For most of the 1,600 seniors donning caps and gowns today, Commencement marks the end of four years alongside their friends in the Class of 2003.

But even for those who have not taken the traditional eight-semester path through college and whose original classmates won’t be tossing aloft their mortarboards with them, today’s ceremonies will still bring satisfaction.

Whether their college career has spanned five years or a mere three—or even if it will continue in the fall—the students say they are happy with the paths they have taken to reach the finish line today.

Into Overtime

Leif Ericson ’02-’03 returned to Cambridge this fall with one more year to complete after taking off last year to pursue a stint in minor league hockey.

In coming back to Winthrop House, Ericson says he felt somewhat isolated since few of his Housemates had lived there when he was last enrolled in the College.

“I felt a little bit out of touch,” he says. “I definitely wasn’t as involved with the House or with students in the House as I was when I was a student before.”

Ericson had originally planned to live off-campus but wound up floating when those plans fell through.

Michael J. Skey ’02-’03, who also took a year off, experienced similar feelings of absence this year.

He spent months abroad in Sydney, Australia while his original classmates completed their junior year. Once they graduated, Skey found he had to gain footing in unfamiliar territory when he returned to Cambridge this fall.

“When I got back I wanted to hang out with my class, so I never got to know the kids in this class,” he says.

And though Skey says he feels lucky to have been a member of the men’s heavyweight crew team this year since it provided a ready set of friends, “I still consider myself part of the Class of 2002.”

But while both Skey and Ericson have experienced their share of difficulties integrating into another class, they say they have ultimately enjoyed their experiences all the same.

“I needed to get away for a year,” Ericson says, explaining the time off provided a welcome respite from the constant pressure of academic work.

“The year off gave me a mental recharge,” Skey says. His time off motivated him to broaden his academic horizon beyond the academic and career path—economics and consulting—on which he had focused during his first two years.