College Prep Workshop

About College Prep Workshop

College Prep Workshop was developed in 2013 to provide Hillsborough County high school students with a resource to learn about the college application process. Over the past two years, the focus has been to provide access to information and resources to students who are applying to college and other post-secondary programs to enable them to make well-informed choices, as well as reduce some of the stress and uncertainty associated with the application process.

The organizer of the College Prep Workshop, Anne Eason, is a parent of students in the Hillsborough Public Schools and also works with children and families as a psychologist. She and her friend, Meg Fernandez, created the College and Career Center (nicknamed “the Cube”) at TR Robinson High School three years ago, and it has won several awards for parent involvement from the Florida Dept. of Education. In the Cube, parent volunteers assist juniors and seniors in exploring their post-secondary options and clarifying their plans for after they graduate. Many of the volunteers for the College Prep Workshop are also volunteers in the Cube.

Due to the enthusiastic response by parents and students to The College Prep Workshop over the past two years, it is now celebrating its third year with no signs of slowing down! The goal is for students and parents to emerge from the workshop with clearer ideas for how to choose the “best fit” college, how to prepare for taking the often daunting college entrance exams, and how to complete applications with confidence, and how to identify strategies for paying for college.

Testimonials

"My son and I learned something new from each speaker. One of my favorite parts was the question and answer period at the end of Amy Leib Alexander's session. Neither my son or I could think of a single question to write on the index cards, but gained so much hearing the answers provided to those who did. I appreciate all of your effort."

"The speakers were very knowledgeable and motivated my son who is a junior in the I.B. program at Robinson High School. Most interesting was the initial general session regarding what colleges are looking for in an applicant, and the writing essays and interview section. Everything was so informative and couldn't have asked for anything more from all your efforts."

"The most interesting part of the workshop was the advice from the experts on what the students should do or not do. Sounds simple, but the specific things that Bob said to avoid, and said to make sure you do in your college essay and interview, were most valuable. Amy too was engaging; confiding to us what the admissions counselors are looking for, which again taught what to do and not do. I really felt like we got the inside scoop; won the lottery! What a relief to know that my quiet, reserved boys could be chosen maybe because they are kind, compassionate, and sincere, and will make excellent roommates, and could thrive at the college that fits them, or that they fit into. I know that that is not all they have to do or be, but it is still a relief that even though they are not extroverted, born leaders, they still have a shot at getting accepted into a competitive college."

"I really appreciated all of the information provided at the workshop and would like to thank everyone who volunteered their time. All of the sessions were very helpful. I thought that the information on the admissions/decision-making process was most interesting, but the information on what to consider in narrowing down the college search was also insightful. I would definitely recommend the college prep workshop."