RL University vs Sims University

[Ferdrya747]

I have the feeling I put this in the wrong section of the forum, and for that I'm sorry.

Anyways, my question is: Is real-life University anything like what uni. life is like in the Sims 2 University? In general, mostly, but specifics are good too. Just wanna know. I'm weird like that. i ask lots of random questions. :happy8:

[abaris]

It's an American game and so it's a caricature of American universities with a childish touch. It has next to no similarity with European Universities. With the possible exemption of the prominent English colleges you haven't got greek houses and usually don't live on a campus.

The university I attended is a stand alone building in the heart of vienna with a few scattered institutes over the city and it's very much like attending school in the beginning. It's only later when you have mastered your first tests and degrees when you start to enter seminars and write your assignments.

[Sam the T-man]

*cracks knuckles and gets out soapbox*

I can only speak from a British point of view, but in short: nothing like! If you want the long version I'll gladly oblige:

Okay, I gather things like frat houses do exist in the States, but over here we have no such thing. We have Halls of Residence (dorms) and private renting, which is usually house-share - I was lucky enough to get my own pad, even if it's a bedsit with a shared bathroom, at least I have my own kitchen this time. But anyway; yes we meet Professors, but befriending them will have no impact on your grades - they're just doing their job. They certainly don't call on you whenever they feel like it (why would they want to?). As for the coaches, streakers and everything else in there, I can only say "What were they thinking?!" Thankfully we don't really have these types barging into our homes and doing whatever it is, I'd go mad from the invasion of privacy if nothing else. Also, when renting private they're always furnished, although you can bring in some of your own furniture if you want to.

I'd love to see someone American reply to this

[Tenshii~Akari]

The college I'm at... they're always big on Greek stuff, especially when it comes to partying.  No offense to those that may be apart of a frat/sorority, but I just don't see the point in them.  All of the stuff they do as a group, any regular Jane or Joe could do without the "connections" they supposedly have.  And why do people have to prove themselves worthy just to wear a bunch of Greek letters, do a party-hop, and flip a hand sign?  I don't think the paddle is worth all of that... :roll:  I'm just more privy to the "sign the application" approach if I ever wanted to join a group for any reason, since it's a lot saner to me and doesn't involve being degraded just to join.

Anyways, Uni is nothing like my college experience.  At least in RL we actually have a REAL calendar and weekends to go by, not classes seven days a week.  Plus, you can't miss class and study all the time, because missing class affects your grade whether you know the stuff or not.  It sucks, because even if they post the lecture notes on-line, or all of the assignments are web-based, you just sit there in class for at least 50 min - 1hr 20mins doing absolutely nothing because all of the work was done and submitted on-line.  (Of course, it does give me a little time to doodle while I'm sitting there, but my parents don't waste their money for me to do that.  :? )

As far as the stupid stuff they included in the EP, (i.e. random cheerleaders, mascots, coaches, streakers, etc.) most of the stuff is :bs: from my standpoint.  Nobody just waltzes into your dorm and cheers at you, or makes you do random exercises.  Heck, not with the RE's and RA's the way they are today. (Which they should have included as a side job for university students if they wanted to be close to the real thing. )  You'd get kicked out of the building if you don't even have a student ID card and proof of residency.  And I'd like to see someone try to streak on our campus.  I don't think it has been done during my time here.

[/rant]

I'd say if they did get anything that was close, it'd have to be the way the dorms are set up.  I know my school doesn't have the in-dorm cafeteria, but I have heard from some people that there are schools that do have dorms like that.  I wish we had that option at my college... It sure would've saved me the lonely walks in the dark just to get dinner... :icon9:

I did enjoy playing it for a while, though.  The reason I even keep it on my laptop is for all of the extra options it provides.  I just wish they had put more thought into the doggone class system day-wise... :sad1:

[babyblue1387]

I think I'll have to agree with all of the above. They don't even have commuter students! Yes, I'm one, and I go to a big commuter university. Students who love close to the university don't go live in the dorms because that costs extra money you don't have.

The biggest part of university is classes, but you don't get to see that in the game. See my usertitle and location for my feelings on lecture halls. The seats are so dang close together, I can't even sneeze without elbowing the person next to me.

