Graduation is a gameplay event that occurs when completing university[TS2:U][TS3:UL][TS4:DU] or high school.[TS3:G][TS4:HSY]
The Sims 2: University
Completing university
A Sim graduating.
Graduating from college is as simple as passing every semester. Once a Sim finishes the last final exam, the player will be told whether they graduated with any honors, and the Sim will be given 72 hours to pack up and leave campus.
During that 72-hour period, the player can use the phone to have the Sim move back to the main neighborhood. The player can also use the phone to throw a graduation party. The graduating Sim, and anyone else they invite, will be decked out in graduation caps and gowns, but other than that, the party will be normal. Once the party concludes, the graduated Sim will be ejected from the campus. Of course, the player can simply wait for the 72 hours to pass.
There are less prestigious ways of leaving college, however. At any time, the player can have a Sim call the registrar and elect to drop out. Also, a Sim who fails any semester will be placed on academic probation. This forces that Sim to repeat the semester (effectively extending their life span by another three days). If the Sim fails again, they will be expelled.
Once out of college, a Sim will immediately become an adult, and will receive §20,000 or a share of the household's funds, whichever is greater. They will be prevented from going to college again. Unlike real life, Sims only get one shot at college, so make sure it counts.
"Save the Sheep" Faux Sheepskin Diploma
A Sim who has graduated will receive a diploma. If Nightlife or later is installed, the diploma will be in the Sim's inventory, otherwise, it will be in his or her aspiration rewards panel. This is a decorative object that can be hung on any wall, and which shows the Sim's major, and any honors they received at graduation. Once on a wall, the Sim can "re-pack" it, placing it back in their inventory or aspiration rewards panel. This allows Sims to take their diplomas with them if they move, even if the inventory feature is not available.
"This prestigious diploma bestowed by your Sim's University at graduation gives one more sheep another chance at life. Made of the finest faux sheepskin, this diploma tells the world that your Sim is educated, employable, and concerned about sheep conservation."
Honors
- Summa cum Laude - 4.0 GPA
- Magna cum Laude - 3.9 GPA
- Cum Laude - 3.7~3.8 GPA
Graduation party
Two Sims hugging each other when graduating.
After the last exam your Sim is given another 72 hours to say goodbye and have a Graduation Party, complete with cap and gown. After the party, with the special event camera on, the graduated Sim will grab a close friend to take a picture with followed by the throwing of the caps in the air and the transition to an Adult. Without the special event camera, the Sim will just transition to an adult and go in the taxi cab back home.
Post-graduation jobs
Prior to the University expansion pack, getting a job from the newspaper always put a Sim at level 1 of the career track. Getting a job from a computer, conversely, put a Sim at the appropriate level of the career track based on their job-related skills and number of friends, but not higher than level 6.
University relaxes that somewhat for college graduates. The level 6 cap does not apply to college grads, and they can now get very high and well-paying jobs through the newspaper. Honors graduates get a bonus when applying for a career track aligned with their major. A Sim who graduates Magna Cum Laude or Summa Cum Laude will get a larger bonus, and will even get a bonus for career tracks that aren't aligned with their major. A highly skilled Summa Cum Laude graduate can start as high as level 9.
Being a college graduate also allows a Sim to enter the high-paying Artist, Natural Science, Paranormal, and Show Business career tracks.
The Sims 3: Generations
Graduation returns in The Sims 3: Generations. There is no specific graduation party as there is in The Sims 2: University, however. Teen Sims can graduate either from Community High School or Boarding School if they are enrolled in either one.
Community High School graduation
Community High School Graduate's Robe.
Teens' regular activity of going to school every morning in the school bus or doing homework as they arrive at home will end as soon they receive a graduation notification, which will happen approximately 4 days before their birthday. This notification is intended to make sure that teens have prepared as well as they can for those last days of school.
The graduation is usually held at City Hall, in the morning of the day after they become young adults. There will be another notification, and grads will change into a graduation robe. On the graduation day, all Sims in the household will get a day off, and all other child or teen Sims in the household will get a day off from school.
The grads will wait for all Sims in their household to get ready, then they will go to City Hall together. The player should wait until the graduation ceremony is over.
Grads can graduate either as a valedictorian or simply as a graduate, depending on their grades and achievement during school. If the Sim graduated with an A, they'd graduate with highest honor, B honor, C merit, D pass, and F fail. Valedictorian grads will receive the Class Valedictorian medal in their inventory and also the Valedictorian moodlet, which lasts 10 days. Regular grads will receive the "I Graduated" moodlet, which also lasts 10 days. Grads also get a framed graduation diploma and have the option to "Toss Diploma", which later can be found in their inventory.
