Is a college degree worth it? An experiment (Concluded, with results)

While taking my main legacy save's triplets through college, I started to wonder if the gain in career levels that comes with a degree is really worth the time you invest in that degree. I mean, the gameplay in university is fun, and I'm having a good time with my triplets, who have now all met sweethearts in university too. But I kept wondering about the career advancement part. So I've started a short experiment. Meet the Hunters: Duck, Truffle and Bargain.
https://i.ibb.co/zfK6T3P/meet-the-hunters.png

That's Bargain on the left, Duck in the middle and Truffle on the right.
(Incidentally, this is the prettiest random generation I've had yet; Duck was the randomly generated sim first offered when I started the new game, beauty mark and all, and the other two are the first and second roll of dice for generating siblings. I didn't even change their hair or Truffle's outfit.)

My plan is to send Truffle to a distinguished degree, Bargain to a regular degree, and Duck straight into a career. It will be computer engineer for all three so I can easily compare how their degrees help them, and computer science university degrees. They'll be primarily focused on school and career but will still do some socializing etc., so they're not just skill monkeys. I don't have any plans to get anyone honors degrees, as I haven't had a character do that yet, and I'd sort of rather test what happens without the honors condition. I've started them as teens so they can build up their skills through gameplay. Their traits are Genius and Bro, so they can learn fast and keep each other happy. Here they are working on their programming.
https://i.ibb.co/gty1Hgd/practicing-programming.png

Spoiler

They live in the starter house in Britechester and they all have part-time jobs. And bunk beds. And not a lot of privacy.
https://i.ibb.co/4Sshn9y/bunk-beds.png

High school + part-time job + starter home/cash = they run themselves into the GROUND. We are definitely using the paid vacation days from the jobs. Fun is especially hard to find. Some cool people hang out at Pepper's Pub though, and this was a fun night
https://i.ibb.co/B4mQXGK/juice-pong-with-bella-and-akira.png

Obviously we knew who was going to win.
https://i.ibb.co/6HnRBq4/juice-pong-score.png

They have identical traits but, it seems, their own personalities are beginning to emerge. Truffle likes to talk. And talk. And talk. Here she is initiating every conversation interaction while Bargain does his homework and goes "Uh-huh. Uh-huh."
https://i.ibb.co/5vVSDyq/own-personalities-t-likes-to-talk.png

Oh right, all the first Harvestfest milestones
https://i.ibb.co/s5ZtyGY/first-harvestfest.png

And with Harvestfest the gardening begins!
https://i.ibb.co/56Vzmyw/harvestfest-gardening-begins.png

They saved the fall and winter seed packets, sold the spring and summer packets and the gnomes, and bought a robot station and a video game system. Now they can have more fun at home, start building robotics skill, and maybe have some utilibots to help around the house.

They live in the starter house in Britechester and they all have part-time jobs. And bunk beds. And not a lot of privacy.https://i.ibb.co/4Sshn9y/bunk-beds.pngHigh school + part-time job + starter home/cash = they run themselves into the GROUND. We are definitely using the paid vacation days from the jobs. Fun is especially hard to find. Some cool people hang out at Pepper's Pub though, and this was a fun nighthttps://i.ibb.co/B4mQXGK/juice-pong-with-bella-and-akira.pngObviously we knew who was going to win.https://i.ibb.co/6HnRBq4/juice-pong-score.pngThey have identical traits but, it seems, their own personalities are beginning to emerge. Truffle likes to talk. And talk. And talk. Here she is initiating every conversation interaction while Bargain does his homework and goes "Uh-huh. Uh-huh."https://i.ibb.co/5vVSDyq/own-personalities-t-likes-to-talk.pngOh right, all the first Harvestfest milestoneshttps://i.ibb.co/s5ZtyGY/first-harvestfest.pngAnd with Harvestfest the gardening begins!https://i.ibb.co/56Vzmyw/harvestfest-gardening-begins.pngThey saved the fall and winter seed packets, sold the spring and summer packets and the gnomes, and bought a robot station and a video game system. Now they can have more fun at home, start building robotics skill, and maybe have some utilibots to help around the house.

stories

22 Replies

HopeyStarr
Seasoned Ace
5 years ago
About the time DU came out someone also did an experiment on this and their results were quite intriguing.
https://forums.thesims.com/en_US/discussion/969562/discover-university-experiment-s/p1

But of course I do not want to take away the fun of discovering this on your own. I'm interested to see if you will achieve a different result with your own experiment.

