I’m hs class of 2017, so I know that it’s a little too soon to be thinking about this, but my writing skills could use some improvement so…
Anyway, I was thinking about writing some practice essays now, but is it too soon?
If I do start writing them now, do I just use the prompts from the colleges I plan on applying to?
Sure, if you want. I generally recommend that you think of the content and get your story down before you start to work on grammar and flow and things like that. But at the very least, getting familiar with the prompts will help you understand the kinds of life experiences you should be looking out for (e.g. failure, facing obstacles, things you are passionate about, etc.). I guess it could also help you recognize your “writing voice” and work on sounding natural when you write, versus being too formal.
You can use the prompts from colleges you’re interested in, but note that 1. some schools change their prompts from year to year, and 2. you’ll have another year of life experiences to draw from by the summer of your junior year, so what you write now might not be the best thing to use.
Thanks : )