Top ten DO schools?

[SJonathan]

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In your opinion, what are the best DO schools out there? Meaning the one's that seem to consistently have an impressive match-list, etc...

Starting my application today!

 

[ATrain]

In your opinion, what are the best DO schools out there? Meaning the one's that seem to consistently have an impressive match-list, etc...

Starting my application today!

Your parameters are subjective, but not in the way I think they should be. I don't think that having an "impressive" match list is even that important of a factor. I ended up choosing a school whose match list did not include facial plastics or (insert "impressive" match) because there were other factors which were more important for me.

 

[BCLumas]

I tend to agree. I think everyone here would fight for why their school is Top 10 (if not #1) because we chose the school for what made it right for us. For example, until I actually interviewed at LECOM-B it was my last choice overall. After interviewing there, I wanted to write them out a check that afternoon for $1500 and solidify my spot. Conversely, NSUCOM was #1 and went to next-to-last after the interview.

I would do some research during the day today to see what is most important for you. Personally, I would recommend applying to at least one PBL-based school (i.e., one of the LECOMs) so you can at least understand another way of teaching.

 

[DannMann99]

Pcom

Everything else anyone says is lies...

 

[DOcat]

haha please do a search for topics before starting a new one. this has been repeated and argued probably every year. most people will say it depends on what you're looking for, and alot of schools don't give permission to be listed in those magazine ratings and whatnot. good luck in this cycle, but assuming that you're new to SDN, the search feature can be very helpful

 

[DOcat]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=440793&highlight=best+school

its been going for a while, just start the thread back up by posting in that one.

 

[RySerr21]

the first two pages are useful for the topic at hand

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=440793

 

[jyland]

From the research I have done: PCOM and Western are the front runners

But ya, everyone is going to have their own opinion.

 

[RySerr21]

From the research I have done: PCOM and Western are the front runners

But ya, everyone is going to have their own opinion.

western, really? i think you are the first person ive heard put western in the top 5. i'm not trying to bash it, cuz its one of my top choices, but i have never heard it placed among the elite.

 

[scdocusc]

the ranking of Osteopathic medical schools is dumb. WVCOM ranks in the top 50 in primary care and isnt even mentioned by people as being in the top ten on all those other threads. Just apply to schools that you like or set criteria that you want and apply to those schools that meet your personal criteria. Half of the people on here that give rankings are probably not even out of high school yet and just finished the SAT.

 

[BeachBlondie]

As it seems our fellow soon-to-be-DOs have been saying, it's up to you to make that list. Your criteria for a school determines how much you are going to like it, and furthermore, how well you will be performing there.

The school is what YOU make it, so go in there with the complete confidence that you're going to be a superstar and all will be fine. BUT, to help you, consider a couple of things:

1) Location. You're going to be spending AT LEAST four year of your life there. So, make sure you at least SLIGHTLY dig the area.

2) In cruising around on campus, does the faculty seem friendly? Or would they just assume spit in your eye, rather than talk to you? Could be a problem if you ever had issues in a class...

3) Are the students around you happy and co-conspiring together? Or, does it look like most of them are in search of a strong rope and a high limb on a tree?

From there, it's all you. In visiting schools, your priorities may change. Hell, when I learned more about osteopathy, I switched from wanting to pursue allopathic studies. Then, I visited a couple of schools and AZCOM seems to be in the lead for where I want to go. But, there are people that would rather lick shards of glass (that are dipped in acid) than go there. As long as you get there and start kicking ass, the name of your school doesn't matter much.

 

[BCLumas]

If you interview at TUCOM-NV you'll meet a man named Roger Corbman. During our interview he told us this:

"If you only get accepted to our school and you don't like it here at all, take this advice: don't go here. If you find that it will be difficult for you to fit in now, it will only get worse. A medical education is not something you want to try to coast through. It should be something that is best for YOU."

Basically, as is continually repeated, if you are unsure as to what will work for you, apply broadly and keep an open mind about each school as you visit. Sooner or later, one school will just.. click.

 

[bioteach]

If you interview at TUCOM-NV you'll meet a man named Roger Corbman. During our interview he told us this:

"If you only get accepted to our school and you don't like it here at all, take this advice: don't go here. If you find that it will be difficult for you to fit in now, it will only get worse. A medical education is not something you want to try to coast through. It should be something that is best for YOU."