As far as the extra stuff like the greek houses, streakers, mascots and cheerleaders...I've seen absolutely NONE of that! The cheerleaders don't run around in their uniforms and the mascots... not so much. I wish that maxis did include some sort of payment system. College will drive you to the poorhouse, and if I have to pay, dammit, my sims are going to pay too! Thank you monique!!

[Sam the T-man]

^ Couldn't agree more. Scholarships do exist, but only for certain courses. I wish it was that easy IRL - how does that work in the States? Another thing, about Halls - they do have more facilities, but you pay extra for them, it's actually cheaper to rent private. It's a shame Squinge's answer to commuter students never made it past testing - there are enough on my course that still live at home. Only reason I don't is because Leeds is too far away from Lincolnshire for me to stay put, otherwise I wouldn't be so broke

Oh yeah, about classes - we were told at Induction Day last year that "they're not compulsory, but you're strongly advised to attend". Lectures you can catch up on via their website, although with a practical course like mine they're a waste of time, although practical sessions are compulsory in my book. We don't write term papers either, although I know most students do.

[abaris]

When I attended University during the 80ies it was free as long as you went to a state institute and not a private one. Now it's about 500 Euros for the semester. That would actually be OK, if it meant providing better services, but that's not the case.

[BeosBoxBoy]

real-life university is about as far removed from the University EP as a Picasso painting is removed from a box of wax crayons.

The University EP in no manner whatsoever reflects any real life university experience I have ever known or heard spoken of.  The University EP is like a grotesque compiled from the lurid memories of the biggest losers on campus with frequent confabulations based on insipid comedies like Animal House, Making the Grade, Revenge of the Nerds and other mind-numbing crap films of the 1970s and 1980s.

Saying that the University EP is like real life university, would be like saying the Porky's films reflect real life high school.

[abaris]

Saying that the University EP is like real life university, would be like saying the Porky's films reflect real life high school.

As far as memory serves, the Porky's films did reflect at least parts of my IRL school life.

[BeosBoxBoy]

o_0 really???

[Sam the T-man]

:laugh:

[Tenshii~Akari]

^^ Ditto!  :rofl:

God forbid if my HS experience was like that! :laughing:

[MaryH]

The game is just a game. It has no real connection to anything in real life. It's an idealized version of what someone thinks it should be. IRL, a university is a big sprawling place with lots of people you don't know, very competitive, challenging and sometimes not half the fun the game is.
Don't try to compare a game to the real world. It doesn't translate well.

[babyblue1387]

^ Couldn't agree more. Scholarships do exist, but only for certain courses. I wish it was that easy IRL - how does that work in the States? Another thing, about Halls - they do have more facilities, but you pay extra for them, it's actually cheaper to rent private. It's a shame Squinge's answer to commuter students never made it past testing - there are enough on my course that still live at home. Only reason I don't is because Leeds is too far away from Lincolnshire for me to stay put, otherwise I wouldn't be so broke

Oh yeah, about classes - we were told at Induction Day last year that "they're not compulsory, but you're strongly advised to attend". Lectures you can catch up on via their website, although with a practical course like mine they're a waste of time, although practical sessions are compulsory in my book. We don't write term papers either, although I know most students do.

In my two years of college, I've never written a "term paper." Unless you want to consider a final paper for English class, but that wasn't weighted any differently from the other papers we'd been doing for the entire semester. As far as scholarships, they're not necessarily per course, but mostly by major, age, Grade Point Average, those types of things. Unfortunately, it makes it really hard for the average student to get some decent scholarships (I should know, I am one). As far as the lectures, smaller classes will take attendance, but the bigger ones? No way. If they meet in smaller groups for some kind of practical thing, then yeah, they take attendance. Unfortunately, I keep getting classes that take attendance, so I can't miss too often.

EDIT: MaryH, sometimes it's still fun to compare one to the other. After all, people do keep saying how "realistic" the game is;)

[BeosBoxBoy]

MaryH, one can only imagine the American mind that can call something completely unlike a thing by the name of a thing... calling the University EP the University EP is like preparng a roasted dog and calling it turkey and dressing