I like to use the list from COCA (accrediting agency) as a more objective source.
Start your list with schools that are listed as "Accreditation With Exceptional Outcome"
Be aware that those schools might have a higher GPA/MCAT profile for matriculants.
This isn’t bad but certainly some disagreement to be had.
MSU is just “accreditation” and that’s arguably one of the best.
LMU is notoriously terrible but gets “exceptional outcome?” They were on heightened monitoring forever.
Don’t think there’s anything exceptional about the PCOM branches (PCOM itself is obviously great.)
I don't care about BS like rankings, but is there a list of "good" DO schools or something? I tried googling but everything was based off USNW (lol). We hear about the sketchiness of some of the DO schools but I have no idea how to tell the difference.
In general, the state funded schools like OSU, OUH, MSU, Rowan are basically MD schools that are awarding a DO degree.
After that, the “old 5” are generally considered solid (AT Still, DMU, PCOM, KCU, CCOM.)
The newest schools and ones that Goro doesn’t recommend like BCOM and LMU are the bottom. He doesn’t recommend for-profit schools, but RVU has pretty solid results and I’d have a hard time recommending against it, personally.
All of the other ones are somewhere in the middle.
To be clear, no one involved in resident selection cares. A DO is a DO is a DO. So to me location and tuition should be pretty important. I think the state funded ones help you build a competitive app with things like research and might be worth sacrificing these things.
However, if you’re from Florida I’m not sure that knowing what I know now I would move to Kansas City over Bradenton based on it maybe being arbitrarily “better” as there’s not really tangible career benefits. Although I think there’s been problems with Nova for a long time IIRC so maybe steer clear of that one unless something’s changed.