49.9%. There's always 1 person that's right in the middle. Neither in the top half nor in the bottom half.
You are correct ratings mean little. The point I'm trying to make is that the curiculum of DO and MD schools are virtually identical with DO schools getting a little more emphasis on manipulation. The fact that US News ranks MD schools and DO schools in the same list should tell you they have bothed evolved into similar animals.
It depends on the scale one uses, which ironically is the point of this whole messy thread. Two Gaussian curves that overlap, but with different medians/means. To VVVMD: the point isn't curriculum, never was. One degree is not equivalent to the other based upon the populations utilizing those degrees.
While I'm a JD and not an MD, DO, DC or DVM, as a personal injury attorney I am around, read the records of and depose MDs, DO's and to a lessor extent DC's on a regular basis. FYI, here in Georgia a DC cannot even pierce a body orifice...so they cannot even take your temperature or look in you eyes. nose, ears, ect... As an equine owner I am also very familiar with DVMs . That being said, DVM's must be better at diagnostics...after all, their patient's can not tell them what's wrong, what's hurting or how they feel...of course a DVM has to know the anatomy, vitals, functions, ect... of many different animals, not just one . And due to fewer DVM schools, I believe you have to have a higher undergrad GPA to get into DVM school. And while a DVM actions may not make a difference in a human life...their actions can affect the life of multi-million dollar animals such as horses... in the land of capitalism, that is important. A large animal DVM must earn a nice income as well...I know ours does.
As an MD, I would say pick a physician on reputation. Ask friends, other physicians, and nursing staff if possible. That's how to find a good doc. Having said that, I think you'll find more DO's that would say they tried to get into med school and didn't, as opposed to MD's saying they tried to get into DO school and didn't.