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.

In Episode 16 of Drop In, Lisa and Josh tackle one of the most OVERSTRESSED parts of the college admissions process:

The college interview.

A student gets an email offering an interview and suddenly everybody starts panicking.

What are they going to ask?
What if I say the wrong thing?
What should I wear?
Do I need to prepare answers?
DOES THIS INTERVIEW ACTUALLY MATTER?!

For most colleges?

Probably not as much as you think.

Lisa and Josh break down the different types of college interviews, how much admissions offices actually consider them, how students should prepare, the questions they are likely to hear, and what students should be asking the interviewer in return.

And yes, there is actually a way to find out how much a college values interviews.

The Common Data Set.

Lisa and Josh explain how families can use Section C7 to see whether a college considers interviews very important, important, considered, or not considered at all.

Because families should put the worry where the weight actually is.

They also talk about schools like Georgetown and MIT, where interviews play a more meaningful role, and why students should generally accept an interview when a selective college offers one.

Then they get practical.

How much should you prepare? What should you wear? What happens during an alumni interview? What should you do differently for Zoom? Should you memorize answers?

Absolutely not.

The goal is not to walk into a college interview sounding like a perfectly rehearsed 17-year-old.

The goal is to have a conversation.

In this episode:

• How to use the Common Data Set to see whether interviews matter
• Why most college interviews will NOT make or break an application
• Colleges where interviews may carry more weight
• Georgetown’s alumni interview process
• Common college interview questions
• How to prepare for “Why this college?”
• Questions students should ask their interviewer
• What to wear to a college interview
• How to prepare for a virtual interview

One of our biggest reminders for kiddos:

You are the expert on YOU.

Think through a few stories. Know why you are interested in the school. Have a couple of good questions ready.

Then stop rehearsing.

Be warm. Be interested. Listen. Ask questions.

Be you.

And remember: you are interviewing the college too.

That person sitting across from you can tell you things about the school that you will never find on an admissions website.

Prepare enough that you can relax.

Then go have the conversation.

Need help figuring out whether an interview matters, preparing for one, building your college list, working through applications and essays, or navigating the entire admissions process?

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

In Episode 15 of Drop In, Lisa and Josh are joined by Liane Crane of The College Dollar to tackle one of the most confusing—and important—parts of the college admissions process:

How are we actually going to pay for college?

FAFSA. CSS Profile. Financial aid. Scholarships. Grants. Loans. 529 plans. Net cost.

It can feel like an entirely different language, and families are often expected to figure it out while they are already juggling applications, essays, deadlines, and everything else that comes with senior year.

So we brought in an expert.

Liane has spent the last decade helping families understand college finances and how to make college more affordable. She joins Lisa and Josh to break down the financial aid process in plain English and help families understand what they actually need to know before the bills start arriving.

They start with the basics: What is the FAFSA? What is the CSS Profile? Who needs to complete them? And when are they actually due?

Then they tackle one of the questions families are sometimes afraid to ask:

Can applying for financial aid hurt my student’s chances of admission?

From there, the conversation gets into the real math behind paying for college—including how to compare financial aid offers, why loans and work-study are not the same thing as free money, why the highest sticker price does not necessarily mean the most expensive college, and why families should think about the cost over four years, not just freshman year.

Because the number on the college website is not necessarily the number YOUR family will pay.

In this episode:

What FAFSA means and what it actually does
• Which colleges require the CSS Profile
• When families should file financial aid forms
• How missing a deadline can cost you financial aid
• Does applying for financial aid hurt your chances of admission?
• Federal student loans and Parent PLUS loans
• Why families need a college budget BEFORE building the college list
• How to calculate your true out-of-pocket college cost
• How 529 plans can help families pay for college
• Why sticker price does NOT equal actual price

One of our favorite reminders from Liane:

The most expensive college is not necessarily the one with the highest sticker price. It’s the one that makes you borrow the most.

Parents, please have the money conversation early.

Know what your family can comfortably contribute. Know what you are willing—or not willing—to borrow. Understand the deadlines. Ask questions when something does not make sense.

