<p>Hi guys! I've got a quick question. I'm a junior and my best friend is a senior. It's the middle of October and she hasn't begun her essays yet. I figure that next year, I'll be starting mine in August. So I was wondering when you guys begin your essays.</p>
<p>Late July/Early August </p>
<p>But I was just excited 
haha so you really don’t have to start them until later</p>
<p>Yeah, I was just curious when most of you guys begin. If you like to start early like in summer or you cut it kinda close in December. :)</p>
<p>I started writing my essay in May. It’s been a really, really slow-going process but I’m happy I’m taking my time with it. My first application deadline is November 1st, however.</p>
<p>If you can start before your senior year begins… you are doing very good. I started a few weeks into school and I would have preferred to start earlier. Also, when you visit colleges, you should think of what sort of things you would do for their supplements, especially Why XXX? essays.</p>
<p>It’s always good to start them early, put them away for a while, and then read them back over with fresh eyes. They will sound different each time you read them. Edit a bit, add a bit, then set them aside for a while longer and look at them again. They will gradually become more clear and concise through this process. How many times have you written something, put it away, then came across it later only to think, “Wow, that sounded awful! What was I thinking?” The earlier you start, the more you can think through what you are writing and how it will be perceived.</p>
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<p>Completely agree! Check out which schools ask “Why X?” and make a specific effort to visit those schools…it makes it SO much easier to write those essays! (But don’t panic if you can’t visit - it’ll just take a little more research on your part)</p>