"People are very serious about their work," he says. "We have a play-hard, work-hard philosophy."

Burns says that associate consultants can expect to work 55 to 60 hours weekly, with one day of travel.

Burns stresses that these figures are averages.

"Some weeks, if I need to see a client, I'll go down to New York two or three days, but many weeks I don't leave Boston at all," Burns says.

"A few weeks, I've worked less than f40 hours and a few times over 80. I've never worked a 90-hour week," he says.

"All that matters is that I get my job done when it needs to be. If I don't have anything to do some afternoon, my boss would get mad at me if I didn't go home," Burns adds.

"Often, if I don't have a meeting scheduled, I'll go to the gym at three or four in the afternoon and just stay a little later...Some people with families take their work home to spend more time with their kids," he says.

Burns says that he did not apply for any investment banking jobs during his senior year. When they attend information sessions and recruiting interviews, students will be able to tell which type of work is right for them.