How I Spent My 2+2 Deferral: Dyllan Muller

Describe DYllan-Muller

In my second year of undergrad at Tulane University, I started thinking about life after graduation. I had always loved the intersection of science and business and was pursuing a dual degree in both Chemical Engineering and Management. I decided to take some time to research ways I could further both my interests and stumbled across HBS’s MS/MBA Biotechnology: Life Sciences program, which seemed like a perfect fit for me. As I researched HBS some more, I discovered the 2+2 program and was determined to apply to guarantee myself admission to a future HBS MBA class. Following a two to four year deferral, I could also apply to the MS portion of the dual degree program. After a few months of essay prep, test-taking, and an interview, I received the admissions portal update that changed my life: I had been accepted into the 2+2 program!

Upon graduation from Tulane, I accepted a job as an Associate Scientist at Unilever’s Personal Care R&D site in Trumbull, Connecticut. There, I did computational chemistry research and machine learning modeling to find new active ingredients for skincare products. I quickly found out, however, that my in-person start date of July 15th, 2020 would be indefinitely delayed due to COVID. While I was upset about not being able to start my career in an in-person workplace setting with all the easy connections and water cooler conversations that would come along with it, I decided to take advantage of the unique situation I was in.

Not only did I have the opportunity to work remotely indefinitely, but I also had the assurance that I was already accepted into HBS. This gave me the freedom to grow more deeply as a person and seek out experiences that would permanently change the way I viewed life. While pursuing excellence in the work I did for Unilever, for the first time in my life I felt the freedom to put my own personal development ahead of my academic and career aspirations. What did I eventually decide to do? I became a digital nomad. I took the opportunity to travel to 24 countries over the course of my deferral to see the world, learn about new cultures, and discover more about myself and what I valued in life.

By early 2022 I realized that, while my job at Unilever was incredibly interesting and intellectually stimulating, I saw a career for myself more on the business side of the industry. I had always envisioned a career at the intersection of science and business, but this vision no longer excited me quite as much as before. What really excited me now? The prospect of a career in the airline industry. This might seem like an odd pivot but travelling to 24 countries in two years meant a lot of flying on planes. While I have always been an airline/airplane geek, I had never considered the possibility of actually working in the industry I was so excited and passionate about. The 2+2 program gave me the ability to prioritize what I felt was important in my life and led to me falling in love with the idea of a career in the airline industry. Once I arrived at HBS in August, I very quickly plugged into the Career and Alumni resources on campus to network my way to a dream internship role for this summer at Virgin Australia in Brisbane, Australia.

The 2+2 program gave me the freedom to explore the world, myself, and the career that I wanted. Without the flexibility it provided me, my life would be very different today. My one piece of advice for prospective 2+2 applicants is simple: apply! You never know what surprises life holds and a deferred offer from HBS could be the thing that provides you with the freedom to change your life.

The views and opinions expressed in the MBA Voices blog are those of the authors. Any political views shared by students are their own; HBS does not endorse a particular party or candidate.