University Difficulty

"SarahLou372;c-17566570" wrote:
Do you find it easier to study and live on the university campus? :)

It is easier to attend university events. Plus there are class rabbitholes nearby, so sims can tudor to earn some money and attend skill classes and guest lectures (and attend office hours). Plus there is a sports arena where sims can see football and e-sports matches.


So the answer to the original question is that the OP had their sim work harder in class. Case closed. Now then, let's continue sharing tips to make the university easier, shall we?

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).

I haven't played a sim through university in a while cause the game play is repetitive and bores me but last time I did I used a mod to shorten homework time by 50%. It makes a big difference when they don't take half the day up just doing their daily homework assignments.

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.

My sims tend to be always late for class no matter if living in Brichester or one of the other worlds - is there an option to send them to class early? I know some sims will automatically go early.