When TS4 Discover University came out, I bought it for the new CAS items, which imo are the best in any pack. However, I have an anxiety disorder, and I get triggered very easily. I don’t like sending sims to university, and I didn’t like it in TS3 either, because I prefer family play.
However, whenever I play a YA without sending them to university, a popup appears saying that they should consider further education, and this, for some reason, always triggers my anxiety. The only way I can continue playing the save without anxiety is to send the sim to university, even though I hate the whole thing.
After sending several generations of sims to university, setting the lifespan to long while they were there so they still had time to have a family afterwards, I got so frustrated that I killed off one of my sims so I wouldn’t have to send her to university. I saved over it and kept playing, but seeing her family constantly in tears over her death made me feel like a monster, so I deleted the save, and I haven’t played the game since.
At this point, I feel like I may never enjoy the game again. I don’t want to start a new save because, if I do, I’ll have to send more sims to university. I also don’t want to uninstall University because I like the CAS items. What should I do?!
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Sending sims to university is not mandatory. Nothing of consequence is going to happen if you don’t. You can still put them into the career of your choice and have them work their way up the ladder as we always did before. The pop is just kind of mor of a guidance counselor type notification that if you want to send them it’s time to make sure they have their grades and skills in order. You are free to ignore it entirely if you choose and your sim life will go on just as it always have, and your sims can still be safe and content university or no university. 🙂 Please don’t let it upset you or ruin your enjoyment of your game.
The Sims 4 hasn't introduced a new musical instrument since 2017
Get the sim on the phone, get them a job as a "Manual Labourer".
Work a few hours a week mowing lawns or gardening for $45 an hour and no more annoying University advertising.
Real Life is proving the world already has enough Barista's with a PHD anyway.
I'm not sure of any mods that prevent the pop-up completely, but maybe someone will come up with one.
That’s exactly what I feel like! Most people in this thread are like, “Oh, just ignore it!” But what they don’t understand is that my anxiety continues afterwards because my brain interprets it like this:
Sim: PLEASE SEND ME TO UNIVERSITY! I WANT TO LEARN AND HAVE A GOOD JOB!
Me: NO! YOU DON’T DESERVE AN EDUCATION!
I'm not sure why they felt the need to include it. I mean, if a person has bought the uni pack I am sure they are fully aware of the option to send a sim to uni without getting a reminder.
Perhaps there is a small mod out there that stops it?
I was one of those “gifted and talented” kids and people always said how smart I was. I’m currently almost done with high school, which means I’m expected to go to college soon. I also want to be an epidemiologist, which is a high-level job, and probably impossible without going to university.
However, I don’t want to go to college. Due to my autism, I can barely take care of myself, much less an entire house or even a dorm, and my anxiety makes me feel like staying home in my pjs and playing Sims all day.
I usually play Sims to escape my anxiety, but now it’s a constant reminder at how I’m failing at life, not because I’m not smart enough, but because I simply hate the idea of going to college as much as I hate sending my sims.
I'm sure you will get the opportunity to visit different universities and have a look at the student dorms and see what everything is like before deciding to start. But talk it over with your mum/dad or whoever you live with, tell them about your anxiety.
Maybe if you can start to feel better about it then you can also enjoy the sims again xx
That is such a heartbreaking, cold hard fact.
But remember, the school system, (especially in America, I'm not sure where you're from,) is mostly complete garbage that's only there to teach you to be obedient rather than be a well rounded, intelligent, and creative person. Going to college actually doesn't make you any smarter, either. You can learn anything you want on your own with a free library card. I just want you to know that you can live a perfectly happy life without going to college. There are so many ways you can get by in this world. I'm still figuring it out, too, but I'm really happy where I am 4 years after dropping out. I'm getting married, so that's something I never thought would ever happen! Life is full of surprises and you will have wonderful times ahead of you no matter what path you choose.
If university came out when I was in a more vulnerable place, I wouldn't have been able to play it without freaking out. It still makes me anxious sometimes, though. If I'm being honest I 100% bought that expansion for the clothes haha.
I know the pop up is really hard to ignore, but maybe try to tell yourself that your sims are going to educate themselves and work their own way up in the world. You can think of it as an act of brave rebellion against societal norms on your sims part. They can start living life and having fun instead of having to do homework for 4 weeks. Your sims will be no worse off and they will probably be healthier and happier in the long run. Honestly, they could probably make it really high in their career in the time it takes to finish university anyway. Plus they'd have so much more time to live life.
I really hope you can get back into sims and that you can find it relaxing again. Sims is my escape, too, so I feel really bad that it's stressing you out. Maybe try playing a kind of hippie, off the grid sim that lives in a tiny home and doesn't care about making money and being traditionally successful. Maybe they could fish for a living or sell collectables.
Side note: this is why Island Living is one of my favorite expansions. It's so chill and the island lifestyle is so relaxing for my anxiety. If you don't have that one I highly recommend
I did take some college but dropped out when I found a job I liked.
I've decided the pop up is so hard to ignore because of the wording. I wish instead of saying that the sims "should be looking at further education" or however it's worded, it just said "Your sim is now a young adult, if you want, they can go to university" or something like that. I'm not sure if it's the same for you, but for me, that wording would help a lot with me not feeling like I let them down by not sending them.
When I do play I play off campus, but it's just not the pack for me game play wise. I am glad I have it for build and bikes and soccer balls, but I really wish I waited for a sale or bundle.
