I'm a DO student as well.
School: Touro-CA. Grades: top 15% of the class; USMLE Step I: 223; USMLE Step 2: 226; COMLEX I: 588; COMLEX II: 550; Passed PE; Strong SLORs (as a DO, you need at least 3 SLOR from reputable people). I applied to programs around 4 major cities (because my husband is applying for post-docs around the same time). Auditions: Stanford and Boston Medical Center, Ultrasound: Irvine; I had interviews at great programs: Boston Medical, LAC+USC, UCLA-Olive View, Stanford, G-Town, Hopkins, Baystate, UCSF-Fresno, Kern, a few others. Of note: some of the programs that accepted me for interviews would not let me rotate there
In terms of timing of interviews, I was granted some interviews before/around Nov 1, but I needed to ask for an interview at 2 programs, and an attending offered to make a call to another program. ALL the places I interviewed were ecstatic about having a DO in the program (either a past DO rocked their program, or they were willing to take a risk). BUT: you need to be a STELLAR applicant to get the interviews! Everyone is looking at your every move (interviews and audition rotations). You will be asked on EVERY interview why an osteopathic medical school. At some auditions/interviews, you will be told that their program NEVER takes DOs. Just be prepared to give a good answer (but not a smart *** comment). If you are genuine, hard working, compassionate, easy to work with, do extra reading, come in early, leave late, attend every optional lecture/activity, do a regular volunteer project, publish an article, do research, attend conferences, etc...your options will be endless. When I started this process last year, I never thought that I would be interviewed at so many great places. Even more, I never thought I would be recruited
And finally, I never thought I would match at my #1
If you want more advice, send me a PM
PS: My other EM friends in the class interviewed at other great programs (in Portland, NYC, Phili, Chicago, NM, Denver)...one matched at OHSU, another at Maimonides, and the last at Resurrection.