<p>I think first of all, you should definitely major in what interests you the most. There are so many scenarios you cannot know for sure at this point. Everyone that is pre-med going into college is 100% sure that is what they want. For any number of reasons, at least half and I think more decide not to pursue med school by the time they are done with their second year of college. Sometimes they realize they cannot get the grades to qualify, sometimes they just find out that there are other areas of learning that they didn’t even know existed which they find more fascinating, etc. Similarly, you might be worrying about something that makes no difference in a year. As you say yourself, you might change your career goals. Or you might get into the BME curriculum and really love it and follow exactly the path you originally envisioned (BME degree then med school) or you might decide that some other major is much more suited to you. And if that major happened to be a non-science, then you can really think about the CSP.</p>
<p>But as far as the seemingly high acceptance rate into the CSP, remember that you don’t even apply to get in until the end of your sophomore year. So a lot of people that might have considered applying are undoubtedly “pre-screened” by their advisors and told that they probably don’t have the qualifications, meaning that those that do qualify are mostly the ones that apply. It isn’t like people are going into the process blind, they are already at Tulane and so have the resources right there to turn to.</p>
<p>So no, it isn’t that easy to get into med school, Tulane’s or otherwise. The reason for the program, I have always thought, is to bring some diversity of outlook to each med school class at Tulane. Practicing medicine is obviously more than just diagnosing and operating. I can only assume that Tulane has found value in having people that have majored in sociology, history, philosophy, etc. to bring a humanistic point of view to each class. Otherwise I am sure they would have discontinued the program at some point.</p>
<p>Tulane is a very fine medical school. It is not Harvard or Johns Hopkins in prestige, but it is certainly a highly regarded institution. I think when you consider the bigger picture as I have laid it out, you will see that you are inferring incorrectly from the information you dug up.</p>
<p>Oh, and being a BME major AND wanting med school makes studying abroad fairly difficult. I think just being a BME major might make it kind of tough, but you should ask the department head that. But unless you can take 5 years in undergrad (and I know that would be nearly impossible for you), going abroad might be a challenge. But most importantly, ask your advisor and the department head to be sure.</p>