University Failure. Sigh. (Now my Sim has to do a whole extra semester for one paper).

If you mean suggestions for how to not fail: Are they arriving to every class on time and taking notes at every class? For the papers, are you editing the paper until it's either Excellent or Outstanding?

For storytelling/extra fun: The university organizations can be fun. Art society, debate, robot club, or a sport, depending on your school.

You can have an aspiration to work on that has nothing to do with school and maybe creates some fun conflicts or coincidences.
You can have a poor student on purpose and create an interesting story around that.
Or maybe you have one of those students who is poor academically, but finds their lifelong passion while in college.
Or maybe the student has some extra life challenges, like becoming a parent during university, or needing to support themselves in a freelance or work-from-home career at the same time as studying.

I've only had a couple Sims graduate, but I can tell you what they did. Before they even went, I built up all the skills that seemed relevant to what I wanted them to do. I only signed up for 2-3 classes at a time, which makes it take longer, but made it easier to manage and left me a little free time to do fun things.

Once there, they always immediately did homework, papers, whatever else they could do. When any additional lectures or anything popped up, I'd do them as soon as I could. They didn't do anything else until those things were done. They always went to class as soon as the option to go was there. When I couldn't remember where a class was, I'd just take them to the area between buildings so they'd be closer at least when it was time to send them to class. And the biggest help was that I let myself cheat motives while there (I don't normally).

Both passed with A's.

I was doing four terms of three classes for my current Cole legacy with my founders. Both ended up failing one class each so instead of doing three for a term they signed up for four classes and passed! They've since graduated, joined their dream jobs, and settled down in Brindleton Bay with their three kids and two dogs.

ETA: Playing on a long lifespan so they're still young adults, but are now close to becoming adults. The child age span is 112 days so Ben, the oldest, has between 80-90 days until he becomes a teenager.

Thanks mightysprite and lisamwitt


Thanks to Wonderful Whims, my young student has developed something of an unrequited crush. Turns out the lady in question is (at least now) one of his professors?!? :o At least, when I used the interaction "Ask about grade in x class" it gave me the course status notification.
He's really socially awkward, with super low level charisma. But, he's an alien after all.
Prior to this, he'd gone over to Foxbury campus to check out the robotics machines and met a Sim there that I thought would be a good match. Like I said, no charisma = slow, slow relationship building...

@Sindocat those are great tips. I follow them for my sim who's completed three degrees with an A+ average. I also have them use the computer to study for exams.

@NRowe here's a good article on being successful at Uni.

https://ultimatesimsguides.com/how-to-get-an-a-in-university/

"NRowe;c-17965402" wrote:
an unrequited crush
one of his professors
really socially awkward
he's an alien
robotics machines

I mean I think you have a story there already
please share more soon :)

@Sindocat absolutely nailed it with "enroll on Friday." Having a whole weekend to get the heavy-duty study stuff out of the way course-wise before even starting the first class is huge.

I'd also recommend getting your college-bound sim up to Handiness 6 so they can put the faster-sleep upgrade onto their dorm bed or even their bed at home off-campus. If you're not going the "no need decay" rewards route, that upgrade will at least give your sim a few more hours in the day they don't have to sleep.

I've also found that great stories about a sim's post-collegiate life come from the people they meet at school. My sims almost never marry their high school sweethearts because some story inevitably presents itself at school.

Athletics or e-sports are a hideous drain on a sim's time; fulfilling those responsibilities will absolutely murder a sim's grades.

Going to class in a good mood is important, as is using the "Take Notes" workmode. There's a meter hidden behind the scenes that's basically the same as the meter that was very much visible to your sim in Sims 2 University and is similar to the Work Performance meter in any job.

The worst grade I've ever gotten with a sim was a C, but that was because she went into labor in the middle of a class and got counted as having skipped it. In general, I've never gotten anything short of an A when I've had my sim complete all their basic class responsibilities (go to class, Take Notes, do their homework, finish and fully refine their term papers and presentations.)

It's weird, but I swear by having my sims study for each class before the semester officially begins. They can either order a textbook, or study on the computer, and I tend to do so for about an hour per subject. It's worked for me thus far, and even gives a good moodlet if your sim feels properly prepared (though they can get a tense one from over-studying). Don't ask me if it really helps, but I've noticed the best of my grades have come from the semesters where I've had them study beforehand.

"simgirl1010;c-17965431" wrote:

@NRowe here's a good article on being successful at Uni.

https://ultimatesimsguides.com/how-to-get-an-a-in-university/

Seems I should study twice. Good to know.

Your first draft of any paper or presentation will always be Poor quality. Leave yourself time to improve it. I have never seen an edited paper or refined presentation board not come out "Excellent". Get it there before you submit it.

I've got once a normal quality presentation, when my sims stopped the refined process in an early stage.

"KyreRoen;c-17965605" wrote:
It's weird, but I swear by having my sims study for each class before the semester officially begins. They can either order a textbook, or study on the computer, and I tend to do so for about an hour per subject. It's worked for me thus far, and even gives a good moodlet if your sim feels properly prepared (though they can get a tense one from over-studying). Don't ask me if it really helps, but I've noticed the best of my grades have come from the semesters where I've had them study beforehand.

"simgirl1010;c-17965431" wrote:

@NRowe here's a good article on being successful at Uni.

https://ultimatesimsguides.com/how-to-get-an-a-in-university/

Seems I should study twice. Good to know.

Is there a certain amount of time you are supposed to study?