UC app deadline confusion...

College Essays
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<p><a href=“https://admissions.ucop.edu/pathwaysF2009/Pathways[/url]”>https://admissions.ucop.edu/pathwaysF2009/Pathways&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Says the deadline is 11:59 p.m. PST November 30, 2008. I live in California, so that gives me an extra day or so right? I plan to turn mine in the morning. My friends are turning it tomorrow also. I’m scared because everyone on this forum says turn it in today.</p>

<p>Anyway, can someone check my first prompt personal statement?</p>

<p>Prompt #1 (freshman applicants)
Describe the world you come from — for example, your family, community or school — and tell us how your world has shaped your dreams and aspirations.</p>

<p>Some say video games turned into a bad influence upon children’s minds. Others believe that the root of violence within adolescents originated from video games. Video game opposition suggests it creates poor students academically.
But never have I, as a proud gamer, succumb to anything lower than a B. I grew up in this reverie, one that no book could ever create. Amongst the boring reality I live in, I loved the airships, the foreign or extraterrestrial characters, and the beauty of the land that each game made. I conquered terrorists, defeated dragons, saved a village, and conquered evil. In it, I felt a fulfilling purpose that no adult could ever bestow on me.
The gore and violence didn’t attract me, but the overall feeling. As I played, I gained a fulfillment actuality never provided. I felt the feeling of victory within me. As I learned success’ taste, I began to expand my hands towards a new field: academics. Believing in the knowledge I can learn, I studied rigorously, hoping to gain the mathematical and logical skills to become a computer programmer. Because of my ambition, my parents never saw harm in video games. However, at the same time, my parents could never help me. Feeling I could do things on my own, they thought outside help from them or friends appeared idiotic and unnecessary in their eyes. “It’s your life, you should figure it out yourself,” my Dad would say. Throughout my childhood to this day, I try to find all moral answers within video games. At other times, I’d just play in order to relieve myself from stress that the real world puts upon my shoulders. Whether the stress results from school’s English homework or parental lectures, I found my source of escapism from playing. As I let the soothing audio and colorful images take me away, I returned to my calm, collective self. I found video games to as a faithful companion.
I learned the morals, hidden away or at the end of each game. Love conquers all, never admit defeat, learn from mistakes – common lessons that reality seldom teaches. In reality, people laugh at my academic mistakes, resulting in misguidance towards a solution. I could never look towards my parents for their teachings. Always straightforward, they could not accept academic mistakes. Turning to video games, I found all the inspiration I need. Living within the multiple countries and worlds, I hoped to create my own, one that combines a multitude of genres, capturing the hearts of every, particular gamer. Shooting, racing, and role-playing, I shall create one that incorporates the adulation of every gamer. Hopefully, it shall turn into a world that can defeat all video game controversies. </p>

<p>The word count is 452. I need help shortening it to 400-410.</p>

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<p>If you live in California, your timezone goes by PST, which means the deadline is exactly as it sounds.
It’s always a better idea to turn it in early in case you come across complications later. But otherwise there’s no difference between turning it in now or tomorrow.</p>