Like many students looking to get a premier education, psychology senior Chris Shilling has always wanted to attend an Ivy League college.

“It’s always been like a dream, but I never thought it would be even remotely possible,” Shilling said.

Shilling, however, was accepted into the inaugural class of a new Harvard Business School program last month.

He is one of just 106 seniors from 52 colleges to be accepted into the Harvard Business School 2+2 program, which is a deferred MBA admission program, according to a press release.

Shilling said the program is designed for students to work for two years and then take classes at Harvard for two years. During the two years spent working, Shilling said he would also take intermittent Harvard classes in two-week increments.

“It’s a cool opportunity,” he said.

Shilling said he applied for the program in March on the advice of Daniel Pullin, vice president and executive director for OU’s Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth, or CCEW.

Pullin said he encouraged Shilling to apply for the Harvard MBA program because he thought he would thrive at the prestigious university.

“I felt his talent and skills matched favorably with the talent that a place like Harvard is accustomed to attracting,” said Pullin, himself a Harvard Business School alumnus.

Shilling’s journey toward Harvard began when he interned with the CCEW in the fall of 2007.

CCEW brings together students from different disciplines to expose them to real business processes of bringing new technologies to the market, said Stephanie D. Callaway, a spokeswoman for the vice president of technology development, in an e-mail.

Pullin said the CCEW has a very competitive application process, and only about one third of applicants are admitted. Each semester, the top three interns are retained the following semester, and Shilling was one of those selected.

“He is incredibly talented, both intellectually and from a leadership perspective,” Pullin said.

Despite being selected for CCEW and being accepted to Harvard, Shilling said he was surprised because he thinks he is just an average student.

“I’m kind of surprised that I even had the opportunity to interview for it,” he said. “I definitely feel blessed.”

He said he thinks the opportunities provided to him at OU, including being a part of the CCEW, were very beneficial to him.

Valerie Myers, another former CCEW intern, also recommended Shilling for the program.

Myers, who graduated in December with degrees in international business and economics, said she has a lot of respect for Shilling.

“Chris is a great person,” she said in an e-mail. “He is always fun to work with and one of the sharpest people I know.”

Myers said she thinks Shilling will have success at Harvard, and she is looking forward to seeing what kind of contribution he can make in the future.

“I’m excited to see what he accomplishes within the state of Oklahoma after he graduates because it will be something big,” she said.

Shilling, who is from Yukon, said after graduation he hopes to come back to Oklahoma and use his Ivy League degree to help improve the state.