I love Roger Corbman. If all admissions directors were as awesome as him this med school application business would have actually been fun. He was the biggest draw at TUCOM-NV.

To the OP....there is no "top 10" DO school list. That would also be kind of silly because more than 1/3 of all DO schools would be on that list. Its not like allopathic med where there are over 100 schools.

 

[Bond8204]

I agree that ranking is silly, but it's a message board so how serious do we really want things to be...having read this board for a year, here's my general opinion:

I'm from the midwest, so of course ten means eleven...

1) PCOM
2)CCOM
UNECOM
DMUCOM
MSUCOM (heavy on primary care?)
6)NYCOM
TCOM
OSUCOM
OUCOM
KCUMB
WVCOM (heavy on primary care)

How'd I do? If you want to talk bubble schools I'd say UMDNJ, Touro-Ca, and Western.

There are so few DO schools that very few people are going to decide based on what SDN members think are the ten best. People have a variety of reasons--where you want to end up practicing, how close a given school is to home, how do you like living in the size of the city the school is, what you want to practice in, whether or not you were admitted.

So please don't flame because your school is not on the list.

 

[bioteach]

I agree that ranking is silly, but it's a message board so how serious do we really want things to be...having read this board for a year, here's my general opinion:

I'm from the midwest, so of course ten means eleven...

1) PCOM
2)CCOM
UNECOM
DMUCOM
MSUCOM (heavy on primary care?)
6)NYCOM
TCOM
OSUCOM
OUCOM
KCUMB
WVCOM (heavy on primary care)

How'd I do? If you want to talk bubble schools I'd say UMDNJ, Touro-Ca, and Western.

There are so few DO schools that very few people are going to decide based on what SDN members think are the ten best. People have a variety of reasons--where you want to end up practicing, how close a given school is to home, how do you like living in the size of the city the school is, what you want to practice in, whether or not you were admitted.

So please don't flame because your school is not on the list.

I'd agree with the first two (PCOM, CCOM), but I'd probably put KCOM - (the oldest DO school in existance) in the top three. But, just my opinion.

 

[Bond8204]

Yeah...I did this more for fun than as an expert. Feel free to take shots at it, just don't make them personal and don't come crying because your new DO school that's gonna be really good in the future didn't get mentioned.

Edit: I don't have CCOM alone at 2, just to clarify. I more have 3 tiers listed.

 

[bravotwozero]

This topic has been discussed ad nauseaum. I'd recommend doing a search, as many people have put up their top 10 lists, and some have even offered compelling arguments as to how they arrived at their conclusions.

 

[cyclohexanol]

In your opinion, what are the best DO schools out there? Meaning the one's that seem to consistently have an impressive match-list, are somewhere that I want to live for the next 4 years, and have strong clinical rotation sites etc...

Starting my application today!

I have corrected your question.

Seriously, match list is probably the least important thing to consider about any school. More important things are: how happy will you be living in <wherever>, your personal fit with the school, and their clinical rotation sites.

 

[Bond8204]

I've had this argument ad nauseum as well, but I'd say DO schools' match lists are even more important than MD schools. Some DO schools are well established in their areas and have a reputation for putting a high percentage of their students into allopathic residencies in the area. If it's your goal to do an allopathic residency in specialty Y in area X and that school consistently does that, I think that means something. It shouldn't be the be all end all (you're right that people generally overrate match lists), but it can help distinguish between two schools.

Let's not hijack the thread and get into a heated debate about this...I simply believe the opinion "Match lists are completely worthless and mean nothing it's all up to you what residency you end up in" is incomplete.

 

[cyclohexanol]

I'm not sure who you're quoting, I don't think anyone here said they mean nothing and are completely worthless. Clearly we all agree that they shouldn't be the FIRST thing you consider when looking at schools, as the OP has offered as an example in his question.

If you end up in an area of the country you can't stand to live, at a school you don't fit in with crap clinical training sites, the match list won't save you.

I've had this argument ad nauseum as well, but I'd say DO schools' match lists are even more important than MD schools. Some DO schools are well established in their areas and have a reputation for putting a high percentage of their students into allopathic residencies in the area. If it's your goal to do an allopathic residency in specialty Y in area X and that school consistently does that, I think that means something. It shouldn't be the be all end all (you're right that people generally overrate match lists), but it can help distinguish between two schools.

