<p>Hey, I'm an incoming freshman to Duke, interested in the FOCUS Program as well as pre-med (I know, how original!)My question pertains to completing the pre-med reqs necessary to take the MCAT by the end of sophmore year while still taking FOCUS for the first semester. Is it feasible? I wouldn't mind taking a couple of summer courses to perhaps accompany some lab research.</p>
<p>Context: The FOCUS clusters I am interested in are "Exploring the Mind" and "Visions of Freedom" though I wouldn't mind "Prospective Health Care..." or "The Faces of Science". I am thinking of majoring in neuroscience/psychology. AP credit (sciences):5 on Chemistry and I am currently taking Physics, Biology and Psychology. I am hoping to get 5s on those tests as well although I think my understanding of Physics as well as Chemistry to a certain extent is rather weak (my teachers for those classes were atrocious). got 5 on the Calc AB test and I took Calculus 2B at UC Irvine, getting an "A". </p>
<p>If this ambitious route is feasible, what courses would you recommend taking and which should be skipped?
Any helpful response would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.</p>
<p>BUMP. Any input from current dukies particularly upper classman or dukies 2011?</p>
<p>I have no clue yet if I'm doing focus or not. If I do, I'd pick one which gives me a credit towards my major...</p>
<p>Does focus cover Writing20 requirement AND Freshman Seminar or just Freshman Seminar?</p>
<p>I believe you need both (writing20 and freshman seminar). But they are required for freshman anyway.</p>
<p>Anybody else thinking of doing focus and premed? I need your inputs, especially for premed dukies.</p>
<p>Well, I have very littile response to my concern. Should I conclude that most, if not all, Duke's premed won't do FOCUS?</p>
<p>Also, do you need any Physics classes before you take the MCAT (end of somophore year)? I'm planning to take the intro Physics in the fall of my junior year.</p>
<p>You certainly need to be able to do Physics problems on the MCAT...</p>
<p>1.) The MCAT is not particularly difficult content-wise for any subject except general chemistry. An AP-level background will probably be sufficient for MCAT test-taking in physics -- but make sure of this before you commit, since some people will need more preparation than others. Beyond that, while MCAT physics "below" AP Physics -- there is no calculus anywhere on the MCAT -- but this means that the focus may be different from the AP exam (which I never took).</p>
<p>Maybe try sitting down with a Kaplan resource such as a physics subject test. I don't know where you would acquire such a thing -- maybe call your local test center and ask.</p>
<p>2.) Do not take a diversity or evolution biology class before the MCAT. These concepts are not relevant to the exam and you should focus instead on genetics and physiology. Specifically, in order, Biology 151, 116, 118, 25, 119, 103 have relevance. Others, generally speaking, do not.</p>
<p>3.) I did not take FOCUS as a premed and to be blunt that was probably a good idea. Premeds -- especially non-biology-major premeds -- have a pretty tight schedule as it is, and FOCUS might interfere.</p>
<p>A couple of notes. My major's requirements, my distribution requirements, and FOCUS's requirements were all heavier then than they are now. So it's more balance-able now than previously. But it's still something that's going to slow you down. Premeds should at the least try to take a foreign language and chemistry during their first semester, and math is a very good idea as well -- and having three "set" courses automatically precludes FOCUS.</p>
<p>None of those are hard and fast rules. In particular you could probably push math back a little bit. But you see the difficulty.</p>
<p>I am an incoming freshman and sure to follow premed route. But to be able to develop keen relationships with the faculties(especially those from school of medicine) through Focus seems very attractive. I am considering Prospective Health Care. Isn't it true that you'll get opportunities to do researches or projects with you Focus prof?</p>
<p>But I am also concerned about the course load. Do Focus students have to take Writing 20 in the 1st semester? Since I want to fit in Math and Chem both. Or can we take 5.5 course credits?(that's what the Undergraduate instruction bulletin says)</p>
<p>By the way, besides premed, I am really a math and physics person. So if not Focus, I would love to finish Physics41/42, Chem21/22 and math 103 my freshman year.</p>
<p>1.) Your first semester, they cap you at four.</p>
<p>2.) I've never heard of using FOCUS as an "in" for reseach, although I suppose it does sort of make sense. Of course, Duke students aren't exactly deprived of opportunities for research regardless.</p>
<p>BDM, thank you for your response.
1) As far as Biology courses, do you recommend to take all the courses you mentioned i.e. "Biology 151, 116, 118, 25, 119, 103" for your undergraduate? What are the order and when to take them?</p>
<p>2) I was informed by the first year Math dept. that I couldn't transfer or place my Calculus 2B at UC Irvine to Duke since UCI is a quarter system and Duke is a semester system. Also, Calculus 2B at UCI didn't cover about 1/3 of the material of 2nd part of single variable calculus. That means I can't place to take Math 103 yet. I wish I have enrolled to take AP Cal BC at my high school. Any way, which one do you recommend to take among Math 32, 32L or 41?</p>
<p>1.) 151 covers the material in 116, but not vice versa. Non-bio-major premeds probably won't have time for all six courses (I did not take 116 or 119). Order's not particularly important, except that 25 should come first and (assuming you want to take both) 116 should precede 151 and 118 should precede 119. I did 25, 118, 151, 103 -- in that order.</p>
<p>2.) Math Lab is a pretty noticeable time commitment, although I like to think that it was at least a useful exercise -- that is, that the time spent in lab replaced time you'd have had to spend studying. Then again, I was a TA for 32L but never actually had to take the class, so that may be personal bias on my part.</p>
<p>No sense in taking 41, I don't think, unless the curve is particularly more generous or something like that. Why rehash extra material in the same timeframe?</p>
<p>What are the minumum BIO courses to take for MCAT prep (end of sophmore)?</p>
<p>Also, is the combination of intro Chem and Bio/Math for freshman year and intro Physics and Organic Chem for the sophmore year a good combination? Or should it be intro chem and physics for 1st year and organic chem and bio/math for the second year? I'm trying to spread the work load on these courses as even as possible.</p>
<p>Obviously you can take the MCAT whenever you like. There's no "minimum".</p>
<p>I thought you need to have your pre-med courses done before taking MCAT, of course in hoping to have a good MCAT score. The HPAC recommends to have at least 2 BIO courses (one in upper level). That's why I was questioning whether I need to have BIO 118 and 151 to prepare for MCAT or more.</p>
<p>Again, there's no "minimum" in the sense of whether you'll be permitted to take the exam. There are several courses with relevance, some with more relevance than others.</p>