About the 2+2 Program
The 2+2 Program is a deferred admission process for current students, either in college or full-time master’s programs. Upon graduation, admitted 2+2 students spend a minimum of two years (maximum of four years) working in a professional position in the public, private, or non-profit sector before starting the two year MBA program at Harvard Business School.
About Jevta
Jevta Lukic (HBS ’18) emigrated from Serbia to Vancouver, Canada where he studied at Simon Frasier University. While in college Jevta studied abroad at Hong Kong University and ESCP in Paris. After graduation, Jevta worked as an interim executive director for a small education non-profit followed by joining L’oreal Canada. From Jevta’s senior year in college he knew that he wanted to pursue a master’s degree and stumbled across the 2+2 deferred admissions program on the HBS website.
When I learned about the 2+2 Program, it seemed interesting, but initially brought on more questions than answers: “Do I even want to do an MBA? Do I know what my long-term career path is? Would an MBA make sense on that path?” I quickly realized that I didn’t need the answers – in fact, the beauty of 2+2 is the time it gives you to explore, ask questions, and learn. I decided to dive in and, looking back, it was the best decision of my life.
I used the application process to envision what challenges I wanted to confront in my life and career. As an immigrant from a war-torn country and a student of business, I wanted to find ways to use my business skills to improve the lives of others, just as mine was improved when I moved to Canada. Upon acceptance, I immediately felt liberated from the construct of resume building. Knowing that I had HBS waiting for me allowed me to take risks. As a result, my first job after graduating was at a small non-profit. Every day after work, I was filled with pride and joy for the work we were doing.
Before getting my MBA, though, I also wanted to gain other experiences and knowledge to make my time at HBS as fruitful as possible. I had an itch to try out a completely different passion in the consumer products space. The 2+2 Program gave me the confidence to make the switch, and I spent some time at a global CPG leader and retail start-up that taught me incredibly valuable business skills on a global scale.
Today at HBS, not only do I have the opportunity to learn through an incredible teaching method and fantastic professors, I am also able to have conversations with brilliant classmates, join clubs, and explore questions around business, capitalism (and how to reimagine it!), life, and everything in between. For anybody who is considering applying to the 2+2 Program, my advice is – DO IT! If you’re a big-dreamer like me, 2+2 emboldens you to take risks so you can learn as much as possible before you come to share your ideas with all of the other big-dreamers here at HBS.