The Sims 2 University: Letters Home

"Today GameSpy kicks off an ongoing series chronicling the adventures of a Sim attending The Sims 2 University. She's pretty busy with classes, but has graciously allowed us to publish her correspondence from inside the game."

Read The Letters

Sims University: Letters Home

By Dave Kosak

What better way to see the upcoming Sims 2 expansion pack than through the eyes of a Sim herself? We peek in on her correspondence!

Today GameSpy kicks off an ongoing series chronicling the adventures of a Sim attending The Sims 2 University. She's pretty busy with classes, but has graciously allowed us to publish her correspondence from inside the game. This week she talks about campus life, including how she got into a Sorority. Read on for new details about the upcoming expansion!

Dear Mom and Dad,

Well, I finally made it to campus and I'm in one piece. It all seemed to happen so fast! One moment I was a teenager living with you guys, and then we all got that dialogue warning that if I wanted to go to college I should enroll soon. Suddenly all those grades I was getting in high school actually meant something: I really busted my butt to keep that A- average and get a good scholarship.

It wasn't the same for everybody. Not every Sim can get into college, since you need passing grades, but judging by the crowd here I don't think Sim State is too picky. There's a guy who lives in the dorms with me -- everyone calls him Grubs -- who walks around shaking hands with joy buzzers. The other night I caught him chucking water balloons off the porch. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

You should see how grown up I am! My face hasn't changed -- except no more acne, natch -- but my body has nearly the same build as an adult. It all seemed to happen so fast. One minute, you were waving goodbye on the doorstep as I drove off in a cab. The next thing I knew, I was in the Sim bin for Sim State, all grown up and ready to move in.

Gotta run -- Grubs is trying to get my pudgy roommate to play pool with him, and she's insisting I come along. I'll tell you all about the dorms in my next letter.

Dear Mom and Dad,

By getting good grades I scored a pretty decent scholarship. That means I have some more simoleons to use as spending money than some of the other students. Still, I'm not loaded, so instead of buying one of the small off-campus houses I decided to nab a space in the dorms.

Here's how it works: I clicked on a dorm to move in, and found that the place was already going off the hook. I chose the largest of the dorm buildings, and it's three stories tall, with something like 15 students living here. Everybody gets their own room, and I scrambled to claim one as my own. I chose a corner room by clicking on the door -- just like that, my picture appeared on it, and the room was mine! The admissions department here is top notch.

I gotta tell you, there wasn't much to brag about when I moved in. Just a bed and a desk, pretty much. That's where that scholarship money really started to come in handy. I painted the walls, bought myself a nightstand, a dresser, and a more comfortable bed, then hung up some posters. Oh, and an alarm clock, so I'm not late for class. Since I live in the dorms, I can't move the walls or anything -- in fact, most of the "Build" mode is pretty much off-limits here. But I'll manage.

My dorm is awesome. There's a library on the lower floor, along with a cafeteria. One of the perks of dorm life is that the cafeteria lady comes by at mealtimes and stocks up a lunch counter. It's all-you-can-eat, which probably explains how my dorm-mate gained that Freshman 15. She says she'll work it off at the campus gym, but every day her and Grubs blow the whole afternoon at the student union.

But I'm getting off topic. What makes the dorm great is that there's so much going on. There are almost always as many as ten students wandering around, and then there are constant visits from professors, cheerleaders, some of the sorority girls I was hitting it off with, even the school mascot. It can be hard to get things done with Grubs and his cronies playing Kicky-bag in the hallways, but it's kinda fun.

Speaking of grubs, he's pelting the school mascot with water balloons. I'd better go. I'll tell you all about the campus in my next letter...

Dear Mom and Dad,

I've really settled into the rhythm of life here. I have classes every day -- usually for just a few hours -- which gives me time to roam around the campus.

Sim State is as big as Plesantville, where I grew up! The campus is its own little community. It's a mix of classic University buildings and more modern houses, with a lot of parks and trees. I'm glad I went here. La Fiesta Tech looked promising, but I don't think I could go to school in the desert, no matter how modern the facilities are. Then there was the Academie Le Tour, the Eurpoean-style university, but it looked a little too stuffy for me with its old vine-covered buildings. Plus, you know, no Frats or Sororities were there. No, Sim State was really the place for me.

Aside from the dorms (there are several of varying sizes), there are also a handful of Fraternity and Sorority houses on campus. Some of them are huge! There's a student center, with pool tables and arcades. A lounge, where everybody hangs out and drinks juice. And some stores where I proceeded to blow the rest of my scholarship money on clothes.

There's also a huge library. I really should spend more time there -- when you study with other students, you get a group study bonus, which means you get your work done faster. And better grades, too. Grubs and my dorm-mate go there all the time, but I'm pretty sure that they just make out on the couches in the reading room.

Speaking of my dorm-mate, she finally decided to take drastic action. She had these pudgy chipmunk-cheeks for the longest time, but she just blew a wad of cash on a "makeover machine." Look, hey, I don't know how it works. I just know that it does. She stuck her face in there and a supermodel came out. No, don't worry, I'm not going to try it. My face is staying right here on my head. But it's pretty crazy. Needless to say, Grubs is stopping by a lot more often.