I've put the concluding remarks of that user's experiment under the spoiler, in case you did want to know their results.
Spoiler

"AlbaWaterhouse;c-17331114" wrote:

I find that the differences career wise between going to college or not are minimal to be honest, the uni sim might get bonuses and such but is not like at that level of the career your sim would be struggling with money anyways. Also the sim that starts working straight away accumulates quite a chunk of simoleons by that point and by the end she was still one level above the graduating sim on the career. And the graduated sim graduated with honors, otherwise it would have been 2 levels.
drakharis
5 years ago
When I first got the University pack I was really excited. I didn't need a mod for my sims to go to university. Yay! But then if my sim ate slept talked to anybody, bathed or attempted to have any fun at all instead of study do projects needed etc and go to class they would fail their classes and be put on academic standing. Then I tried by just having them just go to class do all their tasks needed to pass and not eat, sleep, talk ta anyone or have any fun and they died while going to university. To me, I found this way too unrealistic. I met my husband while going to university. We had time to eat, sleep, have some fun, bathe, and talk to people and still get high grades in our classes we took. Now if I want my sim to have a degree of any kind I either have them be vampires because vampires are immortal or I cheat in a degree for them. Your sim should never die because they starved to death died from lack of fun or embarrassment from peeing themselves because they are at university and have the choice to fail a class or eat or pee.
ck213
Legend
5 years ago
It wouldn't hurt to have another perspective on this.
I feel I am playing the game mainly for the experience than how a degree would benefit my sim.

Sadly other reasons for going to Uni, like character growth, new loves and friendships, and student activities feel a bit shallow or none existent.
It really bothers me that I hardly ever have the same dormies with my sims through multiple semesters. Some of the coolest sims move out and I have to create clubs to have access to them.

A lot of character growth for a sim does happen with Parenthood, but it still would have been nice to be able to earn an extra trait slot or two.
mightyspritesims
Legend
5 years ago
@HopeyStarr Thanks! I enjoyed reading that.
Spoiler
It didn't occur to me that uni graduates would get a different paycheck for the same level of career. I don't find spreadsheets fun, so I won't be doing one, but I will take note of what the paychecks are as Duck approaches the mid-levels of her career.

@drakharis It sounds like your students did not "Take Notes" during classes? That was a useful thing I learned on this forum. I've discovered that arriving to class on time and taking notes while there seems to be much more important than doing homework, in terms of determining the grade. Without fail the classes my students arrive late to, or forget to Take Notes, they get lower grades. If they arrive late or forget to Take Notes for more than one class meeting, it's hard to pass the class without doing make-up studying.

@CK213 I think living on campus helps a lot with developing new loves and friendships, just because you bump into so many people. The on-campus structured activities (like soccer team) and the unstructured stuff you can do (hanging out at commons) are both fun. And assuming you've actually met your dormies, you can call them or invite them over just like with any other sims you know!
mightyspritesims
Legend
5 years ago
https://i.ibb.co/cDx4DC8/title-enrollment.png
It's 8 a.m. on New Year's Day and Truffle just enrolled in her Distinguished Degree at Foxbury before going to bed. Raise a glass!

