Wanted to see if there was anyone on here who had feedback about the new Constellations/Focus curriculum instituted this year? It seems very different, more rigid, and hard to do alongside an intense science major (especially with the expanded language requirement). Any input from folks on the ground? He loves the idea of liberal arts education, but these topics sound very narrow in focus. Is it correct to assume that if you don’t find the topics interesting - you may not be a good fit for Duke right now? Thanks -
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Maybe schools with more open curriculums - a Rochester, Brown, Kalamazoo as a safety - should be on the target list.
Hope you get feedback but many schools have rigid out of major curriculums. This isn’t really and most kids take things of little interest
Ps -1/3 is writing and every school requires a writing course. This is three courses with a cohort - I don’t see anything too ‘grand’ here. It will be this or more at other schools. And for many, it’s nice to be a part of a cohort.
If he doesn’t like it to the point he’s not willing, then He may indeed not find Duke a good fit ? What is it he likes about Duke ?
Wake, for example as a sub, has an open curriculum option that might appeal while providing many similarities to Duke.
But Duke offers 16 constellations. Forget the titles, look at the courses. There are many diverse opportunities there.
What matters is what courses can be taken to fulfill each requirement. You can dig into it or email Departments about it. The “freshman connections” program, with cocurricular activities, seems especially valuable imho.
One way in which Duke makes the difference is through CLAC courses, especially for Public Policy, Environmental Science, Global Health and Marketing majors (ie , prelaw, premed, business).
They’re trying to provide added value compared to a solid curriculum at a solid flagship - and they want students who can handle it.
Btw OP refers to this
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Not concerned about the courses for distribution requirements - that’s common to all schools and they have plenty of interesting classes to fulfill those. I’m talking about their new first-year curriculum where you have to pick a question and then take three classes your first year in that topic - you get a choice of like 3-5 to pick from and they are all very, very narrow in focus and there are many that students may never choose to take. I also heard that students are sometimes put into ones they don’t choose due to scheduling, etc. Just want to know the reality on the ground and if this is as specific as it seems. This is the first year they’re doing this.
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No, I’m not referring to curriculum categories. I’m specifically referring to constellations and focus - if people have feedback on that experience. Thanks!
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got it.
The new first year curriculum seems the most interesting part of the change - the constellation topics are very broad and conceptual (what does it mean to be human, how does climate change affect our world etc) and the Focus topics are more anchored into specific fields but still multidisciplinary – so I am not sure what makes you worry they’re narrow.
Yes students can and will be placed into a variety of topics including some they may not consider their top choice but this is kind of the point of your first year of college at an elite institution: learning about things you didn’t even know you could be interested in, with peers who are all incredible and bring their perspectives to the discussion. It can feel “annoying” but it makes a difference… and ultimately it really matters. That being said listing 5 should cover it.
But I guess their other point is that if students can’t see themselves enjoying learning about something they never in a million years thought they could enjoy or have an interest in, then these students are probably better served elsewhere - for the past 4-5 years elite universities have indicated they don’t want students to think narrow/all science backgrounds are the only education that matters. (Not saying that’s you). They want students who can step back and handle complex questions from many angles. That may be Duke’s answer to this problem.
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The Duke Chronicle (student newspaper) wrote about first years’ experiences with the new curriculum:
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Thanks - this is helpful to hear actually student experiences.
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The questions are broad but the actual classes are pretty limited within each and super specific (if you look at the actual classes offered - there is often only 1-2 options per term). There are some that definitely sound interesting to me - and as an English major/law school grad I absolutely love the emphasis on humanities and philosophy. But even I would hesitate to take some of these classes or would only take them if extra time in the schedule. My kid at Columbia has a pretty prescribed curriculum, but it’s not as niche. Looking for real experience to see if kids actually get into the tracks they choose and if their schedules work - and how serious the focus is (is it just a theme that addresses critical thinking or are the students in these themes super passionate about that particular thing?). I agree it’s just how Duke is approaching it - the news article someone posted below helps - sounds like it’s hit or miss.
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I think they are a group of classes - a lot will be (you can infer from the article) how open a kid is.
Some didn’t think much of it until they took it. They were “open” to other ideas - whereas another wanted classes more aligned to the major. They were likely against it from the getgo.
Some people are open minded and willing to try new things; others aren’t.
I imagine that’s how a lot of positive or not positive views will be formed.
So how someone sees it might very well be based on their personality trait.
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