I was very involved with S1 by buying him the Fiske Guide, scheduling college tours, proof reading essays, etc. S1 appreciated the help and eventually got into his top choice through EA.
D2 did everything herself. She did her own college research, scheduled college visits (although I did the driving), wrote her essays without any parental feedback. She also wouldn’t listen to me regarding application strategy of using SCEA/ED1/ED2/. She was accepted SCEA to her top choice. I think this was more a reflection of my kids’ personalities than anything else.