<p>So I still am deciding if I want to be in the FOCUS program. Would it help me get into a good medical school if I did the Global Health one? I am just afraid I might get burnt out of medicine if I do that and perhaps a bio or chem class first semester and I would much rather have the freedom to pick my classes first semester. So my question is: Does doing a FOCUS help your resume for grad school in any way? Thanks!</p>
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<p>They’ll notice you took a class on Global Health, but it will by no means make you significantly more appealing as an applicant. MOST IMPORTANT: GPA and MCAT. Bottom line.</p>
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<p>Eh, not really. FOCUS should fulfill a personal curiosity about a subject. Grad school cares primarily about your research.</p>
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<p>Taking FOCUS classes may help in indirect ways. FOCUS classes will put you in touch with high-level faculty as well as supply the requisite letters of recommendation needed to apply to your first research positions. Furthermore, there are also perks such as NIH visits and preferred-admission to NIH summer internships if you are doing the neuroscience FOCUS (not sure about other FOCUS clusters).</p>
<p>I mean, if I do well at Duke (volunteer/intern at the hospital, build strong relationships with professors, do well on the MCAT, etc) and I apply to a certain med school and another Duke student who was in a FOCUS applied to the same med school with similar stats, would that other student necessarily get in because of the FOCUS?</p>
<p>Omg how can you even start to think about med school admissions with the current admissions cycle barely over? X_X</p>
<p>I’m freaking out about getting into med school. Hahaha. I don’t want to screw up my freshman year…haha. Ya, kinda paranoid.</p>
<p>can anyone comment on any of the following focus clusters:</p>
<p>Exploring the Mind
Global Health: Local & International Disparities
Ethics, Leadership & Global Citizenship</p>
<p>LOL this same thread^ was just posted in the Duke 2014 fb group??? But yeah I hear ya, choosing freshman classes is stressful. I don’t want to overburden myself to the extent of not having a social life, but I do want to be competitive/not slack off…</p>
<p>What about Visions of Freedom?</p>
<p>Hey guys,</p>
<p>I may be blind, but I CANNOT find the link to the FOCUS application. Can someone PM it to me? :)</p>
<p>what about power of ideas?</p>
<p>By the time you apply to medical school the Focus section you took in Freshman year will matter very little. Enroll in a section that appeals to you personally and fits in with your plans for medical school.</p>
<p>Post #3 has some good comments about contacts and perks. You should take those under advisement.</p>