<p>She would have to be open to it… but D2 and I brainstorm ideas as we look at the prompts together. We talk about her extra curricular activities, her interests outside of school, etc., and just kick around possible topics. If your D is one who will pooh-pooh an idea just because it comes from a parent, that won’t work. Obviously my D writes the actual essay, but there is nothing wrong with just generating a list of ideas that way.</p>
<p>When an idea is mentioned by either of us, we usually talk about a few aspects of it that could be used in the essay. We discuss whether she can make it original and revealing enough to be a good essay. I think it is really hard for them to look at their own lives (they are so used to them!) and figure out what might look unusual to someone else, or what truly reveals themselves to someone else. Your advantage as a parent is that you have a glimpse into many seemingly minor incidents that could be useful in the process; a paid counselor can help them generate topics, but won’t have (1) the insight into your kid’s true personality, and (2) that wealth of experiences with them that might fit into an essay. But in the end, she has to own the essay and the content, of course.</p>