Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 15:23     Subject: Re:How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Colleges expect teens to write like teens. AOs are not looking for essays ghost written by parents in their forties and fifties.

Do yourself a favor and find some of those "50 successful Harvard admissions essays" type books or look up the best admissions essays included in various alumni magazines at top colleges. Read the essays and you'll be astonished. It is rare to read one that looks like the polished writing of a future Nobel Prize in literature winner. They are kids. They write like kids.


Haven't read those, but I've read a bunch of the NYT ones and the topics were surprisingly bad. One was about judging people based on their car bumper stickers!


DP. That’s sounds like it could be funny. Remember that humans have to read hundreds if not thousands of these. Entertain them.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 15:21     Subject: Re:How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
Anonymous wrote:Colleges expect teens to write like teens. AOs are not looking for essays ghost written by parents in their forties and fifties.

Do yourself a favor and find some of those "50 successful Harvard admissions essays" type books or look up the best admissions essays included in various alumni magazines at top colleges. Read the essays and you'll be astonished. It is rare to read one that looks like the polished writing of a future Nobel Prize in literature winner. They are kids. They write like kids.


Haven't read those, but I've read a bunch of the NYT ones and the topics were surprisingly bad. One was about judging people based on their car bumper stickers!
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 15:19     Subject: How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
Does she use the expression "tippity top" in her essay?
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 15:18     Subject: Re:How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
Colleges expect teens to write like teens. AOs are not looking for essays ghost written by parents in their forties and fifties.

Do yourself a favor and find some of those "50 successful Harvard admissions essays" type books or look up the best admissions essays included in various alumni magazines at top colleges. Read the essays and you'll be astonished. It is rare to read one that looks like the polished writing of a future Nobel Prize in literature winner. They are kids. They write like kids.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 15:18     Subject: Re:How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
Anonymous wrote:Looking like a you problem OP


People are being ridiculous, it is a totally reasonable worry. Mom is saying DC's essay is falling short, not adding what it could. Agree essays don't make up for scores and GPA but when it comes down to which qualified candidates who meet whatever random/never disclosed institutional priorities to take to the admission's committee having an essay that convey a real sense of individuality can certainly make a difference.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 15:17     Subject: How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
I think that topic sounds fine.
Since she has "tippity top" grades/results in everything, I'm sure her essay will be "tippity top" too.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 15:12     Subject: How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
Anonymous wrote:there are very few bad topics


Literally any topic can make for good writing when it is done well.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 15:05     Subject: How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
Anonymous wrote:Unless your kid's topic is something completely insane...like writing about her heroin habit (not kicking her habit, but how much she loves her active habit) or how she fantasizes shooting up college campuses...the topic really doesn't matter.



This is a wild take, LOL!
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 14:56     Subject: Re:How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
Looking like a you problem OP
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 14:46     Subject: How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
Unless your kid's topic is something completely insane...like writing about her heroin habit (not kicking her habit, but how much she loves her active habit) or how she fantasizes shooting up college campuses...the topic really doesn't matter.

Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 14:39     Subject: How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Step up and pay a professional for their opinion.

Don't be an a** to your kid about the topic. It is one thing to do it early on in the process but now it is too late.


Completely unnecessary and ridiculous. The point of the essay is to see how a kid can write, in their own voice. OP’s kid did that. If everything else in their package is “tippity top,” a cringey topic won’t make or break anything. And if it’s really that bad, then maybe the kid just isn’t that tippity top after all.


We are saying the same thing. Leave it alone unless you pay a professional and find out that it truly is a lousy essay. If you don't get a professional opinion, then you can't tell you kid that it is a bad essay when the kid has finished it and been to see his teacher and counselor and discussed it.


OP here. I AM paying a professional. She didn't give topic advice whatsoever. She just dove in and started editing what DD already had written.


So you paid somebody and it’s been reviewed by her teacher(s)? You’re done here. Step away.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 14:38     Subject: How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Step up and pay a professional for their opinion.

Don't be an a** to your kid about the topic. It is one thing to do it early on in the process but now it is too late.


Completely unnecessary and ridiculous. The point of the essay is to see how a kid can write, in their own voice. OP’s kid did that. If everything else in their package is “tippity top,” a cringey topic won’t make or break anything. And if it’s really that bad, then maybe the kid just isn’t that tippity top after all.


We are saying the same thing. Leave it alone unless you pay a professional and find out that it truly is a lousy essay. If you don't get a professional opinion, then you can't tell you kid that it is a bad essay when the kid has finished it and been to see his teacher and counselor and discussed it.


OP here. I AM paying a professional. She didn't give topic advice whatsoever. She just dove in and started editing what DD already had written.


maybe take a look at this thread?
https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1223607.page
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 14:36     Subject: How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Step up and pay a professional for their opinion.

Don't be an a** to your kid about the topic. It is one thing to do it early on in the process but now it is too late.


Completely unnecessary and ridiculous. The point of the essay is to see how a kid can write, in their own voice. OP’s kid did that. If everything else in their package is “tippity top,” a cringey topic won’t make or break anything. And if it’s really that bad, then maybe the kid just isn’t that tippity top after all.


We are saying the same thing. Leave it alone unless you pay a professional and find out that it truly is a lousy essay. If you don't get a professional opinion, then you can't tell you kid that it is a bad essay when the kid has finished it and been to see his teacher and counselor and discussed it.


OP here. I AM paying a professional. She didn't give topic advice whatsoever. She just dove in and started editing what DD already had written.
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 14:36     Subject: How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
What’s the book series?!
Anonymous
Post 09/25/2025 14:35     Subject: How to tell teen her essay topic sucks?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Step up and pay a professional for their opinion.

Don't be an a** to your kid about the topic. It is one thing to do it early on in the process but now it is too late.


Completely unnecessary and ridiculous. The point of the essay is to see how a kid can write, in their own voice. OP’s kid did that. If everything else in their package is “tippity top,” a cringey topic won’t make or break anything. And if it’s really that bad, then maybe the kid just isn’t that tippity top after all.


We are saying the same thing. Leave it alone unless you pay a professional and find out that it truly is a lousy essay. If you don't get a professional opinion, then you can't tell you kid that it is a bad essay when the kid has finished it and been to see his teacher and counselor and discussed it.