SNU, rules and notes on a fake university

This topic was requested by an anon, but it's one I'm happy to talk about anyway because I've always loved running universities for my towns. I've been faking universities since the early TS2 days before the Uni EP came out. TS4 doesn't have a Uni EP yet, but like all the other versions of the game, I imagine we'll probably get one eventually. And when we do, like in the other games, I'll probably use some of it and mod the rest to work into my own custom university system.



why go to university?

I use a harder skilling mod because of the long lifespans I play, and my sims have plenty of drama and chaos in their busy lives that leveling up is actually very hard for them. Considering their 4 allowed play-days per year, and that they only skill when they want to (and for many of my sims, that is not very often at all!), many of my less studious sims never reach more than a level 2-3 in most skill areas.

The system I'm using was something I made up for my TS3 sims, but nothing really ever came of that project, so I'm using it again here with more luck. With the combination of harder skilling and my town career limitations, going to university is a real benefit for many of my sims.

The advantage of going to university is to be allowed a focused and dedicated time to study. Or party, I guess. Or to have time to both study and party. SNU students get 3 playsessions per round versus the 1 that most other households get. That's 3x the skilling and partying that other households are allowed, and they get to use the SNU lot which contains all the top-notch equipment they need to excel. That is what their tuition money is paying for.


the university campus

Sierra Nova University exists as two lots at the moment. The dorms are zoned as residential, and the campus building is zoned as a library. Here are a few (but not all) of the departments within the university.

business and communications

fine arts and crafts

botany and herbalism

science and engineering

The full course list includes anything in game that sims might wish to study. Currently, that is:

Aerospace Engineering (Rocket Science)
Biology: plant, animal, medical
Business: Retail Sales/Maintenance/Work Ethic
Chemical Engineering
Comedy
Culinary Arts: cooking, grilling, gourmet, baking
Drama and Dance (coming soon... Get Together EP)
Education and Social Services
Fishing
Fitness
Gardening
Geology and Archaeology
Mechanical Engineering (Invention)
Music: guitar, voice, piano, violin
Handiness and Woodcraft
Herbalism
Logic
Mischief
Mixology
Painting
Photography
Programming
Public Speaking (Charisma)
Video Game Arts and Design
Wellness and Health Studies
Writing


university admissions

SNU is a highly competitive university. There are 8 spots available per semester, and because of the game constraints at the moment, that is a pretty hard limit. (There is a mod I use to increase the sim limit for my schools, but it’s hard to let sims live that way, since any time you take an 8+ household into CAS, extra sims will be deleted. So I don't let my households stay at 8+ sims longterm.) This coming spring, I have 3 students graduating, which means I can admit 3 new freshmen in the fall. New applicants will be considered based on their previous coursework (high school GPA), and their planned area of study and related skills and traits.

Ideal applicants will have around 30 skill points, with an absolute minimum of 22. High school graduates need at least 18 points by the end of high school, so to get into SNU, a student would need to do better than the absolute minimum, and 22 points is about a B-average for high school. But it really all depends on what other students are applying. In a less competitive year, a student with only 22 points might get in. In a highly competitive year, a student with 25 points might not make it.

And to make things more interesting, each fall, my born-in game students will also have to compete with a random assortment of potential new sims who come from “elsewhere” in the world to attend SNU. This is supposed to be the only way my towns are allowed brand new sims that aren’t born in my game (because otherwise I would probably just make five-thousand new sims for my hoods and blow up my game, lol!). The university (= me) will then choose from the applicants and make a decision based on current enrollment and what professions need to be filled in the world (for example, right now we need more sims who aspire to work in the science and medical fields).

Already enrolled students are guaranteed a place in the following year as long as they maintain their coursework at least within a C+ average.


the curriculums

Note: Delphie's current skill levels, including percentages. When adding up their skill levels, I count full points plus percentages completed toward the next level. Delphie's logic skill, for example, would be counted as 4.52.

SNU graduates should finish with a level 5-6 in their core field of study, 3-4 in two secondary fields, and an additional number of electives. Each degree is unique. Most science degrees last 4 years (12 quarters), and arts degrees are 3 years (9 quarters). Vocational degrees are 1-2 years (3-6 quarters).

Graduate students will spend an additional 2-4 years, reaching level 5-8 in their core skills, and 3-5 in secondary skills.

I won’t post all of the curriculums I’ve written, but I will pose a couple. I just make these up based on the skills and objects we have available to us in game, though sometimes I do browse real college course catalogs to get some idea of what a particular major might study. They are sometimes updated as new skills are added with new EPs.

Here are some examples of degree curriculums with the skill level targets they must reach in each quarter:

culinary arts intensive, 9 quarters: 
1: cooking 3, baking 2 //
2: gardening 2, cooking 4 //
3: cooking 5, writing 2 //
4: gourmet 2, baking 3 //
5: mixology 2, charisma 3//
6: gourmet 3, mixology 3 //
7: gourmet 4, writing 2 //
8: mixology 4, gardening 3,
9: gourmet 5, baking 4, kitchen internship

police academy, 3 quarters:
1: fitness 3, handy 2//
2: handy 3, logic 3//
3: mischief 2, logic 4

undecided/general studies, 6 quarters: 
1: cooking/mixology 2, writing 2 //
2: painting 2, handiness 2 //
3: fitness 2, logic 3 //
4: charisma 3, cooking/mixology 3 //
5: fitness 3, programming 2 //
6: writing 3, handiness 3, science elective

business management and economics, 12 quarters: 
1: charisma 3, programming 2 //
2: logic 3, writing 2 //
3: handiness 2, mixology 2 //
4: charisma 4, mischief 2 //
5: logic 4, cooking 3 //
6: programming 3, writing 3 //
7: charisma 4, handiness 3 //
8: logic 5, mixology 3 //
9: mischief 3, programming 4 //
10: charisma 6, writing 4 //
11: logic 6, creativity elective //
12: handiness 4, mischief 4, business internship

