She says a large part of the problem is that Harvard's social atmosphere is not designed for couples but rather for individuals. Sometimes single friends worry about asking her to go out with them because they know she is involved with Darby and will not be interested in looking for other men to date, Lee explains. "It's almost uncomfortable for a person to spend time with a couple, or part of a couple, because lots of times people go out to meet other people," Lee says.

And Katsias says that people's perceptions of her relationship with Smith often cause her problems as well. She recalls several times when girls have approached Smith at parties although they know he is seriously dating someone else. She says she teases him after such encounters because he usually remains oblivious to these women's advances.

"A lot of times girls know when guys have a girlfriend, but he usually doesn't realize that some girls are putting the moves on him," Katsias says. "Usually we joke about it later."

But Bogdan says that social pressures are relaxed rather than exacerbated for her by dating Liles for so long. "The one thing about dating the same person for four years is that you don't have to find a date for any of the formals," Bogdan says.

Future Plans

Now that these long-term couples are graduating, the time has come to make decisions about whether to enter the real world together. Though some are trying to stay together, other have decided to make the break now.

"We're doing our own thing," Bogdan says about her relationship with Liles.

But Boranian says that he and Spalding definitely want to keep their relationship "exclusive." Both plan to move to Northern California in the fall.

Darby and Lee will be trying to continue their relationship in New York next year. Lee has accepted a position with Prudential and Darby has a tentative position with Booz Allen.

After enjoying the camraderie of the members of his crew team for so many years, Smith has enlisted in the Marines. "It suits his personality well in terms of the fact he's used to a team effort and he's used to the close bond and it's the same with the marines," Katsias says.

She adds that Smith plans to wait a year before he goes into the Marines, and so the next year will be a trial time for the couple. As Katsias explains, "We definitely want to keep going out but we're not sure of what the next year holds."