While many students start off as pre-med and soon realize it’s not for them, Arman Maqsudlu (CAS ’17) knows this is the right path for him. From conducting brain research over the summer to volunteering as a FYSOP leader, Arman continues to demonstrate his passion for helping others, which makes him a most worthy candidate for a future career as a doctor.
You were here over the summer doing research at BU. What was the focus of the research?
A: My summer research involved work in a lab that focuses on female mating behaviors in mice. My project looked at whether an important region in the female mouse brain for successful mating could be infected with a virus that would permit us to temporarily excite or inhibit that region, like a light switch turning on or off. Since the results showed that the region was successfully infected, we’re hoping to now be able to manipulate that region and see what behavioral effects result in regards to successful mating patterns.
Where do you want to go to medical school?
A: I would like to go to medical school somewhere in the Northeast. Seeing as how I’ve grown up here and I’m very familiar with the region, it would give me a slightly greater sense of comfort than being thrown into an entirely unfamiliar environment. That way, I’d like to think I’ll feel more at ease during the many high-stress moments I expect at medical school.
What organizations are you involved with on campus?
A: I’m currently only involved in Relay for Life. Due to my packed schedule and workload over the summer and this semester, I wasn’t able to participate in FYSOP or Joining Hands like I did last year. But I’m going to try and reapply for both next semester to get involved in the CSC (Community Service Center) again.
Arman volunteering as a FYSOP leader last year.
What’s a random fun fact about you?
A: A random fun fact about me is that I’m a first-generation Iranian-American — or that I’m bilingual.
Do you have any advice for pre-med students, or anyone considering going pre-med?
A: The main piece of advice I can think to give other pre-med students is to make sure that you know that this is truly the path you want to go down. Based on what people who’ve been through this whole process have told me, you have to be dead set on becoming a physician, or you’ll simply be miserable through all four years of medical school, plus a number of extra years for residencies and fellowships. At the end of the day, that’s kind of the whole point of being an undergraduate student. You get to explore other options and see what else is out there.