Let's not hijack the thread and get into a heated debate about this...I simply believe the opinion "Match lists are completely worthless and mean nothing it's all up to you what residency you end up in" is incomplete.

 

[Gpan]

Best: TUCOM-CA
.
..
...
....
.....
Worst: TUCOM-CA

to be continued....

 

[Bond8204]

I'm not sure who you're quoting, I don't think anyone here said they mean nothing and are completely worthless.

Yes. To clarify, I wasn't as much referring to you as I was to people on the allo board I've debated this topic with, who fully claim that match lists are completely and utterly worthless. I'm glad you don't think this as I think, especially with DO schools, they can be a useful tool to help distinguish and decide between similar schools.

 

[Andrew3117]

like the posts above, it depends on what you are looking for

MSUCOM is a top 10 ranked school (DO & MD) for primary care. other schools would be better for research, campus life, etc. Also, MSUCOM is in the state with the most osteopathic residencies, which can be a big advantage.

depends on what you are looking for in the end.

 

[DrMidlife]

I'm from the midwest...

My top ten barely overlaps your top ten. I'm from the west coast, and the only DO school in the middle that I applied to was DMU. I'm looking for ways to keep debt down, areas that are sunny and/or coastal, graduates working in hospitals and/or regions where I want to live, stable/established rotation sites in county and/or trauma hospitals, 4th year freedom, and lastly, a proven curriculum.

Mine:
1. LECOM-Bradenton
2. Nova
3. Western
4. AZCOM
5. UNECOM
6. DMU
7. Touro-MI
8. NYCOM

Too new, but promising:
9. ATSU-SOMA
10. PNWU

I should have applied to TCOM and PCOM-GA instead of ATSU-SOMA and PNWU.

I think it's through the process of applying and interviewing that you find out what you want.

 

[endocardium]

I have corrected your question.

Seriously, match list is probably the least important thing to consider about any school. More important things are: how happy will you be living in <wherever>, your personal fit with the school, and their clinical rotation sites.

Yes, I agree with cyclohexanol. These are important factors. You'd do well to examine personal fit, location, and rotations.

Match lists represent an individual class more than the school. You should absolutely be looking at the quality of the clinical rotation sites and how 3rd and 4th year rotations are set up in general. This is crucial. However, if you want to look at some statistic, try looking at the percentage of graduating seniors that get their first choice in the match; this is perhaps more telling than a given match list.

 

[Bond8204]

I'm looking for ways to keep debt down, areas that are sunny and/or coastal, graduates working in hospitals and/or regions where I want to live,

Yeah...like I said my opinions were based on reading this board for a year with an admitted midwestern bias. It wasn't so much my personal top 10 but rather the sense I get of what people on this board think are the top 10.

I feel like your list is a little more personal (quoted text above)...that you don't include PCOM or CCOM is pretty bold (or...wrong, haha!)

However, if you want to look at some statistic, try looking at the percentage of graduating seniors that get their first choice in the match; this is perhaps more telling than a given match list.

I can agree in that I think you need at least 2 or 3 match lists to be able to see a trend. Still, it's useful. If you look at WV's matchlists, 80%+ end up in primary care (I'm not bothering to verify that, so correct me if I'm wrong). CCOM, a huge percentage end up in IL. Etc etc etc.

 

[DrMidlife]

Yeah...like I said my opinions were based on reading this board for a year with an admitted midwestern bias. It wasn't so much my personal top 10 but rather the sense I get of what people on this board think are the top 10.

I feel like your list is a little more personal (quoted text above)...that you don't include PCOM or CCOM is pretty bold (or...wrong, haha!)

OK.

Making school choices on non-personal grounds is a disaster. I refuse to be a prestige *****. I see it as a problem that MDs get all excited about prestige, and that's what the USNews rankings are about. They're for parents, donors, NIH grant committees, etc. What difference does it make to a student that program X owns more genome science grants than any other? Sure, it helps you get residencies and jobs to be at a prestigious school. If you're an MD. Plenty of Harvard grads don't end up happy. If you're after name-branded prestige, going DO is pretty lame at the outset.

