<p>It seems as if everyone asks this, but I'm really struggling here. I am interested in doing the Power of Language FOCUS, but I'd like to know if people think the program and or this cluster in particular are worth the (admittedly slight) trouble of applying. </p>
<p>By the end of my time at Duke, I hope to accrue multiple majors/minors/certificates. I'd prefer doing so without compromising any of my summers, meaning I need to begin fulfilling as many requirements as I can now. I'm afraid FOCUS would impede this, and if I ended up disliking my FOCUS courses, I'd be sort of stuck. I also don't want to overload myself first semester if the classes are particularly challenging. However, I feel if I don't do FOCUS, I'll be missing out on a formative, tight-knit experience in favor of larger classes and ones I likely won't make it into due to the inopportune freshman registration window. </p>
<p>If any current students could provide your insights, I would be very grateful. Thanks!</p>
<p>do Focus…it starts the year out with access to faculty members that is exceptional. Everyone in your topic in Focus will reside in your dorm although not be your roommate. My son graduated in 09. He has flown to see three members of his Focus group this year alone socially and when he did a semester abroad and a couple of them were in a different city…they met up for long weekends in each other’s cities. Do a semester abroad or a service project. Consider Project Wild or Build (I recall our son was too lazy to apply till near the deadline and they were full by then). Get busy in your foreign language because you may get to know your teachers there if it is not a huge language…son’s was rather obscure.<br>
Join a couple of things once you get there…Enjoy your first year.<br>
FOCUS is not at all necessary to enjoy freshman year…we are just fans with fond memories related to us</p>
<p>It depends. If you’re truly interested in the group, and the topic, then I think doing it would be well worth the time that it takes, and the classes it fills up from your schedule. If you’re doing to be in a small, tight-knit community, there are other ways to accomplish that.</p>