Serious daters recognize that they moss out onsome parts of Harvard. And some are not shy aboutquestioning their decision.

"I kind of miss flirting with people and theattention I don't get because everyone knows I'mwith Bill," says Weiss, adding that she is verylucky to have him as a boyfriend.

"We've talked about [dating other people] andit's thought that crosses my mind," says Ferullo,Weiss' boyfriend. "But why anything else [when]this has worked out best?"

Differences between people in arelationship can be a source ofconflict--particularly at Harvard, where manystudents are involved in romances for the firsttime.

Kwee and Gozali say age differences have beenan issue in their relationship. Kwee is two yearsolder than Gozali, and she says her friends usedto make fun of her for it.

"Just going to the Yard, I used to get a lot ofgrief from my friends," Kwee says.

Miller says she faced criticism about beingengaged as a first-year. But Miller, who took timeoff before college, is 23--one year older thanPaulson.

"I know [the engagement] was quick, but I guesswe just never had any doubts, even from thebeginning," says Miller. "I think we both feltright away that we were the right people for eachother."

Beyond age, race and religion are alsodeterminants of whom will pair off with whom.

Sahil Parikh '95, a member of the South AsianStudents Associations, says many students withinthe South Asian student community feel thatreligion is an issue in choosing who to date.

"A lot of students feel very strongly that theywould like to stay within their own religion andinside of that, within their owns ethnicity,"Parikh says.

Religion can also complicate the mix. Manystudents say that finding someone of the samereligious background is important to them.

"I personally wouldn't date someone who wasn'tJewish," says Ruth S. Raskas '96.

A Christian student, who spoke on condition ofanonymity, says that his policy against datingwomen of other religions is not for theologicalreasons, but because of his own experiences withinter-ethnic dating.

The student says he could never be intimatewith a woman who didn't understand his belief inGod.