Category: The Sims 3 University Life

 

University was an extremely fun time for me. I spent six months there before I realised I wasted my father’s money. It is with regret that I look back at that time. Maybe I should have tried harder. Maybe there is a lesson here for the rest of you. So when I was given the opportunity to fill some very big shoes (a size 13, Oltman, really?) and continue the legacy of The Sims reviews with the University Life expansion pack, I literally jumped at the chance. Mainly because Lisa’s dogs tried to get me.
 

 
With very good intentions I set out to create a Sim that can go to University. I made her a young adult and gave her great aspirations. I also felt every girl needs good looks to succeed in life, but to be more realistic I made her quite average. She inherited a Mother Lode of money (Sims fans will know what I did there) and settled into her new home. Things were off to a good start!

 

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When you look back at your college years, what do you remember most fondly? Maybe you think about the all-night parties, the friendships and relationships forged, cramming for finals, dealing with roommates, and the satisfaction of finally earning your degree after all of that hard work. That typical experience is what EA and Maxis have created with University Life, the ninth expansion for The Sims 3. And while the developers have succeeded at incorporating many staples of attending college into The Sims 3, the expansion ends up feeling like an isolated experience instead of a cohesive addition to the core game.

 

 

In The Sims 3: University Life, any Sim with a high school diploma can enroll in college by choosing a major, the number of credits per term, and how many terms to take on. Upon arriving in the new college sub-city, your choice of residence includes the dorms, a sorority or frat house, or off-campus housing.

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Conceptual Artist Jace Wallace has uploaded his concept art for University Life’s PlantSim
 
 

Hat Tip: Rincon Del Simmer

 

 

The Sims series has been a staple in the simulation gaming world for over a decade. Electronic Arts has consistently churned out expansion and stuff packs over the 4-year lifespan of The Sims 3; so it’s no surprise that content can feel repetitive and unimagin
 

 
The Sims 3: University Life begins when a Sim chooses to take the Sim University Aptitude Test.Upon completion of the test, Sims are given scholarships and financial aid towards one of six majors: Technology, Science and Medicine, Fine Arts, Business, Physical Education and Communications. Once a Sim chooses to attend university, they can choose the amount of attempted credits (6, 12 or 18) and the time they wish to spend at university (Either 1 or 2 semesters at a time). Your Sim will then be whisked off in a tacky-looking moving van similar to those “College Hunks Move Junk” trucks.
 

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We took a brief look at the latest Sims 3 expansion, University Life, earlier this year, but now that we’ve had a chance to go hands-on with the final product, we’ve found out the that expansion contains far more content than even we could have initially imagined.

 

 
If you’re familiar with the University Life expansion from the Sims 2, then you might know what to expect here. However, instead of introducing a brand new age group and then locking that age group to the expansion, the University Life portion of the Sims 3 is open to all Sims of an adult age (even the elderly). Sims can apply for scholarships and take aptitude tests before choosing from one of a few majors, including Communications, Fine Arts, and Physical Education. After college, Sims with degrees will have a chance to enter the workforce at higher levels than non-educated Sims, and they’ll also receive higher starting wages.

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The Sims 3 has always had a strange absence. Babies would grow into children who attended school until their teenage years and then, suddenly, they could immediately enter the workforce. Apparently, Sims only reach as far as a GED. What happened to all those formative years, hopefully away from home, at the universitas magistrorum et scholarium, that place of knowledge, scholarship, and freedom. Or at least that’s what Sims are supposed to say about college in between Juice Keg parties and woo-hoos.
 

 
Of course, the first step to college begins well before it. Teen Sims who achieve academic excellence and learn any number of skills will have an advantage taking the “Sims University Aptitude Test” (the SUAT?) which is like our SAT, GRE, and AP exams all rolled up into one (except it only takes a few moments to finish and it’s free of charge). Based on the testing results, the Sim will receive a proportional amount of financial aid and additional credits toward one of the six majors offered—Business, Physical Education, Science & Medicine, Technology, Communications, or Fine Arts. The selection of majors could have been wider, and the lack of Masters and Ph.D degrees is a little disappointing.
 

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