From my perspective, the value in saying that PCOM/CCOM/KCOM are the "best" DO schools is really to provide a nice standard by which applicants can evaluate a broad range of schools. That's all I can use them for, because I wouldn't last five minutes in OK, MO, IL, OH or PA.

 

[RySerr21]

My top ten barely overlaps your top ten. I'm from the west coast, and the only DO school in the middle that I applied to was DMU. I'm looking for ways to keep debt down, areas that are sunny and/or coastal, graduates working in hospitals and/or regions where I want to live, stable/established rotation sites in county and/or trauma hospitals, 4th year freedom, and lastly, a proven curriculum.

Mine:
1. LECOM-Bradenton
2. Nova
3. Western
4. AZCOM
5. UNECOM
6. DMU
7. Touro-MI
8. NYCOM

Too new, but promising:
9. ATSU-SOMA
10. PNWU

I should have applied to TCOM and PCOM-GA instead of ATSU-SOMA and PNWU.

I think it's through the process of applying and interviewing that you find out what you want.

doesn't azcom have a pretty radical curriculum? like only being on campus for one year and then the 2nd year you are sent somewhere in small group or something? i don't know really know too much about. im also curious what exactly you meant by "proven"

 

[DrMidlife]

doesn't azcom have a pretty radical curriculum? like only being on campus for one year and then the 2nd year you are sent somewhere in small group or something? i don't know really know too much about. im also curious what exactly you meant by "proven"

ATSU-SOMA answers both.

AZCOM isn't radical, ATSU-SOMA is. Years 2-4 are in community health centers across the country, in small groups. Heavy PBL (not called PBL though). Heavy on tech. The first matriculated class is just finishing now.

From my perspective, a school that is doing something innovative and hasn't graduated a class yet is not proven yet. So while I'm quite excited about ATSU-SOMA's curriculum, I'm way to old and petrified to sign up while the kinks are being worked out.

By contrast, LECOM-B uses a PBL curriculum that was vetted at the mothership in Erie. Hasn't graduated a class yet (wait 10 days) but the model is already proven.

 

[RySerr21]

ATSU-SOMA answers both.

AZCOM isn't radical, ATSU-SOMA is. Years 2-4 are in community health centers across the country, in small groups. Heavy PBL (not called PBL though). Heavy on tech. The first matriculated class is just finishing now.

From my perspective, a school that is doing something innovative and hasn't graduated a class yet is not proven yet. So while I'm quite excited about ATSU-SOMA's curriculum, I'm way to old and petrified to sign up while the kinks are being worked out.

By contrast, LECOM-B uses a PBL curriculum that was vetted at the mothership in Erie. Hasn't graduated a class yet (wait 10 days) but the model is already proven.

aaaah. i feared i was confused yet again. thank you for clearing that up. so is azcom just lecture based?

 

[Bond8204]

From my perspective, the value in saying that PCOM/CCOM/KCOM are the "best" DO schools is really to provide a nice standard by which applicants can evaluate a broad range of schools. That's all I can use them for, because I wouldn't last five minutes in OK, MO, IL, OH or PA.

Yawn. I get that people make their decisions based on things other than some list of what are considered the "top" DO schools. I get that it's absolutely stupid to make your decision on something like that alone. The point's established. It's ok to choose to attend some other school not on that list because you found it was a great fit for you for some other reason (that's also ok in allopathic medicine where there are rankings by the way--people were chomping at the bit my senior year to get into Loyola, even though it wasn't listed in the top 50 of US News and World).

I think it's naive to think that each person has their own top 10 that perfectly fits them and that's how osteopathic schools' reputations exist. I had no idea about PCOM before applying this last year--I got the 2 of the 3 schools I applied to from my premed advisor and the last because I thought it'd be cool to live in that city. Somehow over the past year I've gotten the general sense that PCOM is generally considered one of, if not the, best DO schools. Did I make that up? It had to come from somewhere.

Does that mean everybody should try to go to PCOM? That PCOM is the "best" school for everybody? Of course not--that's ridiculous! But it doesn't mean there's absolutely no general spectrum of reputation among DO schools.