You are making one of the biggest financial decisions your family may ever make.

You are allowed to need help understanding it.

And as Lisa says in this episode, the money piece is absolutely figure-out-able.

Want help from Liane?

Liane Crane works with families through The College Dollar, helping parents and students understand college costs, FAFSA, CSS Profile, financial aid, student loans, 529 plans, appeals, and strategies for making college more affordable.

If you have questions about your family's college finances, visit thecollegedollar.com and click the link to schedule a FREE introductory consultation with Liane.

Need help building a college list that fits both your kiddo and your family's budget?

Visit decisiondrop.com/contact to connect with Lisa and Josh at Decision Drop for help with college lists, applications, essays, admissions strategy, and navigating the college process from beginning to end.

In Episode 14 of Drop In, Lisa and Josh are joined by test prep expert Megan Dorsey of College Prep Results to tackle a part of the college admissions process that stresses out a whole lot of students and parents:

The SAT and ACT.

Which test should your student take? When should they start? How many times should they test? What kind of prep actually works? And what happens when a student knows the material but sits down on test day and suddenly their brain stops cooperating?

Megan has spent three decades helping students improve their SAT and ACT scores and brings a practical, no-gimmicks approach to test preparation. She joins Lisa and Josh to talk about test anxiety, realistic score expectations, choosing between the SAT and ACT, when juniors should begin testing, how much improvement families can reasonably expect from good preparation, and when it may actually make sense to stop testing altogether.

They start with test anxiety and one of Megan’s biggest reminders: being nervous does not mean you are bad at testing.

You do not need to feel completely relaxed on test day. You need to be able to focus. Then they get into strategy.

Megan explains why she currently prefers the SAT for most students, how the digital SAT and changes to the ACT have shifted her advice, why Desmos can be a game changer, and why families should never use an official SAT or ACT as a paid “baseline” test.

Instead, take a full-length official practice test under realistic testing conditions and use that information to build a plan. Because test taking is a skill. And skills can be practiced.

In this episode:
• What parents can do to reduce testing pressure
• Why more colleges may continue returning to required testing
• How the digital SAT compares with the current ACT
• How to determine which test fits your student
• Why you should NOT take a real SAT or ACT just to establish a baseline
• When students should take their first SAT or ACT
• How many times students should retake the SAT or ACT
• When another test attempt may actually be worth it for scholarships
• How much score improvement students can realistically expect
• When choosing not to test may actually be the right decision

One of our favorite reminders from Megan:

You do not have to feel good. You just have to be able to focus.

And parents, remember that testing is only one piece of the college admissions process.

Make a plan. Pick the test. Pick the dates. Prepare with intention. Give your kiddo the support they need. Then let them take the test and keep moving.

Want to work with Megan?

Megan Dorsey works with students through College Prep Results, specializing in SAT, ACT, and PSAT preparation. All in-person work takes place in the Sugar Land / West Houston area, including Fort Bend, Missouri City, Katy, Bellaire, Memorial, and similar west Houston communities. Outside the Houston area? Megan also works with students virtually by Zoom.

Visit collegeprepresults.com to learn more about Megan’s classes, private tutoring, and test prep options.

Need help figuring out how testing fits into your student’s larger college admissions strategy—including whether to test, when to test, where to submit scores, and how those scores fit into the college list?

Visit decisiondrop.com/contact to learn more about working with Lisa and Josh at Decision Drop.

In Episode 13 of Drop In, Lisa and Josh welcome their very first guest, Mary O’Malley, Co-Head of Admissions Advising at Union Hall Advising and author of the Admitted-ish Substack, to tackle one of the hardest questions parents face during application season:

How much should I actually be helping my kiddo with their college applications?

Should parents edit the college essay? Can they fill out the Common App? When does helpful feedback become rewriting? And how do you support a stressed-out teenager without accidentally taking over the entire process?

