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Test Subject
#26 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 3:11 AM
Personally, I have a problem with academic individuality in my game. I always make every single kid do all of their homework and get As (scared of the social worker, even though I think I put in a mod to stop them coming), and even though I tell myself one or the other won't go to college according to their character, I can never just leave them behind to age faster than their peers, with far fewer skills, experiences, and want-slots. Plus, there's that awful "didn't go to college" memory. So, everyone goes to college even though I find it tedious to play through and sometimes disingenuous to the character's personality, even with the semester-shortening mods. I also know of the community college mod, but my game is messed enough, I don't want to go through installing much more.
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retired moderator
#27 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 3:27 AM
They don't have to go to uni to have more want slots nor do they need a bad memory. Part of Squinge's college pack is 'No memory Uneducated". The Bat Box can up date any sim even CAS adults.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
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Original Poster
#28 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 3:33 AM
A fix for the aging faster thing would be to use the elixir of life, and that wouldn't require any mods. I think there's another in-game way to age them down too, but I can't remember what cheat that is.
Needs Coffee
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#29 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 6:11 AM
If they are also young adults the same as their peers, there is no aging faster.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Forum Resident
#30 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 9:21 AM
I'm another person who found UNI boring, especially the first time I played TS2. (Almost) all my sims went, and it was all the same.

This time I (a) have 48-hour semesters and harder uni mods, which makes it more interesting and gives a wider variety of final grades, and (b) don't send everyone. I've modded the ages anyway so they're more realistic, and I'll use SimPE to add extra days to new graduates to make them the same as their peers who didn't go to uni. The only difference is that sims at uni get played for twice as many days, because 2 days is a year in the main hood while 4 days is a year for the students.

My rule for whether a sim goes to uni or not depends on their aspiration, whether they rolled wants for it, what their family expects, and what their friends/romance(s) are doing (depending on aspiration). So a knowledge sim with uni educated parents/ older siblings will always go, but a family sim whose parents/siblings didn't go and whose boy/girlfriend isn't going probably won't.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#31 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 9:29 AM
There are also various ways to play uni. Not all students have to study and do their work.

Romance your professors.
Influence dormies to do your term paper
Have high logic, get into the secret society and hack your grades.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Mad Poster
#32 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 9:36 AM
It's not likely to happen when the town is new because the population is too small in the early years of the town's settlement.It would wait until the town has a big enough population to start up a campus.They won't all go when there is a campus though because some might not want to go and others might not be able to.
Scholar
#33 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 10:54 AM
Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
They don't have to go to uni to have more want slots nor do they need a bad memory. Part of Squinge's college pack is 'No memory Uneducated". The Bat Box can up date any sim even CAS adults.


True, they can get the extra slots without going to college. But for some people, it then feels like cheating. No Memory Uneducated is a Godsend, though. I love that one.

Quote: Originally posted by joandsarah77
If they are also young adults the same as their peers, there is no aging faster.


I think Rarr was talking about the age difference between sims going to uni, and those not going. The latter will be older than the former, and the elixir compensates.
Scholar
#34 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 11:20 AM
For residential university, SimHampton Sims have to qualify for university:

- They must be achieving A- or better at school at a time when SimHampton University is admitting students*.

- There must be accommodation available for the student. Under current regulations, the university may only admit students to their "nation"'s dorm in the first instance - though Sims may move into a house after starting their course. All dorms (and houses) take a maximum of 8 students, a proportion of the space being reserved for townies**. No space, no admission, and re-testing can only occur next admissions cycle, and only if the Sim is young enough.

At the moment, tuition is free and classes are not restricted, but sometimes fees and/or connections are also demanded. Though it is a fact that Sims living in the Drioru Forest are automatically disqualified because nobody there has invented university yet. Also disqualified is any Sim currently governing a nation, Sims in poor standing with the criminal justice system and those who are otherwise required to perform a different duty at that moment (I'm thinking conscription, if the currently-peaceful nations ever go to war).

At this time, about 40% of my students attend college. I use a mod to alter the time non-freshmen get on a per-Sim basis - those with great GPAs get more time than those with poor GPAs (a score of 3.7 is needed to earn the maximum 72 hours, and a Sim whose score is below 2.4 will only get 24 hours to complete their studies in a given semester). I prefer my Sims to have their finals exams at different times, even if that's not especially realistic.

* - In-game, SimHampton students seriously wanting to go to university worry about the SUET (SimHampton University Entry Test) as much as real-life students worry about A-Levels, APs or other similar exams. These are currently issued every 5 Sim days (in-game, it's every month), but this varies according to how many Sims are in play. All teen students must take them unless they have the day off school (I play in rotation but don't bother aligning days of the week), though students patently not ready to pass the exam are encouraged to try questions they can do or look interesting, and then to doodle on the paper or otherwise quietly amuse themselves - for them, the point is to get comfortable with exams rather than to assess their academic progress. I am in the process of writing a sample SUET, so I can get a feel of what I am asking my Sims to do to prove themselves...

