Happy New Year Simmers! I am taking a break from my two current stories to try a little challenge with the new #DiscoverUniversity pack. Follow along and see how my sim does. Thanks :)
A new year, a new challenge! Since Father Winter decided that I was a good simmer this year, he gifted me Discover University for Simsmas. And so, to try out this new pack, I have decided to undertake The Ultimate Student Challenge (created by Havana Sims). The rules are:
Enroll your sim in 4 classes
Must get straight A's
Have a part-time job
Live on campus
Join an organization
Sounds pretty simple, right? Well, to torture my poor sim, even more, I will be creating a brand new randomly-generated unskilled sim in CAS, randomizing their traits-with at least one negative trait, and plopping them on an empty piece of land. They will also have...wait for it...zero simoleons to start. Ugh! Can I make it even harder for them?
Applying to uni costs $75 simoleons and can be done from the home lot mailbox or a computer. Sims can also apply for scholarships. Applying to uni with little or no skills will probably not net them a distinguished degree. The acceptance letter takes 1 - 2 sim days to arrive.
Can they do it? Meet The Challenger:
https://i.postimg.cc/pX0njc18/BLUTARFSKY.png
Hailee Blutarsky
Aspiration: Academic
Traits: Slob, Self-Assured, Music Lover Bonus: Quick Learner
Background:
Hailee is the daughter of Mandy Pepperidge and John "Bluto" Blutarsky. Senator Blutarsky credits all his success to his years at Faber College in Delta Tau Chi Fraternity House. It was at Faber College where he met his lovely wife, Mandy, who was a member of Tri Pi Sorority House.
Of course, since then, John and Mandy have taken up residence elsewhere, and Hailee lives on her own in Newcrest. She now has a chance to attend one of two schools. The prestigious University of Britechester, with a strong focus on the arts and humanities or Foxbury Institute with programs geared toward science and technology. With simoleons no object, John and Mandy are willing to pay for tuition; however, Hailee is determined to make it on her own and refuses any financial assistance from her parents. Hailee hopes she can have the same rewarding experience her parents had when they went to university. Um...are toga parties still a thing? Author's Notes:
Mandy Pepperidge and John "Bluto" Blutarsky are characters in the 1978 movie, Animal House.
Hi Simmers! Day 1 is up. Let's just say that living as a homeless, broke wanna-be uni student is a challenge itself. Let's see how Hailee manages. Enjoy! Suggestions and comments are always appreciated :)
Good morning simmers! Day 2 is up. Hailee has traveled to San Myshuno and waits for word on her uni and scholarship letters. Will she get in? Will she get any scholarships? Read more to find out! Enjoy! Comments and suggestions are always welcome. :)
Oh, I am loving this! So glad you mentioned it in the Bachelor in Paradise thread and I found this thread. It's interesting because I almost did the challenge on my own without even knowing about it. lol Well, except my first student only took 3 classes per term, didn't join an organization or have a part-time job. So I'm sure it was a lot easier for her.
Also, she only lived in the dorms for the first three terms of classes. She'd earned enough by hacking, breeding frogs, collecting plants at festivals, growing a Dragonfruit plant in her dorm room and fishing to build her own little house by the time the last term rolled around.
She started on a Monday in Summer on the Gibbs Hill lot with zero simoleons, but I waited until Wednesday to have her apply and Thurs. to apply for scholarships. She got her acceptance letter and scholarships results on Friday. Because of doing all the hacking, her programming skill level was already quite high. I think that's why she was accepted in the Distinguished program in Computer Science for both Universities! Plus, she got a full ride in scholarships! \o/ She chose Foxbury and the Tidal Towers dorm. Her classes started the following Monday as I'd planned to happen which meant she had the weekend to do homework and build skill levels needed for classes.
Paula was graduated with an A+ GPA across the board with a Distinguished degree in Computer Science and honors on New Year's Eve Eve which meant her graduation ceremony was on New Year's Eve, the last day of Winter. She started the first day of Spring with a new degree, new look, new career and a remodeled house. How perfect is that, eh?! :)
Now, the fly in the ointment during her time at Foxbury was that she didn't have time to do anything else except going to class, homework, term papers, presentations, skilling and try to keep her needs up. It was tough, but she did it and managed to not eat one single bite of all that rich food dormmates kept throwing around. lol She ate cafeteria food sometimes, but mostly harvestables. Get a nice happy boost from that and it's non-fattening. She STILL gained a lot of weight though. I don't know how. o.O Maybe it was all the drinks she had to celebrate her graduation and NYE. I've heard they're full of calories. *shrugs*
Anyway, I'm playing my second student now in the same style, but with a male this time going to Britechester for a Biology degree and purposely didn't let him grind skills or earn a lot of simoleons other than needed to survive and apply for Uni. He didn't get into a distinguished program as a result, but he has still been getting A+ in all his classes. Oh and his terms start and end on Monday/Tuesdays because I messed up and forgot about the Friday thing. Oh well... His beginning was the same lot in Gibbs Hill with 0 simoleons, but it was Sunday instead of Monday in Summer.
