The Sims 4 Discover University Review – The Best Sims Expansion Yet

The Sims 4 Discover University Review

We all love having our Sims make questionable decisions, and when is a better time to make said choices than in University? With this newest expansion, you can have your favorite Sims go through just such an ordeal…in The Sims 4 Discover University. For some of us, this is a chance to relive those horrible memories of constant stressing over assignments, social status, juggling jobs with class and studying for exams. And we certainly can’t forget those long nights sitting on the bathroom floor weeping as you contemplate dropping out and becoming an exotic dancer to pay the bills.

In the Sims 4’s eighth expansion, we find ourselves in the college town of Britechester where our Sims can enroll themselves in two universities: the older University of Britechester, specializing in creative arts and humanities, or the more modern University of Foxbury, a high-tech institution geared more towards STEM (and also Villainy, because who doesn’t want an official degree for that?). Not only is each University differentiated as far as design, but also in the classes, electives, degrees, and even organizations. And amidst the two Universities, there’s the quaint town of Gibbs Hill for any Sims who may decide to live off campus, which is also complete with a small library and a pub.

Crunch Time

When you’ve done some research on which University you’d like to attend, you can have your Sim apply online for various scholarships whether they be for eSports or Food and Drink, or proceed with enrolling in your desired school. Once you’ve applied for University, the application will take a few days to process and as soon as your Sim has been accepted, you can choose one to four classes they can enroll in. All of the classes associated with your selected degree are predetermined, but if you select less than four classes to partake in, you can fill the remainder of your schedule with fun electives in order to branch out in different fields.

Each university term lasts one week and at the end of that cycle, Sims can either choose to re-enroll and even change their degree. Each semester gives our Sims up to four credits of the 12 they’ll need to graduate. I was really hoping that when your Sims go to class, you would be able to observe the fun antics that happen, however the classes are treated just like going to work in that the Sims leave for a period of time before returning home or to their dorm. You can choose how your Sim behaves in class but I’m afraid that’s the extent of your involvement. But while I was a bit bummed out about not being able to observe my Simster in class, the activities outside of class are quite in-depth and pretty relatable. You can hang out at the commons with friends, party with your roommates or play the quite dangerous “Juice” pong to pass the time. Not to mention there is even more to do if you get involved with student organizations which give your Sim access to more tasks and skills. With all of this along with working and studying, life on campus is far from boring.

While I liked the new hairstyle options that came with this expansion, I wish there were more clothing options to choose from. However, the new bike object that can be used to ride around lots or travel between worlds was a very pleasant addition and any problems I had about not having more new items diminished quickly because who doesn’t want a spiffy cool bike?

While many know that missing too many classes can prove to be fatal, so far it doesn’t seem like Discover University will ding you too hard if you miss any. I’ve also missed a few on-campus events as well and instead of having the option to automatically join them, I’ve found that sometimes I’ll pan my camera to the area where the event should be only to find the quad completely empty.

When Island Living was released, I was convinced that was my favorite expansion, but Discover University has easily taken that spot. With being able to select your desired career choice by getting a degree, or a distinguished degree for our more serious Sims, hanging out on campus and trying to juggle work along with studying has been a really fun experience with plenty to do and much relatability. And with Discover University definitely impressing me in The Sims 3 University Life, it really adds all the right tools for a complete Sims experience.

***PC code provided by the publisher***