** - The townie rule is to simulate competitiveness of entry. The higher the standard of qualification an admitted Sim, the more townies join them - an A- brings no townies, an A student one, and an A+ student two (assuming the university has space to accommodate the townie(s)). If an A/A+ Sim is friends with a teen townie, that townie may accompany the Sim; otherwise, random selection is used.
Mad Poster
#35 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 11:41 AM
If the town is small, they will simply go to a uni at a city somewhere else (like the youngsters in my small town do).
Uni is only boring (imo) if you play only one student and make it too easy for them.
Having at least 6 students in a dorm and make them gain skills on community lots (my dorms don't even have a book case, just sleeping facilities, bathrooms and a cafeteria - and a radio for when there is a party) not only makes Uni a lot more fun, but time passes really quickly.
Alchemist
#36 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 12:15 PM
I do send about 60% of all teens I play with, but that's only because I have a Uni mod that makes Uni so much shorter and therefore much harder. Failing Uni or getting lowest acceptable grade for passing isn't rare in my game.
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#37 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 12:32 PM
Quote: Originally posted by BoilingOil

I think Rarr was talking about the age difference between sims going to uni, and those not going. The latter will be older than the former, and the elixir compensates.


So am I, talking about those going to uni and those not going. Those not going to uni are young adults in the main hood and all age to adult after 10 days, uni or no uni.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Scholar
#38 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 2:31 PM
@joandsarah77: Ofcourse, but that's in *your* game, purely because you set it up that way... In general that isn't true, though. In general, if you play the main hood proportionate to the Uni hood (1 day in main for 6 days in college) any sim who does NOT go to college, will in the end be 4 days older than his twin sibling who does! And *that* is where the elixir in Rarr's post comes in, I suspect.
Field Researcher
#39 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 2:55 PM
My neighbourhood rule is that all teens go to Uni. No exceptions. Of course, not all Sims actually FINISH Uni, but they all get sent there. I love playing Uni, it's a great time for the young'uns to throw parties, get laid, make friends, and do stupid things. Some of them even get an education!
Mad Poster
#40 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 5:14 PM Last edited by Peni Griffin : 6th Jun 2016 at 7:06 PM.
I love university, and send almost everyone. I think people who find it tedious are mostly trying to rush things, instead of adapting to the different pace - Uni, like vacations, is a subgame, and you do it a disservice by treating it as a grind or a distraction or a means to an end instead of adjusting your focus to play it to the hilt for its own sake. And I talk about how to get the most out of it all the time so I won't go on and on about it.

Even I have circumstances under which I won't send them, but it's very rare - because once I start playing University, I want a good population of playables on campus to maximize fun. Sometimes I have sims who are doing so badly in high school (i.e, Newsons!) that I consider not letting them graduate. I almost always manage to get them to a C, though. And sometimes a teen has a home situation that makes skipping school look like the responsible option. Trent Traveller of Drama Acres had a nervous breakdown after Trisha left him for Julien Cooke, and Tina, a major Daddy's girl, was basically his full-time caregiver. I just could not imagine Tina going off and leaving him on his own, so when Trent couldn't meet certain criteria for taking care of himself by the time she should have left for college, she stayed home. Her friends at college invite her to parties and on outings, so she remains part of their lives.

I can easily use elixir or aging-off days to keep her roughly the same age as her friends, and people do age at different rates, after all. My little sister went gray before I did.

Ugly is in the heart of the beholder.
(My simblr isSim Media Res . Widespot,Widespot RFD: The Subhood, and Land Grant University are all available here. In case you care.)
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Original Poster
#41 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 6:51 PM
Quote: Originally posted by BoilingOil
@joandsarah77: Ofcourse, but that's in *your* game, purely because you set it up that way... In general that isn't true, though. In general, if you play the main hood proportionate to the Uni hood (1 day in main for 6 days in college) any sim who does NOT go to college, will in the end be 4 days older than his twin sibling who does! And *that* is where the elixir in Rarr's post comes in, I suspect.

Yes, I was referring to an un-modded game. I've also seen people just play straight through Uni without playing on any of the other families, so that could help too. That would cause there to be a gap between the older/younger sims though so it's probably just better to use elixir if you have an un-modded game, which I'll probably do.
Mad Poster
#42 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 7:16 PM
I play with harder harder grades, so my teens have to have a fair number of skill points just to pass high school. If they pass high school and they or family they care about want them to go to college at the point inteen makes them be adult teens (eight days to adult), then they go. If they don't want to then, they don't get to go.
If they want to pass college then they'll have to autonomously do the things they need to, or they'll have to roll wants for them. A 'make Dean's list' want lets them earn skill points and do whatever else they need to, but if they don't roll that one, then they'll have to roll the individual skill point, homework, and term paper wants. Almost everyone passes in the fall, when the generic skill point wants pop up and the grade bar fills more from going to class, but by spring, a lot of sims are struggling. I also have college modded to two day semesters. (See, eight days as an adult teen in the neighborhood, or eight days on campus. All works out tidily.)