Speaking of which, dorm life is really starting to grate on me. I could lock my door, which would shut out everyone, but I usually leave it open because I love having people hang out in my room. But this afternoon I found a crushed up pizza box next to my bed, and found my cordless phone down in the study room. What up with that?

Attention Parental Units:

I finally just got fed up with living in the dorms. Sure, I loved hanging out with people, but when I went to go to sleep last week and found Grubs crashed out in my bed it was just too much. We uh -- how do you guys put it? -- exchanged words. Four letter words. Then he hit me with a water balloon and all the guys in the hall were cracking up. I had to get out of there!

I'd been having a good time with some of the girls in the Sorority right down the street so I decided to give that a try. Turns out that rushing a sorority is a cakewalk. I just got on my phone -- once I found it -- and called them over. The whole Sorority showed up at the dorm!

I had just a few minutes to talk to them all and impress them enough that they would invite me. I pulled out all the stops. I ordered some pizza, we played video games. Things started to get pretty wild. I thought Grubs was going to ruin it when he showed up, but then he started making out with one of them, and that was great, until my dorm-mate showed up and they got into a fight -- well, I guess you could say the party was out of control. The pillow-fight rocked. Anyways, I was like a little social butterfly. By the end of the evening, I was in the Sorority!

Now, you can be a part of a Sorority and not live with your sisters, but I had to move out of those stupid dorms as soon as possible. I sold my stuff and then called up the Sorority house to move in. One taxicab-ride later, and I had new digs!

My sisters and I, we've got a whole building to ourselves. It's a renovated old Victorian mansion. You should see the fireplace! Only eight of us live there, and we can still claim rooms as our own. I've got a nice one with a bay window on the second story.

So, the thing about living in a Sorority house, is that we can completely remodel the place. The Build Mode is totally open to us! We can add or remove walls, change around all the public areas, you name it. I'm trying to convince my sisters that we need to put in a patio and a hot tub downstairs.

The only problem is there's no cafeteria here, so we gotta fend for ourselves. Speaking of which, I gotta go -- Maryanne is about to attempt to make mac and cheese again and disaster looms. More on Sorority House life in my next letter!

Hey Mom & Dad,

So the whole Sorority thing rocks. Grubs was so impressed by our digs that he said he's thinking of starting his own Fraternity. You can do that! All it takes is a phone call to the campus, and you can register your own Fraternity or Sorority, then move into a house. That's awesome.

But I'm happy right here. Greek life has some serious benefits for Sims. For one thing, there are other pledges that I can boss around and tell to do things -- I can make them clean up the common room or cook dinner. I can even make them do my homework. Not that I would.... unless I had a date.

Another advantage is that you get special abilities after you've rushed. For instance, I can now sleep on the floor and still get a good night's rest. That's pretty handy after a wild party -- although I guess I shouldn't be telling you that.

Speaking of parties, we threw a mean toga party this past weekend. I swear half the campus was there. A bunch of the guys from the local frat busted out instruments and started to jam together. Oh no, I'm not saying they were good. But we had a wild time. Then a pillow-fight erupted between me and the school mascot, a giant llama.

After that, things got out of hand. All the girls screamed when, through the windows, we saw a streaker run by. He even circled our back yard. Yep, I'm afraid Sim State has a serious streaker epidemic. I wasn't really bothered by it, though. I leaned out the window and yelled, "Grubs! You put your clothes back on!"

Yah, he hangs out at the Sorority all the time. He's bouncing between the sisters here like a ping-pong ball. Me? Not interested. I tell him to talk to the hand. Which he does, because, you know, Grubs is weird.

Dear Mom and Dad,

I did it! I'm no longer a Freshman!

I suppose I should explain how the semesters work? Basically my four years of college here are broken up into Semesters, two per year. Each semester I get a different class. Only one class per semester -- easy!

I'll talk more about the types of majors that I can study in another letter. Suffice it to say that Freshman year wasn't too hard. The best part is, now that I'm finished with the second semester, I get a reward! By completing my Freshman year I get an extra 'want' slot. You and dad only have four, because you never went to college, but as of now I have five. That means it'll be easier for me to earn points later in life.

After my Sophomore year, I'll be able to change my life's aspiration if I want. After my Junior year I'll be able to lock in two of my wants at a time, instead of just one. And when I graduate altogether I'll get yet another want slot. Life will be a breeze after that!

I understand that if you get expelled from Sim State you'll get an extra fear slot as a penalty. Don't worry, I'm nowhere close to that. But Grubs, well, I dunno. He's a real slacker. When he's not eating our food at the Sorority house he's watching the new Sports TV channel at the Student Union. I'll be surprised if that loser gets out of here in one piece.

Gotta go -- another year starts right away! No such thing as Summer break at Sim State, I guess. Love you, and keep writing!

Stay tuned to GameSpy for more letters home in the coming weeks!