Do you know what “FOMO” is? If not, then read on…

Q: Describe the stereotypical HBS student.
A: “Type A” people. Bossy, talks a lot, big ego. The stereotypes we have to overcome when we graduate is that people think we’re annoying, loud, brash.

Q: What is the reality?
A: The reality is that there are nine hundred different people (in each class). I’m not saying there are nine hundred likeable people.

Q: Describe your first weeks of school.
A: It’s frightening … the irony is that you’re surrounded by tons of people, but you feel lonely. More…

Q: Why?
A: There’s this thing called FOMO — “fear of missing out.” YOu never say to anyone definitively “yeah, I’ll be there” — you say “maybe I’ll stop by.” At HBS, invitations are very broad … friends forward them on, who forward them on. FOMO is all about not knowing about the existence of some party. You’re basically overcommitting to go to everything, so you don’t miss out.

Q: And what happens when you miss out?
A: I don’t know, you just miss out.

Q: Are people very wealthy?
A: There are actually people who’s parents are on the Forbes’ Billionaire list.

Q: Do they get treated specially?
A: There is a base level of economic prosperity … and even if you’re not wealthy, you can take out like 100k through CitiAssist (loan service) to supplement your life. So even the poorest people get to go on the Africa trips and take the Spring breaks. Even if you know that someone’s wealthy, you wouldn’t necessarily want to be their friends, since there’s a high likelihood that they’re assholes, or annoying. And apparently some 46 percent of HBS students get need-based aid (fellowship), and the average fellowship is $19,000/year.

Q: So there’s secretly a lot of needy people.
A: I don’t know who … I have no idea.

Q: What do people do there for fun?
A: People spend all this time “class-carding” — which is the equivalent of an online facebook. It’s funny, the minute people break up, they change their “status.”

Q: How many friends do you have?
A: You automatically have 90 “friends” because of your section, which is approximately 10% of your class. I would say I know 2/3 of the class by name or sight. The inner circle is more like 15 to 20 friends.

Q: How much time in the day do you spend socializing?
A: A lot … well it depends on what you mean. Every week there’s a couple of school-sponsored parties — a chance to see a broader group of people. I know people who have a standing night for their close group of friends. And people multitask socializing with stuff like eating … just like regular people.