"PlayerSinger2010;c-16803287" wrote:
"Simalleyaile;c-16803253" wrote:
@Movotti - never heard of residential colleges? They're all over the place, Sydney, Brisbane, Townsville, Cairns, Perth, even smaller country towns with Unis- even the town I live in now where my husband works at a University has residential colleges. Most people I knew lived in residential colleges at least the first year, even ones that lived in the Uni town. It's pretty common for Aussies to leave their home town, even go interstate to get their tertiary education. I lived in QLD for high school, but went to NSW for Uni. All of my high school friends went off to Uni and stayed in residential colleges. I met a lot of my friends from all around Australia that way. A percentage of accommodation is put aside for overseas students, but the majority is taken up by us. It's not "odd" at all. You must live in a town/city that has a Uni. Most Australians don't.
I think we had something similar at my university, and I'm in the US. I didn't live in one because they didn't have one for what I eventually got my degree in, but if I remember correctly they had separate dorms for people that were majoring in music, science, education, broadcasting, etc... I think most people only stayed in them for their first year before choosing to move off campus and into their own houses/apartments.
I attended a university that had dorms, but also had a large "commuter" population -- people who lived in the surrounding towns, some with full-time jobs who took classes in the evenings. The dorms weren't really themed as such; a couple of them were open over the winter break (the school had a long "intersession" during January, regular instruction resumed end of the month with the new semester) for international students who couldn't afford to travel home (though most ended up visiting with their roommates' or other friends' families) and for those involved in sports (like basketball players) that were played during that period.
In the US, we have a wide range of education options, and I'd love to see those reflected in the game. We also have 2-year "community colleges" where students live at home and take classes; they're also good for people who are making a career change (either voluntarily or after being laid off) to pick up new skills or hone existing ones. Some careers might not require a full 4-year degree (though that would still be an option). Online degrees could be another option. I'd like a University pack to be more about the education process and less about the constant stereotypical "party hearty" scene that's been portrayed in movies. Classes themselves could be rabbit holes, but more active work outside of class, more than just reading a book. Science students could be required to do lab work, or go out and look for collectibles like crystals or frogs. Writing students might be required to write research papers (talking to other students, library work, etc.) -- and just being lazy and relying on Simipedia would get you a bad grade. :D
