Spending four years at Harvard seems to havegiven graduating seniors experience in jugglingdemands on their time.

"[Investment banking] is not a nine-to-fivejob. There are lots of hours. It's not easy work.[But] if you go to Harvard, you're exposed tothat. I don't expect it to be more than what I'vealready expected of myself here," Caplan says.

"I'm kind of used to a high level of activity.I think Harvard students are used to performingunder lots of stress," says Hamilton Chan '95, whowill work at J.P. Morgan in Hong Kong next year.

"I'd much prefer a job that's too exciting thantoo boring," he adds.

"I think a lot is expected of you, but at leastin my case, it's not going to be more than I'mable to do," Berger says.

Despite the tales of tremendous workloads andmarathon hours, soon-to-be investment bankersdon't seem too worried about burning out.

"When I'm older, I'll have time to be tired. Ithink I'll be OK," says Oliver P. Weisberg '95,who will work next year at SBC Warburg.

"I think I'm looking forward to it. I thinkit's time for a stressful job," agrees ShivashishChatterjee '95, who will work at BlackrockFinancial Management next year.

"From one perspective, I'm young. Now's thetime to put in hours," Gordon says. "I'm notunduly concerned."

Big Bucks

Undergraduates may be willing to trade the longhours and high stress for the large salaries ofthe financial market.

According to many graduating seniors, workingat an investment bank is one of the most lucrativejob options available.

"You have a base salary between $30,000 and$50,000 a year. Then there's the bonus which youget at the end of your first working year, maybe30 to 60 percent of whatever business yougenerate," says Sara M. Mulholland '95, who willwork at Robertson Stephens in San Francisco nextyear.

"[Investment banking] and consulting are theonly areas where they will hire you without anyskills, just for your diploma, and pay you enoughmoney to afford a middle class lifestyle whenyou're 22," says Gregory Shlionsky '95, who willwork at Lehman Brothers next year.

Many graduating seniors say the high pay wasone of the reasons they were originally drawn tothe field.