He makes his simoleons from fishing and now gardening since he's had his own place for the last two terms. He just started his last term of two classes. Unlike Paula, Carter took 3 classes, twice and then 2 classes thrice. He also moved to student housing, Dark Wing, after his first term. So I tried to do things a bit different with him.
Having only 2 classes for the last three terms gave him a lot of extra time for other activities. Which as it turns out is a good and bad thing. Good because he could have some fun instead of always having his nose to the grindstone. Bad, because, well, he had a one time thing with a girl in the Dark Wing housing the day he left and just found out he's a Daddy. o.O lol I don't know what to do about that yet. He'll decide after graduation. His tiny house won't accommodate a family right now anyway.
That's my Uni experience in a nutshell, lots more happened, of course, but I've already wrote too much in here. lol Bottom line, I'm excited to try this challenge now after Carter graduates. Thanks for posting it! I'm looking forward to reading more about Hailee's experience too. Good luck to her, I don't know how she's going to manage all that. I'll be extremely impressed if she can do it and manage to have some fun too. Go Hailee! :)
P.S. BTW, I don't understand the residence scholarship either. It seems a bit wonky. Paula was turned down for it her first term as a resident of Britechester, but when I had her apply again, she got it. She was living in the dorms at the time. But, Carter got the scholarship right away. It makes no sense.
@Karababy52 - How cool that you've already gone through uni twice! It's going to be tough and now I've read that there is some bug about the grades. Well, we'll see what happens when she completes Term 1. I may also have her sign up for another organization, but maybe that's a bad idea. If she doesn't get all A's, it's back to the drawing board. lol I had actually wanted to try a runaway teen goes to uni challenge to get some of those other scholarships, like if you were in scouting, but was too excited to just get started with Discover University. Thanks for reading and commenting!
It's been lots of fun and I've only just begun! So far explored maybe half the activities/objects offered in this pack. I like all the goals to work toward and juggle. Keeps me on my toes. ;)
Hmm, I haven't had any problems with the grades yet. Maybe I've just been lucky? o.O Oh dear... Well, having Hailee belong to two organizations, plus a part-time job, plus four classes would make it extra hard for her in my opinion. But maybe that's what you want, an even bigger challenge? Poor Hailee. lol
Ooo, adding the Runaway Teen challenge to this sounds very interesting! Might give the Sim an extra edge though, make it a bit easier for them? I don't know...
I love the reception hall too. My R2R Sims have used it a few times, but not very often. I like setting limits and banning certain things to make it even tougher for them. :p Gives me a great sense of accomplishment once they start living a better life knowing they worked their pixel butts off for it. :)
Speaking of, concerning having a part-time job. When do they get that? After the required move to campus? Oh, and do you think that includes student housing outside of the dorms?
Can you tell I'm seriously thinking about doing this? :D
EDIT: Almost forgot, was the first day Midnight enrollment your own addition or is that required too? I like to wait until later in the week so they have time to increase skills for scholarships and the weekend to get started on homework. Probably tougher not being able to wait though. lol
@Karababy52 - It didn't say when to get a part-time job. If you get it before you enroll, I think you could be eligible for a workplace scholarship. The midnight deadline was just my idea, as I was just trying to get her some skills and simoleons the first day so she could apply. I just wanted to get her started lol
If I did it again, I would get a part-time job before applying for scholarships, and also wait to apply for scholarships until after you get the uni acceptance letter in case you get a distinguished degree and then you can apply for the merit scholarship. Maybe the next one will be with Foxbury.
And as far as the housing, it just says has to live on campus, in other words, no living in Willow Creek and going to Britechester. I think that is what it means. Living somewhere on campus to be totally immersed in the uni experience.
Good morning simmers! Another chapter is up! It's morning and Hailee is ready to enroll in uni. She's excited! Heck, I'm excited! Read on and you'll be excited, too! Comments and suggestions are always available. Enjoy!
