1. Will getting it in as soon as possible be beneficial?
Nominations are not made on a rolling basis.
Each MOC has a deadline for when all nom applications are due. At that point, the MOCs will look at the applications, interview the applicants (but not all hold interviews) then they will make the decision on who to nominate.
There is no advantage to turning in your nom application now.
I recommend that candidates do it within the first month after they start their Senior year.
Why?
So you can submit the most up to date info on your application.
Within that first month of school, you may have things to add to your application that you are not able to put on there now. You may be selected to hold a leadership position, you may get involved in club or sport that you have not been involved in, you may have some volunteer hours this summer to add or a summer job that you haven't started yet and may have some responsibilities associated with that job that would be good to mention.
Some MOCs don't allow updates to the applications. And really, you don't want to be sending in an update here and there because you don't want to take the chance of those updates being lost or put in the wrong file, etc.
It is much better to send in one application with everything on it.
Of course, if something great happens right before the deadline and you have already sent in your application, send an update.
Go to the websites of every MOC that you are qualified to apply for a nomination from - your 2 Senators, your Congressional Representative and the VP.
Check and double check their deadlines.
Send in your application a few weeks before the deadline and follow up to make sure they got it.
MOCs basically ask for the same information with a few variations here and there. Set up a filing system with a section for each MOC and for each SA and college you are applying to. Then as you get a transcript or recommendation or test score, etc., you can file them in the appropriate places. You will then have everything in one place for each application.
Organization will help keep you sane throughout this process!
The only nomination that you should have already applied for (like yesterday) is the Presidential Nom - if you are qualified for that nom.
Those should be in NOW!
Good luck!