Every year, a new batch of seniors dresses up in their best business attire and subjects themselves to what is often a grueling, stressful and disappointing process: recruiting.

As "Walls of Shame" spring up in senior rooms across campus, students anxiously await replies from top investment banking and consulting firms.

What is this mysterious process which consumes the precious hours of so many seniors as well as those sophmores and juniors who elect to enter the recruiting process for summer jobs?

While recruiting myths abound at Harvard during this time of the year, the feelings of students undergoing the process range from alienation to elation.

Some find the routine intimidating and painful.

Cecil S. Yau '96 compares the process to a conveyor belt.

"You trek out to Hilles, which is pretty far if you don't live in the Quad and as soon as you've finished your interview they're calling out the next person's name; you're in-and-out," he says.

But Yau, an applied math concentrator, concedes that "the interviewers are nicer than they would have you believe."

He also says job-hunting experience gained through the recruitment process is a valuable thing to have, as "things generally go smoother the second time around."

Evan M. Schwartzfarb '96 says he was particularly struck by the "random" aspect of the process. "One company will interview you, and their major competitor won't and there doesn't seem to be any reason."

In addition he says the results of interviews often seem haphazard. "Interviews are more about a personality fit than they are a reflection of your abilities," he says.

The stress of recruiting really got to Brian M. Go '96. An economics concentrator, Go's thesis is due shortly after his recruiting interviews.

"If I had to do it all over, I would try and get recruiting done earlier, leaving myself more time to work on my thesis. It's due the 20th," he says with a panicked note in his voice.

"I feel like I didn't take the process seriously enough and I unnecessarily prolonged it," he adds.

Susan J. Lee '96 says she had a fairly positive recruiting experience because she knew what to expect.