I could feel the excitement in the air as everyone awaited the clock to reach 9:30 am. It was a cool, clear Thursday morning in Seattle, a city now filled with the enthusiasm and eagerness of student pharmacists, patiently awaiting what had been pitched to them as the most memorable experience of their professional academic journey. For someone like myself, who had yet to attend an APhA Annual Meeting & Exposition, the anticipation and curiosity of what to expect over this weekend built exponentially.

When I talk with student pharmacists about their financial goals and aspirations, purchasing a home is typically near the top of the list. Purchasing a home is often considered to be a milestone of adulthood and an escape from a renting situation.

So, is home ownership everything it is cracked up to be? Well, as you might suspect, the answer is “it depends.” Whether you are looking to buy a home soon or have long-term home buying aspirations, there are a few important considerations to keep in mind.

We bide by three pillars at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) College of Pharmacy APhA–ASP Chapter: advocate for the profession of pharmacy through policy efforts, serve patients across the state of Tennessee, and develop student pharmacists within our chapter to be the best pharmacists upon graduation. We try to base everything we do off these pillars and develop a chapter theme for the year to coincide with the APhA–ASP national theme. Our chapter’s theme for 2017–18 was “It Starts with One,” where we focused on developing individual members’ talents and on how each member could contribute to the Academy.