Dear 4meonly,
Thanks for your post!
I'm pleased to see that you are thinking ahead with regards to your MBA applications. As many current applicants can confirm, the essay portion of the application process can be incredibly time consuming, so it's always a good idea to think ahead.
As to your question, the short answer is that about 80% of essay questions stay the same from year to year. As such, it never hurts to get started with some of your target schools. Chances are that if you complete a set of essays for any given school that the majority of them will be valid next year.
Of course, one thing to keep in mind is that even if the questions remain the same, you may have newer/better stories to tell by next fall. Having said that, I still think it can make good sense to begin mapping out some of the essays and get into drafting mode, since much of the thought process and work you put in now will save you time next year.
For some detailed advice on the best approach to the essay topics at the leading schools, see the following links:
https://blog.clearadmit.com/category/ess ... -analysis/
https://blog.clearadmit.com/category/ess ... is/page/2/
Best of luck with your applications!
Regards,
Graham