Daphne is a bit of an eccentric soul, but really what artist isn't eh? Her favorite colors are purple & teal, hence the reason for the pink/lavendar/purple ombre hair style and a wardrobe featuring teal & purple fashions.
Her Mother, Marla Moon, being a HUGE fan of the old TV Sitcom Frasier, named her after a favored character on the show, Daphne Moon, the live-in Physical Therapist/Caregiver of Frasier's father, Martin.
Marla is also an artist, but she prefers pottery and has a studio with a pottery wheel and kiln in the 'She' shed built especially for her located in the backyard beyond their in-ground swimming pool.
As a toddler/child, Daphne liked to sit on a stool next to the wheel designated especially for her and watch Marla create. She was in awe of what could emerge with just a little coaxing from her Mother's strong, talented hands out of nothing but clay & water. The youngster was especially enamored with the designs she would paint on them after they'd been fired in the kiln.
It frustrated Daphne that her own pottery efforts always turned out lopsided and ugly in comparison. Even with patient instructions from Mom, it was no use. Often in a fit of rage, she'd pound the clay with her tiny fists or throw it to the floor. However, sometimes she'd allow some of the lesser deformed pots to be fired and paint them anyway.
The act of painting always seemed to calm her down when she was angry or stressed and she showed a natural talent for it. According to her Mother anyway. Sometimes despite their deformity, customers visiting the tiny shop Marla had at the front of the shed would ask about the beautiful pots in the back and offer to purchase them because of their unique designs. Marla always politely refused to sell them.
Her Father, Maurice Moon, is a retired Astronaut. He flew several missions orbiting the Moon, but to his disappointment never actually made it there. This fact would later play a part in tearing the family apart. Daphne had shown an interest in Space from a young age. She loved listening to her Dad talk about his life as an Astronaut and looked up to him in admiration as a Hero.
She'd spend hours pouring over his old mission logs, sift through photographs and watch videos he'd taken in space. Best of all, on clear starry nights, she and her Dad would gaze through the telescope he'd given her as a 10th birthday gift and dream together. Dream of one day Daphne accomplishing the one thing he never did, landing and walking on the Moon.
As she grew, Daphne split her time developing both of these interests in her life. She attended Junior Astronauts Camp, graduated from painting pots to canvases in the shed and went to Fine Arts camp during Summer breaks from school.
After High School graduation, Daphne couldn't decide which path to follow in life. Should she try to be an astronaut like her Father wanted, or did she want to refine and hone her painting skills to one day become a renowned artist admired for her masterful creative visionary skills?
Several days of talking to and listening to her parents argue with each other about it, wasn't helping at all. Early one Sunday morning on the first official day of Summer, after a particularly heated argument escalating into angry shouting, Maurice announced he would not fund a 'silly' education in the Arts. While he loved Marla's creations, it wasn't a smart idea to base your financial future on a 'hobby.'
If Daphne pursued a career as an astronaut, she had his blessing, otherwise she was to move out and good luck finding a job as a painter. She'd be cut off with nothing.
What he didn't count on was the fact the apple didn't fall far from the tree. His daughter was just as hot headed and strong willed as he. Red-faced and hands squeezed into tight-fisted balls of fury, Daphne stomped away to her room without another word, gathered whatever she could throw in a backpack and left, slamming the door behind her.
Maurice stubbornly sat in the living room with crossed arms and clenched teeth refusing to go after her, he'd made his decision. Marla stood and called him a foolish, prideful old man before running to try and catch Daphne before she was out of sight.
Marla told her that Dad would calm down, realize his ultimatum wasn't fair and change his mind. They were all just tired and on edge from so many late nights arguing. Maybe she should just spend the night with a friend and come back in the morning? Daphne just shook her head no, she was determined to leave. She whole-heartedly believed her Father wouldn't change his mind.
Marla tried to give her simoleons earned from the pottery shed shop, but Daphne's pride wouldn't allow her to take it. In her mind and by the laws of their state, she was an 'adult' now and she needed to act like one. She hugged her Mom and promised when asked to keep in touch, let her...them know she was okay before finally walking away.
She didn't know where she was going or what she was going to do, but she'd show her Father she could make it on her own and be successful too, without his simoleons!
This is where the rest of Daphne's story begins...
If you'd rather just skip that and get to my try at the challenge, here's a link to it on Imgur:
Good evening simmers! Another chapter in the uni life of Hailee. Today she is thinking about joining an organization. Let's see which one she picks! Comments and suggestions are always appreciated! Enjoy
