Competitive DO programs more rank-focused?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.
Get help with your application

Use all the free resources available to you from SDN: articles, guides, expert advising, forums discussions, and school research.

(nicedream)

Fitter Happier
7+ Year Member
15+ Year Member
Advertisement - Members don't see this ad
Are DO programs in competitive specialties (derm, rads, ophtho) more focused on class rank than the MD programs? Someone told me that the DO programs generally take only the top of the class, while it is my understanding that MD programs are more focused on boardscores than grades.

I ask because, as a DO student potentially interested in those fields, I'm wondering if I would actually have a better shot at MD programs since my Step I is a 238/96 but my class rank is probably around the middle of the class (3.0). I realize MD derm and ophtho are out of reach, but DO students do decently at matching into some allopathic radiology programs. The other thing is I've heard that DO programs in these fields often limit their selections to those that have done rotations with them, and I'll probably only have one rotation in the given field.