“It’s not that they don’t want to take four classes that are interesting; it was just that they weren’t able to because they missed so much material.” Xia says.

Not everyone chooses to let recruiting trump academics, however. For Timothy J. O’Hara ’12, who applied to 30 firms and had roughly 20 interviews in total, class remains the most important obligation. Even though he knew that he would have to miss class, O’Hara said he still planned his courses as if he weren’t doing recruiting.

“You are at college to take class. It is your number one priority. It’s the reason that you are getting these jobs,” he says. “You have to remember we are at Harvard University and the idea is to get a degree.”

SHAKING UP SOCIAL LIFE

In addition to conflicts with schoolwork, students in the midst of the recruiting must also cope with temporary isolation and stiff competition.

“It’s just hard to tell your friends that I’m not going to see you for a week or two. I wasn’t running with my teammates. I wasn’t eating with my block mates for two weeks. I was just by myself for two weeks just doing interview stuff,” Enowitz says.

Misra, however, found that the recruiting process fortified some of his friendships.

“I’m hanging out with my friends less in the social environment, but I see them more than ever before—in the interview building.” Misra says. “I get to see these people who are really awesome kids hanging out in the most stressful environment.”

But others say having many friends doing recruiting is not always as enjoyable as it is for Misra. When friends turn into competitors, interactions can become awkward.

“There is so much competitiveness among the students about getting these spots, so whenever you are talking about it with other students you are always kind of uneasy,” says O’Hara, who is in fact a friend of Misra’s.

He interviewed at the same company in the Prudential Center on that crazy Friday morning.

“To be straightforward is the best thing,” O’Hara adds. “Everyone knows what you are there for, so it just makes it easier to deal with.”

Xia says students are very delicate about discussing the recruiting process in general.

“You don’t talk about what interviews you had, what you are considering, what offer you have, or decisions that you are making, unless people ask you specifically.” Xia said.

“Everyone is kind of curious about what everyone else is doing, but then they don’t want to come right out and say it. It’s a weird tiptoeing kind of thing that everyone plays with each other.”