Mary brings experience from college admissions, independent school admissions, college counseling, enrollment management, financial aid, and reading applications for highly selective universities. Together, Lisa, Josh, and Mary break down what authentic student voice actually looks like, why ordinary essay topics can be incredibly effective, and why a teenager’s application should still sound like a teenager wrote it.

They also talk about how parental involvement should look different from student to student, why families may want to schedule dedicated “college check-ins” instead of talking about applications constantly, and why one of the best things a parent can do is give their student room to have an opinion before offering their own.

Because helping does not always mean fixing.

Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is let your kiddo do part of this imperfectly.

And as Mary reminds families, a college acceptance letter is not a parenting report card.

In this episode:

• How much parents should help with college applications
• Why a college application needs to sound like the student
• What admissions officers actually mean by “student voice”
• Why an essay does not need a dramatic or extraordinary topic
• Helpful parent feedback vs. rewriting a student’s essay
• Why parents should ask permission before reading an essay
• Whether parents should fill out the Common App
• How students can own their application while still receiving support
• Why different kiddos need different levels of help
• How to keep college admissions from taking over every family conversation
• Why parents should let students react to college visits and decisions first
• How comparison can steal the joy from senior year
• Why an admissions decision is not a verdict on a student’s worth
• Why a college acceptance is not a parenting report card
• How the college application process can build independence before college

Parents, you absolutely have a role in this process. It is a big one.

But your job is not to create the perfect application.

Your job is to help your kiddo build the confidence to own theirs.

Love your kiddo more than you love the outcome.

Need help guiding your student through essays, applications, college lists, deadlines, and strategy without taking over the process? Visit decisiondrop.com/contact to learn more about working with Lisa and Josh at Decision Drop.

And be sure to check out Mary O’Malley’s Admitted-ish Substack for more smart, practical, hysteria-free college admissions advice.

In Episode 12 of Drop In, Lisa and Josh tackle one of the best problems a student can have: more than one college saying yes.

After months of applications, waiting, and admissions committees making decisions about you, the choice is finally yours. So how do you actually decide which college to attend?

Lisa and Josh break down the two biggest pieces of the final college decision: fit and finances. They talk about why admitted student days feel different from regular college visits, what to look for when you return to campus, and why the most recognizable name is not automatically the school where you will be happiest or most successful.

Then they get into the money.

What does that financial aid offer actually mean? Which parts are real gift aid? How should families compare grants and scholarships with loans and work study? And how do you calculate the real cost of attending each college instead of getting distracted by the headline number on an award letter?

They also talk about merit scholarships, the strategy of choosing a less selective school for significantly more money, and why honors colleges at large public universities can sometimes offer students the best of both worlds.

Because the goal was never to collect the most impressive acceptance.

The goal is to choose the college where you can learn, grow, find your people, be happy, and build the life you actually want without ignoring the financial reality of getting there.

In this episode:

• How to compare multiple college acceptance offers
• Why admitted student days matter before making your final decision
• How to evaluate college fit beyond rankings and name recognition
• Prestige vs. fit and why the “better known” school is not always the better choice
• How to read and compare financial aid award letters
• Grants and scholarships vs. loans and work study
• How to calculate your real net cost at each college
• Why travel and other hidden college costs matter
• How merit scholarships can completely change your college decision
• When choosing the less expensive college can be the smarter move
• Why honors colleges at large universities are worth considering
• How to narrow your choices to your true finalists
• What to remember about the May 1 college decision deadline
• Why your gut feeling gets a vote once the fit and finances make sense

The name on the sweatshirt will get a reaction for about 30 seconds.

You have to live there for four years.

So do the real math. Go back and visit if you can. Picture an ordinary Tuesday or Thursday on campus, not just the polished version you see on Admitted Student Day. And then trust what you have learned about yourself throughout this process.

Choose the place where you can grow. Choose the place where you can belong. And choose the place that works for the people helping make all of this possible.

Need help comparing college offers, understanding financial aid, or figuring out which school actually fits your student? Visit https://decisiondrop.com/contact to learn more about working with Lisa and Josh at Decision Drop.