Questions about the FOCUS Program

Colleges and Universities A-Z Duke University
1

<p>I have some questions about the focus programs.</p>

<p>The one called modeling in economic and social sciences, from what I've read, seems like one I would really like, and probably the only one I'm going to consider doing.</p>

<p>Has anyone heard anything in particular about this one? Also, as a whole, I've read about some good and bad experiences from the program. Most say that living with the people you're learning with is an awesome experience. But some people have said that if you're not extremely interested in the topic, it's better to just not do a focus program and instead explore for the first semester of freshman year. In some cases, people were saying that it limited their future schedules, making it difficult to fulfill the requirements of a major that doesn't correspond with the focus program. Any thoughts? Thanks so much</p>

2

<p>Any one out there with anything to add?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

3

<p>It is a great opportunity for making friends in the dorm. But, I would not recommend it for my son for the following reasons:</p>

<p>1) He may not get into the cluster of interest to him.
2) He may not be assigned to the courses he wants.
3) It looks bad if he wants out.
4) The assigned courses may not satisfy multiple requirements in MOI and AOK. As a result, it is more difficult to get an additional degree.</p>

4

<p>I am doing the FOCUS program next year (so I might be biased :slight_smile: ) and I talked with a couple prof.s at BDD: they told me (and showed me) that most FOCUS seminars actually satisfy more dist. requirements than other courses offered due to their interdisciplinary nature - if you look them up on the FOCUS website, the little acronyms next to the course names will tell you what req.s they fulfill. Just so you know, ace550!</p>