I normally start my essays practically as soon as the semester starts, because this gives me longer to research and start to write them, My last lot of essays where due in last week, one of my housemates got an extension so that her essays have to be in tomorrow morning, and she has just started writing it tonight!
She does this with all our essays, sometimes collecting some articles before hand, but for the majority of the essays doing the research the night before on the internet. She stays up all night to do them out of choice not necessity.
If I did this my essays would make even less sense than normal, plus it nigs at me because she always asks for my articles or to 'look at how your wrote it, just for guidance' and then I feel like the wicked witch of the west if I say no, or I give in and give her a few of my articles, although usually the ones I didn't use in my essay.
But anyhow what I was wondering was how far in advance, real life permitting do you start your essays?