Galaxy_Buttercup

Can anybody currently or has been in Focus Program give me an insider's view concerning its pros and cons? According to the brochures and websites (focus.duke.edu) it does sound like it offers many wonderful opportunities to interact with distinguished professors and fellows as well as participating in exciting seminars. However, when I asked a friend of mine who is currently a Duke sophomore, he replied that the program is nothing really different from normal courses. Since he did not do Focus, I really want some opinions from somebody who has done it. Particularly:

1. If I choose to participate in Focus, do I have to do a wide range of course to fulfill the program, or just one seminar would do it? For example: For "Between Europe & Asia: Explorations in Culture, Law & Cognitive Science", the courses offered are:

Seminar: Linguistics 133S Neuroscience & Human Language
Seminar: Russian 119S The Empire’s Western Front: Russian & Polish Cultures
Seminar: Russian 118 Islam & Orthodoxy
Seminar: Public Policy 135S Law & Globalization in Emerging Markets
Focus 99 Special Topics in Focus: Culture, Law & Cognitive Sciences

Do I really have to take ALL of these courses to complete the program?

2. What is the benefit of sharing housing with students in the same cluster? Does it reduce your chance of interacting with other non-Focus students?

3. Does Focus issue a certificate? And does it makes your transcript look better if, say, you are planning to apply for graduate school?

Thank you very much.