Spoiler

We finished up high school. I put a basketball court behind the library for some extra fun and fitness
https://i.ibb.co/Gkz85Kb/basketball.png

The garden is now bearing, so everyone promptly quit their jobs. Life improved immediately.
https://i.ibb.co/xJ80sSD/garden-bearing.png

Bargain worked on his robotics skill and Truffle overclocked all the computers.
https://i.ibb.co/VVLM53Q/robotics-and-overclocked.png

When the winter harvest started coming in, we splurged on making the home more homey
https://i.ibb.co/72PDrYV/more-homey.png

At the end of winter, everyone became young adults.
https://i.ibb.co/bQ2v8bb/young-adults.png

Truffle was accepted to her distinguished degree, according to plan. She and Bargain are enrolled in rival universities! I think they'll make it work.

Duck got a job.
https://i.ibb.co/vJkMQZx/duck-career.png

She accepted the work-from-home assignment: crashing an engineering course. She was getting sick. So she changed into her nicest clothes, as you do, and wore her nasty rash to the engineering course.
https://i.ibb.co/wN55TT1/accept-work-from-home.png

Bargain and Truffle came along for moral support.
https://i.ibb.co/gF2dw7n/accept-moral-support.png

While there, Truffle bought some Foxbury gear.
https://i.ibb.co/ryw43Xv/accept-foxbury-gear.png

And they enjoyed Spirit Day.
https://i.ibb.co/dK1qYdD/accept-spirit.png

Duck's engineering course miraculously healed her!
https://i.ibb.co/nbLzZqc/accept-healed.png

They bought a bar to celebrate, and threw a great New Year's Eve party.
https://i.ibb.co/Lt8M2K3/party.png

It begins...
https://i.ibb.co/JzdF9hK/it-begins.png
Sharooonia
Seasoned Ace
5 years ago
In my opinion it's not worth it. However I assume that people play university more for the experience of playing it more than what comes after?
ck213
Legend
5 years ago
"mightysprite;c-17878162" wrote:

@CK213 I think living on campus helps a lot with developing new loves and friendships, just because you bump into so many people. The on-campus structured activities (like soccer team) and the unstructured stuff you can do (hanging out at commons) are both fun. And assuming you've actually met your dormies, you can call them or invite them over just like with any other sims you know!

Yeah, it's pretty much one of the top reasons why I send my sims. I really enjoy making over the dormies and having my sims interact with them. And in a couple of cases it was quite entertaining seeing the dormies interact with each other. One of my most enjoyable Uni experiences was when a love triangle formed and ended in a way I did not expect.
Spoiler
Meadow seemed to have affection for both Magnus and Zane and I was juggling her wishes for both while trying not to get caught.
But Zane took it upon himself to bring it out in the open.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/f116/cireking213/12_27_20_9_32_49_AM.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds

https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/f116/cireking213/12_27_20_9_34_20_AM.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds

One day I was playing Yuki at the student commons and Magnus walked in sat right in front of her.
From their interactions, I decide Yuki had taken an interest in Magnus.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/f116/cireking213/01-02-21_7-59-10_PM.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds

Which she followed up after Uni, and broke that triangle.
The first of my group of sims that will be married.
https://hosting.photobucket.com/images/f116/cireking213/01-04-21_10-53-25_AM.png?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds

The dormies have a major role to play in my game because new friends and loves will be generated from this pool of sims.
Some will probably take the place of default townies living in the worlds and may even be added to my group of playable sims.
fjb792
5 years ago
I enjoy having my sims go to university, but I agree it's not really worth it.

I wish they had made it so you need a certain degree to get into a career. For example, a medical degree should be required to get to level 3 of the Doctor Career. Or, a Business degree should be required to get past level 3 in the Business Career.

That's how it is in the real world. No degree, no high paying job!
Are there any mods that add this feature?

As it is at present, while I enjoy university, it's not really worth the money.
mightyspritesims
Legend
5 years ago
@CK213 That story is very cute. Yeah, what's dorm life without a little drama :o

@Sharonia @bixters My hunch is that you guys are right...
mklamb56
5 years ago
I send most of my sims to uni. I have a mod that decreases the number of credits needed down to 6 to help fit it in a normal lifespan. Most of the time they go for 4 classes and study hard in the first semester, and then have fun in the second.

Edit: I also recently installed some mods to make uni cost more and progression without a degree more difficult.