<p>I am currently a junior and confused about the whole application process.</p>
<p>Counselors, teachers, and the general “good” students would tell you to start as early as late summer, and try to finish as early as possible, especially if they have a difficult senior course load. But almost everyone that I know didn’t start until October for regular decision, and you’ll have plenty of time to write thorough apps even if you start then.</p>
<p>Just make sure to ask for teacher/counselor/coach recs at least a month before they’re due.</p>
<p>I started my essays a week before the 1st of January. I recommend you don’t do that. Brainstorm until mid-November, don’t write until early December though. If you have too many rough drafts, cuts, and edits you lose your raw voice and element, which you don’t want to do.</p>
<p>thanks for all your replies</p>
<p>i started in september for my ED app (due nov. 1)</p>
<p>November until christmas I worked on the others.</p>
<p>I registered for Common App on Nov 1. I started writing my main essays two weeks after that. I was working on my apps all through winter break. Not fun.</p>
<p>I would seriously recommend starting the essay in the summer. So many people told me to do that…but obviously that didn’t happen.</p>
<p>start right about…this time of the summer, right before you start senior yr.</p>
<p>day before it’s due, obviously.</p>
<p>i started chugging away at the common application when it was first released, about july 1st. this was just to get all the busywork out of the way. i had my final draft essay finished by like, mid october. i applied EA/Rolling to 4 schools, so i was done with mostly everything by the end of october.</p>
<p>IT can be very helpful to write a rough draft of your essays this summer. Put them away for a few weeks and then do a rewrite. Also, get together a resume and a transcript so you have all the information you need when it is time to fill out the applications. If you attended any other schools, have that information ready to go so you can mail out the necessary transcripts. It is so much easier to do this now than during the fall of senior year. It can get very busy and stressful from October to January for HS seniors so the more you get done now, the better you will feel later.</p>
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If you have too many rough drafts, cuts, and edits you lose your raw voice and element, which you don’t want to do.
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<p>Wow, I never even considered this. I don’t think it would be that big of a problem if you edit it yourself, but it’s good to keep in mind. Thank you!</p>