In Episode 19 of Drop In, Lisa and Josh turn their attention to the Class of 2028.

Hello, juniors. It is officially your turn.

And before anybody panics:

NO, you should not already be filling out the Common App.

Junior year is not about doing senior year early.

It is about making a plan now so next August does not feel like someone dumped the entire college process onto your kitchen table overnight.

Lisa and Josh break down what juniors should actually be doing right now: testing, grades, activities, college visits, summer planning, getting to know their school counselor, and beginning to figure out what they actually want in a college.

First?

Make a college email address.

Keep it boring. Check it regularly. And give yourself one place where admissions emails will not disappear underneath everything else in your inbox.

Then they tackle testing.

When should juniors take the SAT or ACT?

Should they take both?

And should they just show up for one “cold” to see what happens?

Please don't.

Lisa and Josh explain why students should use official full-length practice tests to establish a baseline, compare the SAT and ACT if needed, and then build an actual testing plan.

They also talk about why junior-year grades matter, what rigor really means, when students need to ask for help, and why those junior-year teachers may become important recommendation writers.

Then comes activities.

Start the résumé NOW.

Write down your roles, hours, weeks, responsibilities, accomplishments, impact, and what you actually did before future-you completely forgets.

But please do not respond by joining six new clubs tomorrow.

Junior year should be about depth—not adding more just to look busier.

And finally:

Start visiting colleges.

Big schools. Small schools. City campuses. College towns. Even schools you may never apply to.

Because junior year is about figuring out what you like and what you do NOT like.

As Lisa says:

You don't know what you don't know until you go experience it.

And maybe the biggest reminder of the episode:

Your junior-year college list SHOULD change.

You are going to learn things.

You are going to change your mind.

You may discover a new major, fall in love with a completely different kind of campus, or stop loving the school whose sweatshirt you have worn since seventh grade.

That is not something going wrong.

That means the process is working.

• What juniors should be doing now
• When to take the SAT or ACT
• Why junior-year grades matter
• What course rigor actually means
• Why junior-year teachers matter for recommendations
• How to start an activities résumé
• What leadership really looks like
• When to start thinking about summer opportunities
• When juniors should visit colleges

One of Josh's biggest reminders:

Junior year should build a stronger student, not just a busier one.

And Lisa's?

Get curious, not competitive.

Your friend's college process is theirs.

This one belongs to you.

If you want help with testing strategy, course planning, activities, college visits, building a balanced college list, or making sure senior year does not start from zero, Lisa and Josh would love to help.

Visit decisiondrop.com/contact to connect with Decision Drop.

In Episode 18 of Drop In, Lisa and Josh are talking to the performers, singers, dancers, actors, musicians—and the parents who have spent years driving them to rehearsals, carrying garment bags, sitting through competitions, and finding dinner at 10:30 at night after a show.

Because applying to college as a performing arts student?

It is NOT the same as a traditional college application.

Now you have pre-screens. Auditions. Repertoire. Headshots. Resumes. Dance calls. Unifieds. Callbacks.

And sometimes an entirely separate set of deadlines that show up long before the university's regular application deadline.

So Lisa and Josh brought in someone who actually lives in this world.

Jacqui Touchet is an actor, writer, educator, audition coach, and member of the Decision Drop team. She studied theater and political science at Northwestern and has coached students through the college audition process.

Jacqui explains why students should begin familiarizing themselves with audition requirements as soon as they know they may want to pursue a performing arts program—and why the summer before senior year is the absolute latest time to have a real school list and start preparing material.

Because every program can ask for something different.

One school may want a 90-second monologue.

Another may want a Shakespeare piece.

Another may want a song, a dance call, a resume, or a different type of pre-screen entirely.

And one of Jacqui's biggest reminders:

Follow the directions.

Then they get into Unified auditions vs. individual college auditions, the advantages of each, and why families need to understand which schools require students to audition on campus.

