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Good settings for discover university

JustinB113JustinB113 Posts: 1,050 Member
I am thinking to have my 3 sims do discover university and live on campus.

I tried this one time with another sim who did the highest diploma with four subjects in 3 back to back weeks and all of his time was spent studying and he barely ate and slept properly and it took the whole of the young adult time. They could only talk to roommates enough to get social need up and then needed to rush back to working.

I would like a nice setting where they have to do studies and work hard and can get a good grade but they are not so rushed and can make friends and join clubs. I don’t want them to fail and I’d like them to do the distinguished course for their happiness but I don’t really care about the career bonuses. I’d like to see as much features of the expansion as I can and go to parties, explore town and use different discover university CAS etc. I also want to learn any of the packs skills and complete any aspirations.

I’m happy to stretch it out a little but I don’t want to have like one lesson a term and find there’s not much to do. A challenge is fine but I want to be able to have them enjoy it and not just work all the time as well. I’m happy to take break or a vacation between semesters.

Has anyone some good settings/ideas for what course, amount of subjects and length of study is good for them? I will keep aging off I think and would like it to last maybe one or two sims calendar years and take me a good amount of time of playing - like 2-3 months or more if it’s fun.

Also can they transfer between universities each semester or no?
Post edited by JustinB113 on

Comments

  • mightyspritemightysprite Posts: 5,807 Member
    If you don't need them to get all A+ grades in university then you can definitely take the approach of doing some studying but not all the studying. That frees up tons of time.
    Generally, my sims who go to class on time, take notes in class, and edit presentations and papers to Excellent/Outstanding before turning them in, get As and Bs unless they have very low skill in the subject. The homework is basically only important to me if a sim missed class and needs to make it up, needs to get some extra skill points, or is the kind of character who really wants all A+ in everything at the expense of social life, school activities, family etc.
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  • JALJAL Posts: 999 Member
    I tend to limit myself to 3 courses a week, it takes a week longer, but it's worth it because it gives you more time for you know living. Also if you can use mods, there is a mod that will make homework take less time (50 instead of 90 sim minutes). For me, that is a lifesaver.

    Some other tips:

    Before moving them to a dorm, put in more tables and dining places. More sims will do their homework out in public areas, which means it's easier to socialise. Also, when roommates brings all those plates of food, you can call to meal, and eat together. It's a great way to boost social need and get some friends too.

    Also I use the campus houses a lot, and have added lots of things for learning different skills in there, so that my sim has the chance to be there with their course mates and work on their skills, eat and have fun at the same time.
    Moreover, I advise that the cart button must be destroyed!
  • Atreya33Atreya33 Posts: 4,408 Member
    I usually do 3 classes per term, 4 weeks in total. The schedule is busy but not overwhelming that way. Sometimes during studies I feel like stretching out the studies a bit more to free up time for other activities . In those cases I have my sims take even a week longer with week 1 and 2 have 3 classes each and week 3, 4 and 5 have 2 classes each.

    I personally use a mod to check on my sims' study results. That way I know if their grades need more work or not. I couldn't do uni without this mod anymore.
    https://modthesims.info/d/637945/quickly-check-uni-performance.html

    Usually my sims get good grades when they do their homework, go to class on time, takin notes during class and make excellent quality papers/presentations.

    A good start of the term is crucial. I prefer a start of term in the middle of the week but you can also start on Friday. That way the weekend is part of your semester and you can use the weekend to write papers, make presentations and do homework. Just don't start on Monday because then the semester ends on Friday.

    @JAL has a good point. Editing your dorm can help a lot. During my last play through of university my sims lived in a dorm with a cafeteria. That way they could buy meals at certain moments of the day. It felt realistic for a dorm on top of such a huge building to offer meals. No need to cook or rely on other students bringing food. Also less loading screens because you don't need to leave the lot to eat. I also added several skill objects, a little gym, a TV with gaming rig for fun as well as computers and research machines.
  • JustinB113JustinB113 Posts: 1,050 Member
    edited January 2023
    Thanks guys, this is so useful. Is 4 weeks of 3 classes long enough to see most things and get most things done? I guess it’s a whole sims year. I was thinking to do 6 weeks of 2 but worry that’s not enough study and I’d run out of things to do.

    Sadly on console so don’t have mods but this all sounds really good!
  • Atreya33Atreya33 Posts: 4,408 Member
    I think the number of courses depends on what you want to do. I haven't gotten around to do student organisations or the secret society with my student. I use the time that is not needed for study to play out other parts of their life.

    You can try a semester and then see if you want to enroll for more or less courses for the next semester to suit your pace of playing.
  • JustinB113JustinB113 Posts: 1,050 Member
    Atreya33 wrote: »
    I think the number of courses depends on what you want to do. I haven't gotten around to do student organisations or the secret society with my student. I use the time that is not needed for study to play out other parts of their life.

    You can try a semester and then see if you want to enroll for more or less courses for the next semester to suit your pace of playing.

    Oh that’s a good idea! I could do 3-3-3-3 or 3-2-2-2-3 depending on how the first one goes.

  • GalacticGalGalacticGal Posts: 28,290 Member
    As for another setting: Turn AGING OFF. That way they won't be old and decrepit before they get to really live their life. Somebody once gave that hint to me and it worked out really well.
    You can download (free) all three volumes of my Night Whispers Star Trek Fanfiction here: http://galacticgal.deviantart.com/gallery/ You'll need to have a pdf reader. New websites: http://www.trekkiefanfiction.com/st-tos.php
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  • FigwitFigwit Posts: 1,072 Member
    Just a little hint that I discovered quite by accident. It could be something that everyone knows, but it was a happy misclick for me and I will share on the off chance that it is a revelation to some. If a sim has two presentations to give, they can do both at once. Just click on one and then the other and they will both be done at the same time.
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