I am done with one essay (unless more corrections arise) and have brainstormed and written ideas down for several other essays for many schools. Am I too early? (Rising senior, want to get apps done soon because I am in the IB program and 12th grade is one of our hardest years) I guess there’s never such a thing as too early but I want to make sure my essays are interesting and well thought out enough.
Not in my opinion. My kids both started their main common application essay in the summer before senior year. When they got back to school in the fall they each asked their favorite English teacher to read the essay over for things like grammar, logic etc. It was good to get that part done early.
Absolutely not. Crack on! Some apps are already open.
Absolutely not!! I tell ALL the Juniors I know that summer is when those essays should be done!!!
The Common App opens August 1.
Agree completely with the above, with a small addition: think about the order you do the essays in, and do some back and forth. The temptation is to write your favorite or ED first, but ime it works better to do that one last.
Start with a first cut at the Common App- and put it aside as soon as you have an outline /very rough draft. Then go write 1-2 essays for places that you like but are not your ‘dream’ schools. Put them aside and go take another look at your Common App essay / do another draft. Repeat as needed: 1-2 essays, working up to the ones that are closest to your heart / review Common App. Your writing skills will sharpen as you go, so that by the time you get to the ones closest to your heart you will be writing at your best. Then do a re-read / final edit of all of them. et violá!
You are dead right to start now: they really benefit from both revision and time to marinate a bit.
You are not too early. Note that occasionally a school will change their supplemental prompt when the apps open in the fall, but not very often.
Consider having an adult with admissions knowledge give your essays a once-over review for content and clarity. And scour them yourself for typos. Put them down, then go back. Read them aloud. Pretend you are an admissions person who hasn’t met you, doesn’t know your family or friends or town, and make sure it would make sense to them. Check every possible misspelling.
NO NO! DO it now! This way, you have time to revise and edit later on!