They also talk about what actually separates a strong audition from an average one.

It is not just talent.

Material matters.

Jacqui explains why students should choose pieces that are age-appropriate, personally meaningful, and actually say something about who they are as an artist.

And maybe do not walk into the room singing the exact same song the faculty has heard 20 times that day.

From there, they talk about what faculty are really looking for.

Yes, they care about talent and technique.

But they are also asking:

Do I want to teach this student?

Do I want to work with them?

Will they be a good collaborator?

What unique perspective will they bring into this program?

Because they are not just admitting performers.

They are building an ensemble.

• When students should start preparing for performing arts admissions
• What college pre-screens actually are
• Unified auditions vs. on-campus auditions
• How to choose strong audition material
• What performing arts faculty are REALLY looking for
• How to handle rejection and audition feedback
• How younger students can start preparing now
• Headshots, self-tapes, audition-day logistics, and more

One of Jacqui's biggest pieces of advice:

Control your controllables.

Know the requirements.

Know your material.

Rehearse.

Prepare.

Get there on time.

Follow directions.

And then?

Bring your fullest self into the room.

If your kiddo is navigating performing arts admissions, college auditions, pre-screens, applications, or building a balanced college list, Lisa, Josh, and Jacqui would love to help.

Visit decisiondrop.com/contact to connect with Decision Drop.

In Episode 17 of Drop In, Lisa and Josh are doing a little myth busting.

Because college admissions is absolutely drowning in bad information.

Your kiddo gets one B and suddenly somebody says their dream school is gone. They aren't taking every AP their high school offers, so obviously they aren't challenging themselves enough.

They haven't launched a nonprofit, built an app, or created a massive “passion project,” so clearly their application isn't impressive enough.

No. No. And no.

There are already enough REAL things to manage during college applications. Families do not need to manufacture imaginary problems too. Lisa and Josh start by taking on three of the biggest college admissions myths:

Does one B ruin your chances?

Do you need to take every AP your school offers?

Does every competitive applicant need a passion project?

Then they move into the parts of the Common App that students stare at wondering:

What am I actually supposed to put here?

What belongs in the Additional Information section?

What counts as an academic honor?

Then Lisa and Josh get into the actual college application mistakes they see every year. Copying and pasting the wrong college name. Parents editing until the student's voice disappears. Building an unbalanced college list. Writing vague activity descriptions.

Finally, they tackle one of the biggest sources of panic after applications are submitted:

The student portal.

Your counselor says the transcript was sent.

The college portal says:

MISSING.

Before anyone starts sending emails in ALL CAPS, Lisa and Josh explain why college processing delays happen, how to confirm whether documents were actually submitted, when families should wait, and when it really is time to follow up.

Because “missing” and “not processed yet” are two very different things.

• Does one B hurt your college admission chances?
• Do students need to take every AP their school offers?
• What course rigor actually means
• Why students do NOT need a manufactured “passion project”
• What belongs in the Common App Additional Information section
• When you should leave Additional Information blank
• What counts as an academic honor
• Why parents should stop rewriting college essays
• How to improve Common App activity descriptions
• How long colleges may need to process application materials

One phrase comes up again and again in this episode:

CONTEXT.

One grade is one grade.

Rigor should make sense for the student.

Activities do not need to be manufactured to impress an admissions office.

And when that portal flashes MISSING three days after your kiddo applies? Verify before you worry.

This process is not as fragile as it feels.

Your student does not need every AP, five honors, a giant passion project, and a perfectly polished application to be what colleges want. Be thoughtful. Be honest. Pay attention. Do the boring stuff correctly. And when something looks scary, get the facts before deciding it's a disaster.

Need help building a balanced college list, reviewing applications and essays, strengthening the Common App activities section, understanding deadlines, or figuring out what that terrifying red message in the student portal actually means?

Visit decisiondrop.com/contact to connect with Lisa and Josh at Decision Drop.