Considering medical school? Use these pointers and suggestions to help you determine if a career in medicine is right for you.

Smart Choices

Embarking on the path to become a doctor is a lengthy process. It takes a total of at least 11 years: 4 years of college; 4 years of medical school; and at least 3 years of in-hospital training. (Some programs require up to 8 years of residency and internship training.)

The medical school applicant pool continues to increase, up to 43,919 in 2011 from 42,742 in 2010, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC). Prospective students submitted an average of 14 applications each for the 2011-2012 school year, for a total of 609,312 applications to medical schools.

[See the Best Medical Schools rankings.]

Getting In

It's important to build a base of knowledge during your undergraduate academic career. Medical school applicants should have a strong background in math and science, especially biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. Being a doctor also requires good people skills, and a solid foundation of liberal arts courses such as humanities and social sciences helps, too.

Extracurricular activities like volunteering at a local hospital or medical clinic may make your application stand out, according to the AAMC, and can also be a good way to develop professional relationships that may lead to medical school letters of recommendation.

About 90 percent of medical school applicants apply during their junior year of college and start medical school right after college. Others take time off after graduation or go through an early admissions or accelerated program while they are still undergraduate students.

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Medical School Tips for Success