 

[Character]

if you are asking for my personal opinion, which dont mean jack..mine are
1)pcom-philly (i like the colors and the black and red building)
2)dmu(its close to u-iowa and i can go to big 10 football games)
3)unecom(i like the northeast and snow)
4)nycom(close to manhattan, i can visit the city once a month)
5)ccom(i like chicago and snow, also its close to the indy pacers..my favorite nba team)
6)tcom(dont really like texas, too hot)
7)azcom( arizona is too hot)
8)nova(newish, but beats out other schools bc its got a nice big building and near the beach)
9)ohio(nice buildings on campus)
10)oklahoma state(i hate the oklahoma sooners and the rest of the big 12)

all others, no preference..i am sure they are great schools though.

this is the order that i would go to, not necessarily which school i think is better academically or whatever.

 

[theserbatron]

i have to admit also that Roger Corbman is the man. when it comes to admissions directors, they don't get any finer.

fair warning: if he knows you before the interview (from meeting you at a school fair, etc), he will pick on you relentlessly if you come around to interview. 😀

 

[spicedmanna]

What is reputation to you? A bunch of people's opinion is what it amounts to for me. Therefore, reputation means little to me until I check it out for myself. I rarely accept things based on word alone. I like to research it thoroughly. That's what I suggest you do. Check the schools out yourself and use your own criteria, the things that really matter to you. Come up with your OWN list.

There's no definite rank order of schools. I'm afraid you are going to have to do the leg work yourself.

 

[Bond8204]

What is reputation to you? A bunch of people's opinion is what it amounts to for me. Therefore, reputation means little to me until I check it out for myself. I rarely accept things based on word alone. I like to research it thoroughly. That's what I suggest you do. Check the schools out yourself and use your own criteria, the things that really matter to you. Come up with your OWN list.

There's no definite rank order of schools. I'm afraid you are going to have to do the leg work yourself.

It's a starting point, I'd say.

I pretty much agree with everything you say.

 

[aminoacid]

In your opinion, what are the best DO schools out there? Meaning the one's that seem to consistently have an impressive match-list, etc...

Starting my application today!

I'm not sure what you mean by "impressive match-list," but overall, this is irrelevant. A match list is a snapshot of a given class. Even if people got their top choices, this really does not tell you much beyond that (they could know someone there; they rotated there and made a really good impression; they lucked out during the match algorithm, etc.)-this does not mean that the school helped them obtain their match. But many schools will use this sort of propaganda to attract unsuspecting pre-meds and their tuition dollars (keep in mind that medical school is a business transaction-they agree to teach you and your agree to pay them to do so unless you're one of the rare ones who receives a full-ride). You want to go where you will get your money's worth.

Clinical rotations are what matter. I can not stress this enough. Third year is where you learn medicine. IMHO, this is where you should spend your energy to decide which school will be the best fit for you.

 

[MossPoh]

How convenient medscape sent me this article today.

It is all subjective. Out of the schools I'm applying to most are kind of tiered. I wouldn't rank them better or worse. Certain ones just pique my interest more than others.

MY top tier: PCOM - NSU- DMU- CCOM- LECOM-B - KCOM

Middle Tier: DCOM - UNECOM - AZCOM- UMDNJ - VCOM -

Lower Tier: Touro-California - West Virginia - PCOM-Georgia - OUCOM - LECOM


Yes, I am applying to all those schools. Along with a number of allopathic. I am assuming my personal tiers will be shifted around as I go on and schools are eliminated.

 

[gasapple]

How convenient medscape sent me this article today.

That's what I'm talking about. 👍 Those here squabbling about personal school rankings (and participating passive/aggressively in pissing contests) need to take that blog in and ponder. I'm surprised that some of the veterans are participating in this thread, pathetically strokin' fragile egos. Alas, I guess it's human nature - pathetic nonetheless.

I'm embarrassed that we emulate the other pre-med forum (allo) with this crap - and repeatedly no less. 👎

 

[MossPoh]

I do what I can. 😉 I'm a firm believer in the whole "you do best where you are happiest" philosophy. Reputation means jack if you are miserable. Best example I have is my friend that wound up at a usnews top 5 school and is completely miserable there. He picked it strictly because of rankings. He even said he liked his state school more, but played the name game. Now he is just muscling through.

