As student pharmacists, our lives often revolve around the responsibilities that we hold in utmost importance, including academics, internships, research, and many other extracurricular activities. Our busy schedules are built around a commitment we make to push ourselves to grow, but we often forget to center it around that positive sentiment.

In fall 2020, amid struggling through my online second year of pharmacy school, I found comfort in healthcare student accounts I followed on YouTube and Instagram. Their stories were relatable, their tips and resources made school and life a little easier, and watching them achieve their goals inspired me. Soon I wanted to share my own experiences in pharmacy school with others in the hope that I could provide some help, humor, and comfort to their day. As @pharm.fit.go on Instagram and YouTube, I share the ups, downs, and all-arounds of school, mental and physical health, new adventures, and balancing it all on my journey to a PharmD degree.

Imagine having an exam in biostatistics, an exam in pharmacokinetics, and an essay due for health care ethics all in one week. Now imagine having a science project, a parent–teacher conference, and a piano recital in the very same week. That is the level of stress student pharmacists who are also parents must deal with for 4 years. That is, if we are not also interested in doing research, obtaining a leadership position, or participating in extracurricular activities on campus, which would be in addition to the list.

When I saw Edward Hopper’s “Morning Sun” as an elementary school student, I stared at the woman in the painting in admiration of the vibrant colors. At the time, I walked away with little understanding of the purpose embedded in the picture.

Unless you’re a financial nerd like myself, there aren’t many people out there who are fans of budgeting. Some feel that budgeting is restrictive, takes up too much time, or is even scary—who really wants to take a look at how much they are spending? As a student pharmacist who likely isn’t bringing home a high income, it may even feel pointless. But budgeting as a student will help you get control of the money you do have and will set you up for success once you start making that pharmacist salary you’ve been dreaming of. Plus, with the average student loan debt load at graduation soaring to over $170,000,¹ getting in the habit of budgeting before you have to start making those student loan payments is probably a good move.