University Difficulty

Hey @SarahLou372 ! I make tutorial videos about The Sims. I think maybe this (under spoilers) may interest you.


Anyway, the only thing I can recommend is email professors about progress and have a weekend about studying. If you get a notification that you're doing well, study for that class little so your sim can study more for other classes. If your sim goes to classes, always have them take notes. Yes, it may decrease their fun need faster, but it also increases their grade. It's better if you get classes that's main skill is one of the skills your sim improves often.
Also, research and debate skill is really useful. Not only it is for debating, it also makes your sim faster at completing homeworks, gain grades faster, learn skills from books faster etc. So if you have chance, focus on that skill before enrolling in university. If your sim has already done that, it's not too late.

"SarahLou372;c-17566399" wrote:
@EgonVM Thank you so much for sharing your tutorial link! :) It will be definitely helpful for me. Also thank you for the tips on skills and studying, my sim took the biology degree and failed first time then I found out I could email professors about progress and that helped me grade get a lot higher. But I've not heard of how they can take notes during classes? Also where and I find and gain research and debating skills I never even knew that existed so thank you! <3

@izecson My experience was the same. Still I love the expansion pack! <3 I think like was motioned above really helped me to email professors so you can focus on the research and homework your sims needs to more.


Also can anyone tell me how to buy university study books as I can find any at all in the bookcase to buy :s :s

When your sim is in class, you can set their class tone like you can set their work tone. While they are in their class, you can see two icons on their picture in sim chooser: a suitcase and two sims holding hands. Click on two sims holding hands picture and you can have them take notes.
Research and debate skill can be learned by either using a mirror to practise debating or using research machine to research topics (that improve skills related to the topic. Research Research Methodologies to improve research and debate skill even faster). Research machine can be found in both student commons and in the library in Gibbs Hill. It looks like a old computer and it can be only used to research and study.

You can buy textbooks from bookcases and computers (they even have their own category) and from university kiosks. Get the book related to your sim's degree. Though I do recommend using computers as books don't have course materials for optional elective classes.

"simlicious2015;c-17566406" wrote:
@EgonVM & @SarahLou372 well the mom, before she passed, came straight out of CAS. And I didn’t give her the genius trait, she had no skills either and she even got denied an acceptance letter into UNi. But then she had her daughter, Tania, and I have her the genius trait when she aged to toddler. But now that she’s in UNi she is a straight A student and she still goes to games and stuff on the weekends and socialize and stuff, but then again she’s only taking 3 classes. So I’m just wondering if she’s getting good grades because of the trait? Or if it’s because when I send her to class I make her “listen carefully” or “take notes. ? ?

Traits shouldn't affect how your sim learns. Though the fact that you had her take notes does affect it (and learning skill related to the class which listen carefully speeds).
Toddlers cannot have genius trait. Perhaps you mean Inquisitive trait and gave genius trait once she became a child?

"SarahLou372;c-17566419" wrote:
@EgonVM Thank you so much that has been a great help to me! <3

@simlicious2015 Like @EgonVM mentioned above you can choose for them to take notes etc like at work you can make them slack or work harder maybe that helps, but also the genius trait does help because my sim was a genius and they have the focus mood more and tend to learn faster than other sims in my experience. Also it might be because you chosen to take less lessons at one time. I know you can take up to 5 maximum at one time but that's pretty hard work on you and your sims.

Well, maximum four as when you choose 4 core classes you cannot choose an optional elective.

But there's a thing I forgot to mention. One of the new lot traits is Study Spot. Sims can study there longer before getting mentally exhausted and learn skills faster. One of the lots that have that is the library in Gibbs Hill.

I have my second Sim in university right now. The first time I sent my Sim, her boyfriend, and best friend to school and they lived in the dorm. It was not an easy learning curve and their GPA's were not where I would have preferred, especially with my Sim having the genius trait. Her boyfriend (who became fiance during their time at uni) actually had to finish his schooling after they got married because he failed a class...

This time I have one Sim who lives in a house in Britechester and I have her taking notes during class which is the only difference from my previous university play and it's made a world of difference. She is acing her classes. So I am making a note for any further university Sims if I want them to have a high GPA.

"FunnyCides;c-17566560" wrote:
I have my second Sim in university right now. The first time I sent my Sim, her boyfriend, and best friend to school and they lived in the dorm. It was not an easy learning curve and their GPA's were not where I would have preferred, especially with my Sim having the genius trait. Her boyfriend (who became fiance during their time at uni) actually had to finish his schooling after they got married because he failed a class...

This time I have one Sim who lives in a house in Britechester and I have her taking notes during class which is the only difference from my previous university play and it's made a world of difference. She is acing her classes. So I am making a note for any further university Sims if I want them to have a high GPA.

Yea, see, that’s what I’m thinking the difference is, when you send them to class they need to be actively listening or taking notes. My sim has an A+ GPA.

OP, a sim coming straight from CAS with no skills will have a tougher time at Uni, just like in RL. Not sure that is the full explanation, but her child who obviously grew up in game probably had some skills. Might depend on what degree, not sure...

There are a few factors that contribute greatly to your sims GPA, and thus, how difficult University may seem to be.

First - and foremost - Ensure that your sim arrives to class on time. This means that if you live in a dorm that you have to account for travel time for them to walk (or bike) to class. When you arrive to class late, you take a hit to your grade.

Second - Deciding how you spend your class time. As others have mentioned, just like when you go to work in the sims, when you go to class you can click on the seem and have them do a variety of things while in class. Sleeping in class will obviously have a negative effect. "Listening closely" boosts the skill gains they get from the class. And, "Taking Notes" increases their performance in the class resulting in better grades.

Third - Presentations, Term Papers, and Final Exams - These are important and can be done at any time during the term (aside from the Final Exam which is automatically taken during your last class). Make sure you do the Presentation/Term Paper and then your edit it to increase its value. It is a bit time consuming but otherwise not difficult to ensure you have a high quality presentation or paper.

Just by doing these three things, you can guarantee a decent grade in your classes. I just finished playing a student-athlete that was more focused on her athletic aspirations and social life than her school work, she rarely did homework and never studied but still graduated with a 3.3 GPA.

Homework - Doing the daily task of homework can be a great way to ensure your sim's grade, but it isn't necessary if all you are looking to do is pass. On the other hand, it is a must do if you are looking to grade with Honors.

Studying - This is never a required task at any point. You can get a 4.0 GPA without studying a single time. However, studying can be useful when you forget to "Take notes" during a class or if your sim arrives to class late. Think of studying as doing make up assignments. If something messes up and you sims goes to class 30 minutes late, then definitely spend some time studying (preferably at the library or another Study Spot).

When I first send a Sim through university it wasn't extremely difficult for me but it was difficult to understand where my Sim stood in his courses. I get that you can email professors but even when they'd say he doesn't need to do anything else, he'd still wind up with a C or a B in the course. I also think the homework for every class is obnoxious. I totally get the realism but I miss in The Sims 2 University and Sims 3 University Life how you would have your Sim do homework or study and it applies to their overall grade. Not just for one course.

Each class has a skill associated with it. I don’t know how high it has to be, and that will increase as the terms go on. I have chosen my sim’s major and had them study those skills ahead of time. So they’re at level 6, 7, 8 -ish and acing the classes. They do most of the homework, they do their term paper/project/final exam (one of my sims was VERY late for a final and still got an A+), and they take notes in class most of the time, though I miss my chance sometimes. They don’t “study” their subjects at all. I like to match their emotion to whatever subject they are working on to gain the most from it.