Yeah, I also start braking earlier and more gradually than I need to most of the time. I could say it's to save brake wear, but really it's because I'm not confident in exactly when it's "too late" to aggressively brake at the last minute and still shed enough speed for the corner. Same thing with staying on them too long and not using the accel to plant the car down instead. I understand how that works in theory, but confidently doing it in practice is another matter entirely
I'm sure it will all become clearer after I get a couple days in with a good instructor pointing me around.