<p>It sounds like bikes might be the way to go. Is there any storage available in the dorms to keep the bikes to protect them from the elements? I’m trying to decide how nice a bike to get!</p>
<p>Kelowna- When we sent my son to BDD (the one who is not attending Duke!) I called admissions and they gave me the name of a car service. It’s called Charlene’s Safe Ride. I established an account and it’s very easy. They send you email confirmations and texts to your phone when they are picking you up. Normally the student rate from the airport to campus is $30. If it’s early or late there is an additional $5 fee. If they have other students at the same time, they can share a ride and share the cost. There was another service listed on the agenda’s for when the scholarship kids visited, but I didn’t write that one down. My son said it was easy and he felt safe.</p>
<p>Nope just outdoor bike racks</p>
<p>I am out of the country and want to make sure we don’t miss any deadlines. Other than officially accepting (with no deposit, right?!) and signing for his scholarship we haven’t done anything else. Is there something I need to do for housing? A deposit? I know someone said we would get a handbook soon… Even when I’m there my son tells me nothing, so the fact that I’m half way around the world makes it even more challenging!!! Thanks for any info.</p>
<p>I did read about Focus and pre-orientation–he’s still deciding on those.</p>
<p>It is a little confusing when it comes to scholarship kids…I will have to talk to DS when he gets up…does Duke require a deposit generally?
I know that DS is looking for a roommate, though yesterday he told me that he is probably just going to fill out the form and be matched…
Still not sure about the Focus program. I don’t know how beneficial it will be to someone who wants to double major…</p>
<p>My son is a current junior at Duke. He is a double major and did a Focus cluster. It didn’t keep him from fulfilling his major requirements. One of the Focus classes has to be a seminar which is also a freshman requirement. Focus is a great way to get to know a small group of students and also to get to know a professor well during that first semester. Also, Duke doesn’t require a deposit to enroll. Your student will get a Blue Book that really will answer most of your questions. You have lots of time.</p>
<p>Re Focus:
So focus really consists of one class and one seminar?</p>
<p>My recollection from the fall of 2010 was that it was one class and one seminar. In addition, there was a weekly dinner with a professor. My son really enjoyed the dinners. His group’s were at the Jewish Center on campus and the food was quite good. I think with careful planning the Focus classes can be used to fulfill requirements and won’t be wasted. Remember almost all Duke students graduate in four years–so Focus can’t be a huge waste of time.</p>
<p>figismom - true for Trinity, but can be tricky for Pratt students. Not impossible, just tricky, especially if dual majoring with Trinity or double majoring within Pratt, or planning the 4+1. Pratt students do not have the freshman seminar requirement, so Focus does not “help” them in that way. The weekly dinner is also a discussion group which counts for 1/2 credit.</p>
<p>You’re right. I should have included that my son is in Trinity, not Pratt. Engineering requirements are different and there is less flexibility.</p>
<p>Very difficulty decision between Duke and Rice! Merit scholoship from rice but nothing from Duke. Which one should my kid choose?</p>
<p>My son had the same 2 choices but without the merit scholarship. He thought he would choose Rice from everything he had read about it. He then went and visited both schools by himself and he know immediately - he did not feel like he fit well with the atmosphere at Rice, but he thought Duke was the perfect fit. The only real way to make this decision is to visit.</p>
<p>We did visited both schools and he loved both. Last night he selected Duke but he did feel quite bad to turn Rice down. $100K will gone from my bank.:(</p>
<p>hhhzhang, I feel your pain. My daughter turned down a $100k merit scholarship at USC (California) to go to Duke where she has no aid. She really loves it but that’s a lot of money to pass up from some very good schools. We’ll just have to hope that they can make the most of their time there! Is eternal gratitude for our sacrifices too much to ask?</p>
<p>My daughter too turned down $$ and is going to Duke – eternal gratitude is what I’m hoping for!</p>
<p>We’ll never know whether my kid could have been admitted anywhere else. All I ask of him is to make the utmost of this opportunity and try to provide something similar for my grandchildren.</p>
<p>@ SOG - question - when they apply to Focus do they have to apply to four different clusters? What is someone is only interested on 1 or 2 ???</p>
<p>Kelowna - I don’t know, but it would be a good question for your son to ask Duke. My son found 4 he thought he would like, so it wasn’t an issue. I think if it were me I would just complete the essays for the ones I wanted. I wouldn’t think they would want a student in a Focus cluster they weren’t interested in anyway. It would defeat the purpose.</p>
<p>DS says the same thing, if he gets the one he is not really interested in he is not going to enroll…for your DS, once he got admitted into a cluster did he had to confirm?
I can’t really push essays at this time, it is a prom week and IB exams just started today. He even decided not go to an Indie movie night just to get enough sleep…very unlike him ;)</p>
<p>OMG, that makes me wonder if my kid has made right decision:</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/duke-university/1500420-true-60-duke-students-sleep-around-hook-up.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/duke-university/1500420-true-60-duke-students-sleep-around-hook-up.html</a></p>