psychology & social science, 12 quarters: 
1: charisma 3, logic 3 //
2: wellness 2, gardening 2 //
3: mischief 2, comedy 2 //
4: logic 4, herbalism 2 //
5: wellness 3, gardening 3 //
6: charisma 4, writing 2 //
7: logic 5, vampire lore 3 //
8: mischief 3, herbalism 3 //
9: charisma 5, writing 3 //
10: logic 6, wellness 4 //
11: mischief 4, vampire lore 6 //
12: charisma 6, comedy 3, clinical study

stage drama/performance arts, 9 quarters: 
1: charisma 3, cooking 2 //
2: music/comedy/dance 3, writing 2 //
3: creativity elective, fitness 2 //
4: charisma 4, music/comedy/dance 4 //
5: writing 3, fitness 3 //
6: logic 3, charisma 5 //
7: music/comedy/dance 5, creativity elective //
8: charisma 6, fitness 4
9: music/comedy/dance 6, writing 4, senior recital

These are just a few of MANY that I've put together. If you're interested in another field of study, I can post more of these in the comments below.

Each graduate is also guaranteed a working internship (level 1) in their final semester, many times which leads to a job offer in the end. Graduates are also allowed to leap-frog over entry level positions, in some cases, if there is an appropriate graduate-level position available, which they would not otherwise be allowed to do according to career rules. Most SNU graduates will start their careers at level 2-3, and because of their skill levels, promotions and raises should be much easier for them.


campus living and lifestyle



There are currently 4 rooms, housing 2-3 students per room (depending on the size). Most of the rooms have individual bathrooms. (The boys rooms do not, at the moment, but I'm planning to remodel as soon as funds allow.)

Students age 19 and under must live on campus, which keeps most students in the dorms through their first year. Underage students may also live off-campus with a parent or guardian if the residence is within Sierra County, Arizona.

Students age 19 and over may live off campus in Sierra Nova, in their own provided housing. These students will be added back to the university household for their uni playsession and then sent home at the end of the day. There are no visitors allowed in the dorms between midnight and 5am, which means that off-campus students miss out on an important chunk of sleep time. (Which is not to say that on-campus students always take the best advantage of that sleep time, either.) There are plenty of comfy couches on campus for tired students to nap on during the day. Plenty of coffee, too.

the other schools

There is said to be a "Palms Community College" which Susie does not want to go to. There is no physical building for it, because of space constraints. For now, if any of my sims decide to attend there, they will study at the public school building during Fort Palmetto's school sessions, 8 hours, 1 time per quarter. That still leaves some advantage to attending SNU as opposed to the community college. SNU is 24 hours, 3 times per round. It is a much more extensive education. The community college, though, is cheaper and more accessible, so it's a better option than no college at all. Each student will have to evaluate which pros and cons are more important to them.

It hasn't been mentioned, but much the way Palms CC would work, I imagine if there was a student who wanted to attend community college in Sierra Nova (maybe they couldn't afford, or didn't get into SNU) or Copper Hill, they could attend community college at those schools as well.

There are fully-functioning universities being planned for Potomac Heights and Copper Hill at the moment, but they are not completed yet.


paying their way

Sierra Nova University fees: 
- enrollment cap: 12 students, 3 incoming per year
- playsessions per quarter: 3 x 16 hrs
- $200 application fee
- $1,000 tuition per quarter—fall, winter, spring
- $1,500 tuition for summer term in Granite Falls
- residence is $250 per quarter
— specialties: Arts, Science & Engineering, Business

Potomac College fees:
-- under construction
— specialties: Medical, Business, Politics, Law

Dresden College fees:
- enrollment cap: 6 students, 2 incoming per year
- playsessions per quarter: 2 x 16 hrs
- $200 application fee
- $600 tuition per quarter: fall, winter, spring only
- residence is $100 per quarter
— specialties: Arts, Music, History, Literature

National Hospital College of Medicine: 
- enrollment cap: 4 students, 1 incoming per year
- playsessions per quarter: 2 x 16 hrs
- $200 application fee
- $500 tuition per quarter: fall, winter, spring only
- residence required, no fee for medical students ($200/quarter for spouses)
— specialties: Medicine, Pharmacology

Community College fees (any public school):
- no enrollment cap
- playsessions per quarter: 1 x 8 hrs (with schools)
- no application fee, open enrollment for county residents
- $150 tuition per session: fall, winter, spring only
- no housing available

- government programs and tuition assistance


on shared household funds

I actually quite love how "apartment" lots work, apart from the obvious splitting of funds, although I do wish I could house more than 8 sims without CAS problems. The door locks work great, and because of the small worlds, very large lots really don't lag at all. At least, on my computer, they don't.

Most of my students do have part-time jobs (with the use of this mod), and to keep their funds separate, I keep objects in their inventories. Duplicating paintings works really well for their day to day spending money. It doesn't matter who painted the painting (and I almost always have at least one dabbling artist in the house. If someone made $100 at work that day, they'll walk up to any ~$100 painting and duplicate it into their inventory.

Updated: I now use inventory money from Treelife Creations almost exclusively for my inventory banking needs. Similar idea to the paintings, but in more precise denominations and they don't depreciate. 


And so there's how I run Sierra Nova University, which is not very much unlike any of the custom universities I've run in past games. In the longterm, I would love to have a second university in my game for my sims to choose between. Perhaps some of my students might like to study abroad in Windenburg! That would be a very longterm plan, though, since I have a few other building projects that I'd like to focus on first. For the time being, Sierra Nova University is the only option my sims have for a top-notch higher education.