Drop In: A Decision Drop College Admissions Podcast

The wait is not dead time. It is a window.

In Episode 10 of The Drop In, Lisa and Josh tackle the part of the college process nobody warns you about: the long stretch between hitting submit and hearing back in March. What can you actually do during the wait? Does demonstrated interest really matter? And how do you keep a great application from unraveling before decisions even arrive?

We dig into what demonstrated interest actually lo...

Early Decision is a commitment. It is not a hack.

In Episode 9 of The Drop In, Lisa and Josh break down the alphabet soup of college admissions: Early Decision (ED), Early Action (EA), Restrictive Early Action (REA), and Regular Decision (RD). What does each application plan actually mean? Is Early Decision really an admissions advantage? And how do you know if applying ED is the right strategy for your student?

We dig into why highe...

On this week's episode of The Drop In, Josh and Lisa unpack the one piece of the college application that students can't fully control: the letter of recommendation.

They break down why only about 11-12% of colleges say recommendations carry considerable weight in admissions decisions, why requirements vary wildly by school (UC schools discourage them, Florida's public universities don't use them at all, UT Austin actually encourag...

More clubs, more leadership titles, more lines on the résumé… that must mean a stronger college application, right? Not necessarily. In Episode 7, Lisa and Josh challenge one of the biggest myths about extracurricular activities: that more is always better.

They explain why colleges care far more about depth, initiative, growth, and impact than the number of clubs a student joins. They break down what makes an activity meanin...

Standardized testing has become one of the most confusing parts of the college admissions process. Test optional, test blind, test required, SAT, ACT, CLT, middle 50% ranges, scholarship requirements. Just when families think they understand the rules, another college changes its policy.

In Episode 6 of Drop In: A Decision Drop Podcast, Lisa and Josh break down what these testing policies actually mean and answer the question famili...

Supplemental essays. The 250-word ones buried in the application portal that students look at on a Friday night, decide they have all weekend to write, and then somehow end up finishing in a Sunday night panic spiral. Sound familiar?

In this episode of Drop In, Lisa and Josh break down every major type of supplemental essay: what colleges are actually asking, what admissions officers are actually looking for, and how to write answer...

A beautifully written college essay that tells us nothing about the student is not a good essay.

In Episode 4 of Drop In, Josh and Lisa are talking about what actually makes a college essay work:

• Voice
• Perspective
• Reflection
• Authenticity

The problem is not always the lesson. The lesson may be completely true. The problem is that thousands of students explain that lesson in exactly the same way.

An admissions reader does n...

Building a college list shouldn't cause panic; it should build confidence. In this episode of Drop In, Josh and Lisa break down how to build a college list based on fit, not just names.

Most families start with a "panic list" of dozens of schools thrown on with no real strategy. Josh and Lisa reveal the framework they use with every Decision Drop family to turn that chaos into a focused, confidence-building college list built on rea...

Episode 2 is here AND this one is all about GPA. 

What it really means, how colleges read it, and why context matters way more than most families realize. 

We break down how GPA gets recalculated, why your school profile matters, and why chasing the “easy A” can actually hurt you in the long run. Plus, we talk about senior grades, grade inflation, and why your GPA is just one part of your story.

If you’ve e...

Episode 1: Who We Are & Why We Started Decision Drop

The college process can feel like a roller coaster. Overwhelming. Exhausting. And full of conflicting advice. In this first episode of Drop In: The College Admissions Podcast, Lisa and Josh introduce themselves, share why they started Decision Drop, and break down what to expect from the show.

You'll learn:

• Lisa and Josh each bring over 25 years of expertise ...