In addition, all grads have the chance to get another medal, as they are nominated for things:
- Class Clown
- Most Artistic
- Most Likely to be a Millionaire
- Most Likely to be a Rock Star
- Most Likely to be Mediocre
- Most Likely to Become a Sports Star
- Most Likely to Burn Down Their Own House
- Most Likely to Fulfill Their Lifetime Wish
- Most Likely to Get Arrested
- Most Likely to get Electrocuted
- Most Likely to Get Married
- Most Likely to Hack the Military Facility
- Most Likely to Have a Big Family
- Most Likely to Motive Fail
- Most Likely to Never Leave the House
- Most Likely to Offend Others
- Most Likely to Save the World
- Most Likely to Take Over the World
- Most Likely to Write a Best-Selling Novel
- Most Popular
After the graduation, grads' relatives will have option to "Give Graduation Gift". They will also receive graduation moodlets depending on their relation to the grads.
Boarding School graduation
Teen Sims enrolled in Boarding School will also graduate right after they age up.
A Sim graduated from Boarding School: Smuggsworth Prep School.
They will go back home, wearing special graduation robes and a diploma to display in their inventory. The graduation robes they wear is determined by the types of Boarding School they're enrolled in.
Graduation bugs
Some bugs with graduation have been reported.[1]
- Sims won't have graduation ceremony after they age up.
- Sims enrolled in Boarding School come back home before their graduation, and never graduate or they graduate from Community High School, not from the boarding school they were once enrolled in.
The Sims 3: University Life
Graduation ceremonies in University Life take place on the Saturday after the graduating Sim's finals. After the Sim finishes their finals they'll receive their diploma on that same Friday or Saturday. If they receive their diploma on Friday, they'll be able to invite fellow Sims to the graduation ceremony. They will still be able to invite Sims if they receive their diploma on a Saturday, but the invited guests may not arrive on time.
On graduation day, Sims should arrive early outside the school's Annex and successfully attend the ceremony - failure to do so may result in them being unable to obtain the extra trait. Unlike The Sims 2, graduates are only given a few hours to say their goodbyes before being sent home.
Upon arrival back to their home neighborhoods, the Sims will have higher salaries in jobs that pertain to their degrees.
Sims who have already attended the University can enroll again from their phones.
Due to a path-finding bug, having too many Sims crowding the door may prevent a graduating Sim from attending the ceremony. This is partly due to the lack of entrances into the graduation ceremony, resulting in traffic jams.
Occasionally, due to a bug, a Sim attending the graduation ceremony may come out without actually having graduated, or are missing their diploma.
Trivia
- On normal speed, if you move the camera close to City Hall or the Annex, you can hear "Pomp and Circumstance", a common graduation song. Additionally, the names read out over the song are those of the developers.
The Sims 4: Discover University
Graduation ceremonies take place the morning after a student gets notified that they have passed their remaining courses. Attendance is optional, but should the player choose to go, their Sim will be taken to their university's stadium, dress in graduation robes and join other graduates. The ceremony takes place inside the stadium, so it is not visible to the player. When the graduates emerge, they will toss their graduation caps up in the air and every graduate in the current household will be given a graduation photo.
A few hours after the ceremony, the player's household will be transported back to their home (or university housing) and diplomas will be placed in their inventories. If they live in university housing, they will have to move out to a residential lot.
Gallery
The Sims 4: High School Years
Graduation has returned for teens with The Sims 4: High School Years. The graduation ceremony takes place at the Copperdale Auditorium on Sunday at 6:00 PM (18:00) after a teenage Sim has aged up into a young adult. Unlike the graduation ceremony shipped with the Discover University pack, the player will be able to see and interact with the high school graduation ceremony. Sims can invite their family or friends to attend their graduation.
If their Sim has scored high enough grades, then they may be named valedictorian, and they will give a speech in front of the graduating class. The ceremony continues with a teacher handing the diplomas to the graduands. Food is also served at the rear of the auditorium. Sims that do not meet the minimum grade requirements, drop out, or get expelled will not be allowed to participate in the ceremonies. Sims who opt to do an "early graduation" cannot participate in the ceremonies as a teen, but may participate after aging up into a young adult if another Sim in the household who did not graduate early is attending the ceremony.
Early graduation
In high school, a Sim with a grade of A or above, good behavior (less detention), and has at least one skill level 4 or above can be a candidate for early graduation. While teens who graduated early will not get to participate in a formal graduation ceremony, these Sims can apply for careers early, which may result in a career performance boost upon aging up into young adults. Career progress is enhanced for all careers when a Sim has graduated early. Upon graduating early from high school, a high school diploma will be received via mailbox and it will be added into their household inventory.
Graduating early also allows teen sims to take care of newborns, infants, and toddlers on a full-time basis, which can be beneficial if there are no longer any adults or elders remaining in the household.
If The Sims 4: Discover University is also installed, graduating early allows teen Sims to apply and attend in universities. Unlike in The Sims 2: University, teens will not age up automatically upon the enrollment. This can be beneficial where teens can pursue on earning university degrees granting higher levels of full-time careers prior to become young adults. Additionally, early graduated teens have greater chance to qualify for distinguished degrees regardless of their skill levels for the required degree.
External links
- Copied from Guides IGN:The Sims 2 University.
- Some contents copied from Bright Hub (Their domain later became parked and was bought by SEO spammers).