This is NPR's life kit and I'm a SNAD warning an education reporter for a lot of students college is kind of like this big unknown

The beginning can be especially scary. I'm

Absolutely terrified and I Washington was the first person in her family to go to college and she remembers packing up getting ready to leave home

My sisters were all trying to take my room when I left so I just left some things there

She arrived on campus a month before school started to be a part of the school's summer bridge program

It's essentially a way to practice college before the fall semester starts

Each year about 45 students take college classes. We're good

Okay, I want you to imagine that I'm a a baker

They live in the dorms and there are even counselors current upper classmen that are there to help them along the way

You can ask questions that everyone has when they're starting college, but they don't necessarily have the right person ask or they're too scared to ask

This year Anaya isn't one of those scared freshmen asking questions. She's now sophomore and she's answering them

I'm like wow you're all like looking up to me like I'm like some like professional and I'm just

I'm barely making it through two guys, but I'll give you as much as I can in addition to answering questions and giving tips on how to study

Anaya and other counselors actually walk the incoming freshmen to their class because even little things like not knowing where to go or how long

It'll take you to get there. They can have lots of negative ripples

You feel a little bit down about yourself. You're like oh wow

I can't even get myself to class on time and that can really break a student down

Anaya goes to Amherst to small liberal arts school in Massachusetts

Not every school will have someone to walk you to class like Anaya

But the tips and tricks she's picked up are good for anyone at lots of different colleges

Because getting in deciding to go to college. It's just the first step now

You've actually got to navigate the place and that first year can be especially hard

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