Normally, I avoid Huntsman at all costs.  Between the creepy mood lighting, the stench of OCR and two ABPs in one building, it’s precisely the wrong kind of sensory overload.

There are exceptions, however. Last semester I was forced into the Death Star every Friday morning at 10 a.m. for STAT recitation. (Pure. Joy.) And just about every group on campus opts to use a swanky Wharton classroom to cue up the PowerPoint of the week. (Can you stop doing that?)

But the most enjoyable exception to my crippling Huntsman aversion is the opportunity, some might say privilege, “to contribute to Wharton’s reputation for excellence in academic research and enhance our ability to attract and retain the very best scholars.”

And by “contribute to Wharton’s reputation for excellence,” I mean “make 10 bucks as a guinea pig.” It’s only fitting that money is what gets me through the door once a week.

Nestled in a dark corner of everyone’s favorite building lies the Wharton Behavioral Lab, staffed by a rotating cast of friendly Eastern European women just waiting to give you 10 smackers for a mere 30 to 40 minutes of your time. (Or 20 minutes if you are a big, fat cheater).Awesome.

In my experience, the studies range from rating desserts to assessing your concept of time. According the “B-Lab” website, the goal is “data collection for behavioral research on business-related topics.” It’s completely painless, requiring a few clicks of the mouse and possibly an ounce of introspection. You can create a login and sign up here.

Now 10 dollars may not seem like much, especially if mummy and daddy are handing you an allowance to funnel into Gia. But for the rest of us I think it would be foolish to pass up such easy money — especially those of us who will not be receiving that fat, pro-rated salary from Goldman this summer. Which, based on recent events, might be, um, everyone.

Time slots are primarily in the afternoon and there’s even an option to do the labs at Steiny-D should you so desire. 

And if you’re not sold yet, one time I got a cookie.

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