Hi… I had all A’s my first semester of college up until mid terms, where, one day I woke up and couldn’t hear ANYTHING at all. It was (and still is, a year and a half later) a big adjustment, socially, emotionally and academically. I ended up regaining some of my hearing, which is truly miraculous. But, I got a 2.6 my first year of college, and took a year off afterwards to cope with this unexpected life change. I got hearing aids as well (which are a blessing and help substantially - my audiologist says there’s no reason I can’t be a doctor someday too).
I was just wondering if I screwed up my chances at medical school because of my 2.6 my first year. It 100% was because of my hearing loss, I am intrinsically motivated and passionate about becoming a doctor…
Also, did I screw up my chances at a top tier medical school if I get all A’s thus forward with a high MCAT and an internship abroad, along with ECs? In high school I was debate captain and went to state a lot, I’d like to continue debate in college and get find leadership roles on campus. I also was attempting to publish independent research my first year of college, but who knows if my work would ever be published.
Also, I’d like to reiterate, I am not deaf, I am hard of hearing, I can still hear and have normal conversations, I just hear better with a hearing aid. While taking my year off, I worked two jobs and learned to adapt with my hearing loss.
Do I have a chance for a top tier? Any medical school? Or…?
And please do not say I cannot become a doctor! They have stethoscopes that are compatible with hearing aids…
By the way they have stethoscopes you can use with hearing aids, did you know?
That’s a pretty compelling reason for a low GPA freshman year and there is a specific section on the medical school application that asks for an explanation of any extenuating circumstances. If you really were getting As and return to that level along with all the other bells and whistles I don’t think your freshman year will stop you from getting into medical school.
Why top tier med schools? Applicants with 3.6 GPA would have a hard time getting into average med schools, anything below 3.6 is risky unless you are URM. Top tier med schools also look for exceptional research (besides high GPA/MCAT), which is not mentioned in your post. You’ll need to repeat BCPM classes with grades lower than C… a long long way to go.
The medical profession is actually notorious for NOT being accommodating of disabilities. I wouldn’t count on being cut any slack. I’d consider retaking ANY premed class you didn’t get an A in if you are serious about this. It may not improve your GPA, but explaining your condition and then performing at a high level afterwards would help.
Hi… I had all A’s my first semester of college up until after midterms, where, one day I woke up and I couldn’t hear ANYTHING. At all. It was a big adjustment socially, emotionally and academically. I ended up regaining a decent amount of hearing, which is truly miraculous. But, anyway, I got a 2.6 GPA my first year of college as a result of my UNTREATED hearing loss.
I took a year off to cope with this unexpected life change, and during this time I got hearing aids which are a blessing and help substantially! 
My audiologist says there’s absolutely no reason why I still can’t pursue my dreams of becoming a doctor; he helped me find some really effective aids and I function quite normally with them.
I was just wondering if I screwed up my chance at medical school because of my 2.6 GPA my first year. My low GPA was 100% caused by my untreated hearing loss, I am intrinsically motivated an very passionate about becoming a doctor.
Also, did I screw up my chances at a top tier medical school if I get all A’s thus forward with a high MCAT and an international internship, along with strong ECs? In high school, I was captain of the debate team and always went to state; in college I’d like to compete again, and potentially have some sort of leadership role for the team again. I’m also interested in joining other associations on campus - we have one for pre-meds.
I also want to reiterate that I got some hearing back; I am hard of hearing, not deaf. I could go a day without hearing aids and be fine, but to live my life optimally, I need the aids. But… did I ruin my chances at a top tier, or any medical school for the matter?
I completely disagree with the suggestion to retake classes (unless they are below C because then they wont count towards satisfying pre med requirements). Better to keep moving forward and get As in those classes.