 

[gasapple]

You've got it together. Best to you in the upcoming cycle. 👍

 

[Bond8204]

Seriously, though? I mean, what's so different about the top 5 school? Is it location? Gunners? Has he said he would've been so much happier at the state school or is (s)he just miserable about med school in general...bc I have plenty of friends who had the latter this last year.

That's what I'm talking about. 👍 Those here squabbling about personal school rankings (and participating passive/aggressively in pissing contests) need to take that blog in and ponder. I'm surprised that some of the veterans are participating in this thread, pathetically strokin' fragile egos. Alas, I guess it's human nature - pathetic nonetheless.

At no point has this thread reached the heated whine of the pre-allo threads you're alluding to. And posting about "stroking fragile egos" and "pissing contests" isn't exactly taking the high road.

 

[endocardium]

Hey, Mosspoh, need any albendazole? You know, for your worms. 😉

 

[gasapple]

At no point has this thread reached the heated whine of the pre-allo threads you're alluding to. And posting about "stroking fragile egos" and "pissing contests" isn't exactly taking the high road.

I'm glad you're carefully monitoring the pulse of this thread and gauging it for everyone. Thanks for that effort and feel free to pat yourself on the back for not perpetuating any sort of thread deterioriation. As I already stated, it's mainly the frequency and lack of any real substance, other than personal opinion, that's annoying. The "high road" has nothing to do with it. These threads are ridiculous and that's all there is to it.

 

[Bond8204]

As I already stated, it's mainly the frequency and lack of any real substance, other than personal opinion, that's annoying. The "high road" has nothing to do with it. These threads are ridiculous and that's all there is to it.

...then don't read them or bump them to the top by posting on them.

 

[gasapple]

WTF are you talking about?

Thanks for the feedback. Drive thru please.

 

[endocardium]

As I already stated, it's mainly the frequency and lack of any real substance, other than personal opinion, that's annoying. The "high road" has nothing to do with it. These threads are ridiculous and that's all there is to it.

Well, this is endemic in the pre-professional forums, in general. Those of us who care to, do our best to combat ignorance, but sometimes we get tired of our advice getting tossed out with the garbage. Anyway, I get frustrated, too, but I've found that the best way to deal with it, at least personally, is to simply tell the truth as I know it without getting to personal with it, or getting too attached to the advice I am giving. This is not to say that I have any monopoly on the truth, but maybe if we take everything together, we may be able to come up with at least a direction in which to approach the problem. Anyway, SDN is but one source, and just about everyone knows to take the pre-professional forums with a grain of salt and a good sense of humor.

 

[MossPoh]

Seriously, though? I mean, what's so different about the top 5 school? Is it location? Gunners? Has he said he would've been so much happier at the state school or is (s)he just miserable about med school in general...bc I have plenty of friends who had the latter this last year.


At no point has this thread reached the heated whine of the pre-allo threads you're alluding to. And posting about "stroking fragile egos" and "pissing contests" isn't exactly taking the high road.

It was just one of those things where he let the name edge out his gut feelings. Everybody is different. I think part of it does involve the whole gunner thing. He was always a laid back guy. One of those naturally smart guys. He is still exceeding there. I don't think he would exclusively say he WOULD be more happy at the other school, since he never experienced it in the thick of things. I just think he has regrets for going the place his parents/rankings pushed him in rather than where his heart was set. I have no doubt the guy would succeed at either locale. Schools all have their own unique personality whether it is undergrad or graduate. His personality just doesn't align with the school.

 

[MossPoh]

Hey, Mosspoh, need any albendazole? You know, for your worms. 😉

That's what we're gonna call it. I got worms! We're gonna specialize in selling worm farms. You know, like ant farms.

 

[gasapple]

Well, this is endemic in the pre-professional forums, in general. Those of us who care to, do our best to combat ignorance, but sometimes we get tired of our advice getting tossed out with the garbage. Anyway, I get frustrated, too, but I've found that the best way to deal with it, at least personally, is to simply tell the truth as I know it without getting to personal with it, or getting too attached to the advice I am giving. This is not to say that I have any monopoly on the truth, but maybe if we take everything together, we may be able to come up with at least a direction in which to approach the problem. Anyway, SDN is but one source, and just about everyone knows to take the pre-professional forums with a grain of salt.

Hoorah, KCUMB 😉👍

 

[singinfifi]

what are the best DO schools

The ones that let me in!
🙂