Pics from my game: Sunbee's Simblr Sunbee's Livejournal
"English is a marvelous edged weapon if you know how to wield it." C.J. Cherryh
Needs Coffee
retired moderator
#43 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 10:46 PM
Quote: Originally posted by BoilingOil
@joandsarah77: Ofcourse, but that's in *your* game, purely because you set it up that way... In general that isn't true, though. In general, if you play the main hood proportionate to the Uni hood (1 day in main for 6 days in college) any sim who does NOT go to college, will in the end be 4 days older than his twin sibling who does! And *that* is where the elixir in Rarr's post comes in, I suspect.


I know it's just *my* game but I mention it because not everyone knows you can alter and change things with young adults. A few years back I hadn't heard of YA in the main hood and thought sims had to go to uni to become one.

"I dream of a better tomorrow, where chickens can cross the road and not be questioned about their motives." - Unknown
~Call me Jo~
Meet Me In My Next Life
#44 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 11:19 PM Last edited by Simonut : 6th Jun 2016 at 11:35 PM.
Shamefully in all the years I have had UNI I have never taken the time to play it, I know about the mods to help make it faster, but never had a interest in doing so. I really think it goes back to my own school days and some of the teachers I dislike. One name I will never forget the "Math" teacher Mr. Bull yes his name ready was BULL. Really no one care for him, me and many others student could not wait to get the hell out of his class. I was happy when high school was finish. I was not a failing student at all, there are other subjects like History, English, Science and music that I truly love, but Math I HATED, but no one can cheat me out of my money$$$$$ that for sure

"Nothing in life is a Surprise it just happen to come your way at the time".
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#45 Old 6th Jun 2016 at 11:30 PM
I used to send all my sims to college, but with a harder grades mod, that's not going to happen anymore. Currently, all my knowledge sims can go to college if they have at least a B in grades. All other aspirations have to roll for college more than once, have at least a C, and have ONE scholarship (unless they come from a wealthy family). It also depends on their motivations (active vs lazy, and serious vs playful). High motivation sims are more likely to go to college than those with low motivations.

In fact, I have one sim with a D who will not be able to follow his steady love to college. He's a family sim and never rolled any wants to do homework or earn skill points. All he wants to do is talk, play, kiss and woohoo (thankfully, I don't have inTeen installed in that hood yet).

For my physical health, I can't eat cheesecake everyday.
For my mental health, I imagine eating cheesecake everyday.
It's a delicate balance.
Alchemist
#46 Old 7th Jun 2016 at 12:27 AM
have not yet gotten any pack.

when I get University, my main reason to send sims to college would be to unlock the careers released with University.
Test Subject
#47 Old 7th Jun 2016 at 12:55 AM
I typically send them to university. All the jobs pay a ton, and it's a good excuse to build a sim's skills. Think about the scholarships! :P
Lab Assistant
#48 Old 7th Jun 2016 at 2:15 AM
I've had UNI for years, but never played much. I've just sent my first groupling of teens off. I'm probably not gonna send everyone, only those that desire it or if i don't have a story for them that involves skipping college. Right now there's no cost for it, but i'm sure I'll figure something out since some of my sims gain way more money than they should have and could due with getting rid of.
Scholar
#49 Old 7th Jun 2016 at 2:32 AM
Some. One sim dropped out to study... other things. Another shot up to greek house statis after befriending an orphaned millionaire. Her brother meanwhile has to suffer dormitory living with corrupt dorm mates. Thier other siblings will not be attending as one will pursue her mechanic dream and the other wants to be a cook, the cousins can help him.

So it's a mixed bunch.
Field Researcher
#50 Old 7th Jun 2016 at 5:34 PM
It depends on what kind of play-style I've chosen for that particular 'hood. For example, when I was playing the Prosperity Challenge, all teens went to college, they all joined a Greek House, joined the Secret Society, were Big Sims on Campus, and graduated with a 4.0 - because that was what gave the most points in the challenge. When I played the Apocalypse Challenge, the founder would reach permaplat, make lots of best friends, make lots of money, and max their skills while in college, because that gave them the best possible start to the challenge - but then the next few generations wouldn't be able to go at all, until I managed to unlock going to uni.

Right now, I'm challenging myself to micro-manage less, and play different sims differently according to their wants and autonomous behavior. So mostly, sims will only go to college if they roll wants for it, or if it's necessary in order to fulfill a LTW. Once at uni, they'll do assignments or write term papers if they roll wants to do so, or if they roll wants to make the Dean's List. If they roll up a fear of going on academic probation, they'll do enough to get them in the white, but after that they're on their own. Some will get As, some will get Cs, and I currently have one YA on academic probation for the first time ever in all the years I've played Sims 2.

As for keeping the aging parallel, I simply send teens to college when they have five days left as teens, and then play one year of college for each day back in the main 'hood. This means they'll graduate at the same time that a twin who may have stayed home would age up to adult. Voila, problem solved!
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