never seen before.

Midway through the week, I attended a networking event at a local pub organised by the MBA Association of Ireland. Mingling with students from other universities across Dublin, we shared stories, ideas, and ambitions. It was a reminder that growth isn’t confined to the formal aspects of an MBA program, and sometimes the best connections are made over a pint.

Of course, the week wasn’t all leisure. My teammates and I met up occasionally to tackle upcoming group assignments and a presentation. Between these sessions, catching up on individual assignments, and working with my Product Management and Marketing Club to plan upcoming events, I stayed deeply engaged with my coursework. Balancing the workload with personal time was challenging, but it felt immensely rewarding.

One of the highlights of my week was squeezing in a hike to Glendalough. The breathtaking views brought a sense of freedom, letting me step outside the academic hustle and ground myself in the beauty of the Irish landscape.

As the week came to an end, I realised I had made the most of it, filling each day with purpose, growth, and memorable adventures. Though I hadn’t travelled for GNAM, I was reminded of just how much Dublin has to offer and how much there is to gain from fully embracing each moment, wherever we are.

Most of all, the week provided the mental space to recharge, preparing me to dive back into the trimester with renewed energy and a clear mind. In an MBA program, it’s easy to get swept up in the non-stop pace, but sometimes a break like this can be just as enriching.

—Kaushik Mattu, FTMBA Class of 2025

Should you choose to start an MBA at any point in your life, one thing is for certain; it’ll require 100% of your commitment. That isn’t to say it’s all work and no play; you’d be hard-pressed to find one dull person on campus, let alone in our cohort. So when an intimate MBA class of 32 students are put in a room on day one of orientation and asked to discuss whether the motorcycle brand Ducati made the right choices in the 1980’s, sparks fly.

Stage centre: Associate Professor Ciaran Heavy, the Academic Director for the MBA. There’s an excitement in his voice each time he calls on one of us to answer. I don’t know what it is: either everyone has diligently read and analysed the case, or Professor Heavey’s demeanour has made us drop our guard. We hang on to every word he says. We defend what we say. I learned in a week’s time that it’s not just him, everyone on the academic roster has that effect. For now, there are no wrong answers, we relish the freedom and while it rains outside our classroom, we’ve built our own little ecosystem. 

You learn the most from your peers. It is impossible to stay in such close quarters and not feel impacted by opinions that you may not necessarily share but can’t say with absolute certainty are wrong. And all this sticks. UCD is known for having churned out some of the best luminaries in the world, and that doesn’t happen overnight.

All of this happened, of course, after formal introductions and Kathryne Del Sesto, the Program Manager, took us through the bureaucratic portion of the course and reminded us time and again: “I might not be the right person to talk to, but I’m never the wrong person to talk to.”

MBA Careers Manager Bernie Burke will tell you: the seeds of labour must be sown. Day two of MBA Foundation Week is the yang to the history laden, soft-spoken yin of day one. Bernie isn’t here to mess around or sugar-coat the truth. It might not sit well with some people, but I found the reality check almost comforting, necessary and never unkind. The very same day, Dr. Colm Murphy split us into groups of 5 for the autumn trimester and in an attempt to teach us trust and team building, blind folded one of us and had us run a track course, as someone from our respective teams guided the blindfolded member through the course (evidence attached).

Foundation week concluded with  a Case Competition. All study groups got the same case and had to come up with solutions for a business in dire straits, a real-life example from 2013. To fan the competitive flames of victory, the stakes included actual prizes as well as eternal glory. The days passed us by and as I write this, in hindsight, I already see some things have shifted in me. It’s really difficult for me to pin it down. Was it when I ran around blindfolded, at the mercy of a stranger to guide me through a track course? Was it when we realised that we’re a part of something bigger than all of us put together? Was it when I saw the library, which used to be a chapel but now has been repurposed to reinterpret religion? There is no right answer and balancing that scale, there is no wrong answer.

What I’ve learned from the very little time I’ve been here isn’t very far from what Professor Dumbeldore famously said, “Help will be available at Hogwarts for those who deserve it.” It’s perhaps the purest form of education that UCD offers: curiosity. Asking either for help or for answers is rewarded, and most importantly, encouraged. All MBA courses across the world look the same, and they’re meant to imbue the same things, at least academically. UCD takes this narrative a step further, it throws in a mental stimulus that isn’t easy to replicate.

In a sense I’ve been rescued. That’s what an MBA from a place as premier as Smurfit will do to you. It’ll make you fall in love with what could be.

—Ritankar Sen, FTMBA Class of 2025