Instead of University, how about an Education Pack?
There used to be a Go to School mod, how about expanding it as an EP?
The Sims 4: School Dayz
Customizable Schools (for teens)
These would work with a similar mechanism to the club system in GT. To create a school, you choose the theme, then choose subjects to specialize in (such as athletics, culinary, sci/tech, etc.) and activities based on your content (an athletic school could have yoga if you have Spa Day or basketball if you have City Living, for example). The game will produce a list of students and you can choose up to 8, then there will be a game-generated teacher for mentoring. For example, maybe you have a romantic teen, so he goes to a culinary school with all girls. B) And like GTW careers, you can choose to go with your teen or send him/her alone to focus on another household member. The custom school day would be shorter, maybe only about 3 to 4 hours, leaving teens time for part-time jobs and outside school activities.
Study from home/homeschooling options
This would apply to children and teens with at least a B grade average. Similar to the City Living careers, the child/teen would get a call from school asking if they're coming to class or studying at home. If the choise is to go to class they leave as normal, but if they choose study from home they get a list of tasks to complete. They could fish or collect frogs for Biology lab, or interview an older Sim then write an essay, play an instrument for a couple of hours, etc. If their grades drop below a B then they lose the study from home privileges so there's an incentive to do the work and keep the grades up.
After-school activiies
These would be similar to the rabbit hole Scouting option in Seasons; children/teens disappear for a couple of hours after school to a specialized activity, but with the chance of a skill point. A child's Art Club or Music Club could gain a random Creativity point, for example, or a teen Debate Club could gain a Charisma point. A Study Club would have the children/teens return home with their homework already done, giving them more time at home to have fun or work on other skills.
Private school
As in Sims 2, you'd have to impress the school superintendent, or in dire situations an out and out bribe would work. >:) Private schools would have shorter hours and maybe even some off-days, but the homework would be a lot harder (maybe require doing research on the computer, or more active coursework similar to the study from home options). The benefit of private school could be a higher base salary when entering a career, along with starting at a higher level. If/when we get University it could provide a stipend to cover those out of school expenses like pizza and coffee, maybe even the ability to qualify for certain scholarships.
Extra stuff
Proms for teens (could take place at one of the in-game nightclubs with no YA+ showing up other than the NPC mixologist and DJ), graduation parry, graduation gifts in the mail (either items or Simoleons). To prevent the items from going into household inventory or accounts, they could arrive in boxes (similar to the capsules used for MySims figurines but a lot prettier) then the graduate opens them after they move out. Maybe your grandparents send you a computer or a microwave, or you get some decor items from friends or even Simoleons from that rich uncle Harry who nobody likes but you send holiday cards to stay in good graces. :D
New objects
Laptop computers a must (draggable from personal inventory), items to support the new customizeable schools -- could include tweaking of current items like allowing the serum maker from GTW usable by science students, etc. Expand the career outfit category and make it accessible without a cheat (patched in) so that players can create/modify school uniforms.
The Sims 4: School Dayz
Customizable Schools (for teens)
These would work with a similar mechanism to the club system in GT. To create a school, you choose the theme, then choose subjects to specialize in (such as athletics, culinary, sci/tech, etc.) and activities based on your content (an athletic school could have yoga if you have Spa Day or basketball if you have City Living, for example). The game will produce a list of students and you can choose up to 8, then there will be a game-generated teacher for mentoring. For example, maybe you have a romantic teen, so he goes to a culinary school with all girls. B) And like GTW careers, you can choose to go with your teen or send him/her alone to focus on another household member. The custom school day would be shorter, maybe only about 3 to 4 hours, leaving teens time for part-time jobs and outside school activities.
Study from home/homeschooling options
This would apply to children and teens with at least a B grade average. Similar to the City Living careers, the child/teen would get a call from school asking if they're coming to class or studying at home. If the choise is to go to class they leave as normal, but if they choose study from home they get a list of tasks to complete. They could fish or collect frogs for Biology lab, or interview an older Sim then write an essay, play an instrument for a couple of hours, etc. If their grades drop below a B then they lose the study from home privileges so there's an incentive to do the work and keep the grades up.
After-school activiies
These would be similar to the rabbit hole Scouting option in Seasons; children/teens disappear for a couple of hours after school to a specialized activity, but with the chance of a skill point. A child's Art Club or Music Club could gain a random Creativity point, for example, or a teen Debate Club could gain a Charisma point. A Study Club would have the children/teens return home with their homework already done, giving them more time at home to have fun or work on other skills.
Private school
As in Sims 2, you'd have to impress the school superintendent, or in dire situations an out and out bribe would work. >:) Private schools would have shorter hours and maybe even some off-days, but the homework would be a lot harder (maybe require doing research on the computer, or more active coursework similar to the study from home options). The benefit of private school could be a higher base salary when entering a career, along with starting at a higher level. If/when we get University it could provide a stipend to cover those out of school expenses like pizza and coffee, maybe even the ability to qualify for certain scholarships.
Extra stuff
Proms for teens (could take place at one of the in-game nightclubs with no YA+ showing up other than the NPC mixologist and DJ), graduation parry, graduation gifts in the mail (either items or Simoleons). To prevent the items from going into household inventory or accounts, they could arrive in boxes (similar to the capsules used for MySims figurines but a lot prettier) then the graduate opens them after they move out. Maybe your grandparents send you a computer or a microwave, or you get some decor items from friends or even Simoleons from that rich uncle Harry who nobody likes but you send holiday cards to stay in good graces. :D
New objects
Laptop computers a must (draggable from personal inventory), items to support the new customizeable schools -- could include tweaking of current items like allowing the serum maker from GTW usable by science students, etc. Expand the career outfit category and make it accessible without a cheat (patched in) so that players can create/modify school uniforms.