I know it's hard, autism and autism related anxiety isn't like anything you can ignore or turn off and it makes me sad that this feature can't be turned off for you. I think because so many people find the pop up annoying, maybe a mod will come out soon to remove it. I'm a rotational player, and I've noticed not all the Sims get the popup. Maybe someone will figure out what creates the popup so you can do something to avoid it. In the meantime, If you end up feeling like your brain forced you to enroll because of the annoying popup and now you find your Sim in University, I think you should also explore new ways of playing to make it a more fun family-oriented experience and create your own unique University experience that you love. This is what I do.
The University takes too long for how I like to play and it definitely sends my anxiety through the roof, so just once in a while I will send a Sim. I tried the dorm gameplay and I didn't really like it. I prefer to keep them home and head out to the campus on the weekend or an evening here and there. And I have also renovated that one empty house so it is a nice cute home and I sometimes keep a Sim there alone or bring their family with them or allow one roomate. Right now, I forget about the dorm completely. In real life, a YA might get stuck in a dorm, but that's no reason my Sim can't live in luxury and with a full stove to cook on. The past few days I've started taking my Sim's family everywhere on campus and having a lot of fun. While the University clubs do their thing, my toddlers and kids run around throwing paint, playing or have water balloon fights in the field. I've had some fun getting free food from the cafeteria for my kids and I let them tag along while my Sim studies or tutors. I have my kids wander around in pajamas and do their homework while I study. And I give the Sims only 3 classes, some of them I only give 2 classes if they have a big family. Since I started taking my whole family to the University campus with me, I'm having way more fun. The other thing you can do is just use the testing cheat to add a degree and avoid the whole experience altogether lol. And the great thing is that you will always get a distinguished degree this way. Of course, you have to be okay with using the testing cheats. I did this for Mortimer Goth. I just couldn't imagine him at a campus, but he just felt like he should have a distinguished science degree. I really hope you can figure out a way to enjoy playing again.
I think it's also a problem with school for kids in the game. Like when they have a C and they come home from school they get a pop up that says something like "No need to make room on the refrigerator door, blank's work is merely satisfactory." There's other text that says things like that, too. It used to bother me a lot but now I'm so used to it that I barely notice it because I close the notifications so fast out of muscle memory. Kinda tempted to use MCCC to allow kids and teens to quit school and just roleplay them as home schooled and reject school altogether...
Not only does it allow me to have a realistic middle class family gameplay, but it also prevents me from getting too bored with the game too quickly. If I don't send my first generation sims to college, it allows me to add something new for the next generation's story.
In real life, not everyone goes to college... and it's for multiple reasons. Some people just don't want to (which is 100% valid). Others just can't afford the time (or money) to do it. Others just have their own personal reasons. All completely valid! Besides, many people who do go to college sometimes end up working a "normal" job anyway because the field they studied lacks opportunities... and this, sadly, happens a lot...
Don't feel bad about not wanting to send your sims to university. It's more realistic this way!
Sims 1: Hot Date
Sims 2: Seasons
Sims 2: Happy Holiday Stuff
Sims 3: Seasons
Sims 3: 70's, 80's, & 90's Stuff
Sims 4: Seasons
Sims 4: Paranormal Stuff
Sims 4: Strangerville Game Pack
That's online notifications, like you get them if someone favaourited your build in the gallery. This isn't a notification, it's in game and it's a giant pop up that happens whenever a teen becomes a young adult.
The working world is nothing like the school world, so to be unable to get your education when you are so smart, just because of the way University life is set up, makes me really, really sad to think about. Why shouldn't you be able to become an Epidemiologist? Not everyone's experience in University needs to be the same, but we all need access to education. University doesn't have to be hard for you. It can be comfortable, fun and exciting. You can even do courses online. Please look into disability accommodation before you make a decision. You deserve a degree if you can do the coursework. And you deserve to go after your dream job. And of course, you need a degree to become an Epidemiologist. Most Epidemiologists have a Master's degree. Sorry to say this, but you will actually need TWO degrees.
You would not get any advantage with the actual class subjects, which is a big misconception about accommodation, so you absolutely won't feel like a failure or feel like it's an unfair advantage. The department will be able to assess your needs and maybe you would get a private dorm room, ongoing counseling or just having someone to talk to and meet with on a regular basis is a huge source of support, maybe someone to help you manage your dorm room, anxiety etc.. maybe even apartment accommodation off-campus. When you are in the support program, you will also have someone who can communicate with your teachers on your behalf, this is extremely important because Autism is a developmental disability that affects communication and socialization and under a lot of stress, you might really need this support.
Please don't limit yourself or sacrifice your dream because of your autism. That just makes me want to cry. You will be totally fine if you get some type of support and accommodation in place and if you are not happy then you can switch to a different program. I hate to say it, but I didn't become okay after dropping out. I'm actually very poor and have no health/dental benefits, so please, please, please become an Epidemiologist or anything you can afford to take, even a technical college diploma done online will help you a lot. A study was done on high functioning Autistic people found that the majority were not accommodated in school like other disability groups, even though they outscored them on all tests proving a great potential, and ended up mostly working minimum wage jobs that rely on social and communication skills, what they are least suited to, like Customer Service or administration work, were unmarried and suffering lack of health and dental care and had a very hard, stressful quality of life (this is where I am), whereas the minority of high functioning Autistic people who were enrolled in disability support programs and had a system in place around them to help them were found to be working as computer engineers, lawyers, architects, accountants, programmers, doctors, scientists, etc. and had on average an very secure, high quality of life, were more healthy and likely to be married, and were thriving in their chosen careers. (This is the path you should take.)You are smart. You can get your degree. You can become an Epidemiologist. Unless you don't want to be an Epidemiologist anymore now that I told you it will probably take two degrees..