The Sims 4 High School Years guide, from prom, after-school activities, Social Bunny and Trendi
Surviving - and thriving - in high school has never been easier
The Sims 4 High School Years gives your Sims the opportunity to experience their high school years to the fullest!
Having this new The Sims 4 expansion installed will give Simmers the keys to enhancing their Teen Sims lifestyles. No longer will Teens just be Young Adults in disguise, but will get the option to attend class (in-person, not somewhere off-lot), pull pranks, decorate their own locker, and even join an after-school club. There's also the ever important prom to think about too.
This page explains how to enroll in high school, after-school activities that you can take part in, how to become prom royalty or jester, and all of the cool tips and tricks that'll make your Sims 4 high school years one to remember.
On this page:
- How to enroll in High School in The Sims 4
- The Sims 4 High School Years Aspirations and Traits
- Prom in The Sims 4 High School Years explained
- After-school activities in The Sims 4 High School Years
- How to use Social Bunny in The Sims 4
- How to use Trendi and ThrifTea in The Sims 4 High School Years
- Puberty and body changes in The Sims 4 High School Years explained
- Can you create your own high school in The Sims 4?
- The Sims 4 High School Years Tips and Tricks
How to enroll in High School in The Sims 4
The Sims 4 High School Years expansion pack adds a new lease of life to the high school system. When you install the expansion pack, Sims who are Teens automatically are enrolled into High School, unlike The Sims 4 University where you need to enroll yourself.
With your Sims already enrolled, when it comes around to head to school, you'll be asked whether you want to send your Sims to school without following them, or you can follow your Sims and be with them through their day-to-day activities. Regardless of which option you choose, your Sims will head to school for the day.
The Sims 4 High School schedule
After you head to school, your Sims days will be split into four different sections. The first is when you first arrive to school. You'll have around an hour and a half to socialize for a little while, or even cram in some study time. You'll have to move on fast though, because time moves fast in The Sims 4!
Once your free time is over, you'll head to your first lesson. If for some reason you don't know where to go, hover over a whiteboard until you can interact with it, this will always be the classroom you're supposed to be in. If you can't interact with a certain whiteboard in a classroom, your lesson must take place somewhere else.
After your first lesson, you'll have two and a half hours to eat lunch and do whatever else you'd like to do. This could be studying, decorating your locker, performing challenges with your friend, or even asking people out to Prom.
This leads to your last lesson of the day, which your Sim should attend without your guidance. Still, if they get stuck for whatever reason, you can always redirect them yourself. After this lesson is done, it's home time.
Unless you've already signed up for an after-school activity... If so, read on!
The Sims 4 High School Years Aspirations and Traits
As with most expansion packs that come to The Sims 4, High School Years adds a number of different traits and aspirations. Traits are characteristics that make up your Sims personality, whereas aspirations are what your Sims goals are throughout life. We've listed both traits and aspirations below.
The Sims 4 High School Years Traits
- Socially Awkward - These Sims struggle in social situations and build charisma much more slowly. However, they gain powerful Moodlets and Sentiments when they are able to overcome their awkwardness.
- Party Animal - These Sims love to party and hyping up others through performing tricks and pranks.
- Overachiever - These Sims tend to raise their skills faster, and are their happiest when completing tasks. That said, they are harder to get to know as friends.
The Sims 4 High School Years Aspirations
Because High School Years is centered around teenagers, you'll be able to find all school-focused aspirations in the Teen tag. All aspirations picked from the Teen tag will give Sims the Relatable trait, making it easier to build relationships with fellow teens.
- Drama Llama - This Sim wants to know ALL of the drama. Gossip, break-ups, fights, you name it - this Sim wants to know about it.
- Admired Icon - This Sim wants to be adored by their peers, whether through trend-setting, popularity, or knowledge.
- Live Fast - Sims with this aspiration want to live free and fast, with zero rules and zero boundaries. Adrenaline rush, here we come!
- Goal Orientated - This Sim wants to be the best at absolutely everything. Sports? Money? Grades? All of it and more.
Prom in The Sims 4 High School Years explained
Success at prom is all dependent on what you're looking to get out of it in this expansion pack. Are you trying to get prom royalty, or do you want to spice everything up and be the Prom Jester instead? In this section we'll teach you how to attend prom, how to create your own prom proposal, and how to make your teen Sims prom nights one to remember!
How Prom works and how to attend it
As you continue your first high school week, you'll eventually get a notification about Prom coming up. Prom usually happens at the end of the week on a Saturday, but just to be extra sure, you can look on your Household Calendar.
Once the day rolls around, you will be asked whether you'd like to attend Prom. This is a yes or no answer. No will mean you skip prom, yes means you'll go.
How Prom works is that your Sim, if they decide to go, can go by themself, with friends, or they can ask a very special someone to the Prom with them. This will give them a Prom Date sentiment. But be warned, just because they said yes doesn't mean that they won't change their mind, so be sure to give your Prom date all of the attention they deserve.
How to ask someone to Prom
Asking someone you like to the Prom can be mortifying if it doesn't go well, even in a simulated game! Still, if you're looking to ask someone to the Prom, we'll teach you how.
First you must wait until you get a notification about Prom. Once that's done, you'll be able to click on a Sim of your choice and get a few options: Promise to Skip Prom Together, Ask for Prom Tips, Ask to Prom, Ask to Prom as Friends, Claim to be Prom Royalty, and Present Prom Proposal Sign. Depending on what your preference is, select which option you'd like.
However, if you want to get creative and go all out in order to win the love and affection of your prom date, you should present them with a proposal sign. To do just that, click on your Sim, then the Prom tab and then Create Prom Proposal sign. Once that's done, you can present it to the Sim of your choice.
How to become the Prom King, Prom Queen or Prom Jester
Much like in real life, Prom in The Sims 4 High School Years asks you to select who will be taking home the crown at Prom.
In this version of prom, Sims attend the event via the Auditorium and are given the option to dance, eat, socialize and just have a good time. At the far corner of the building however is a noticeboard, where you can click on it cast your votes for Prom Royalty and Prom Jester - two very different categories. Instead of just using gendered roles like Prom King and Queen, Prom Royalty encompasses it all into one, making the only two things you're able to win is Prom Royalty or Prom Jester.
Despite trying numerous of times, it does feel like no matter how many times you vote for a certain person, the game's selection of who is Prom Royalty or Prom Jester is reliant mostly on luck.
Once you select whichever Sim you'd like to win the category, you can go back and enjoy the rest of the Prom. After a while, the Principal will call everyone together and will announce who the winners are for the selected categories.
Once announced, Prom will continue for a few more hours before it ends and your Sims will head home.
After-school activities in The Sims 4 High School Years
All work and no play will make your Sims very dull indeed, so why not pick an after-school activity for them to get involved in? If you join a club, you'll not only increase your skills, but get to know other teenagers and make more friends.
There are four different teams you can join for more extracurricular activities, and all take place after school hours. These teams are: Computer, Chess, Football and Cheerleading. As far as we know from our own experimentation, you are unable to start your own after-school activities.
How to join after-school activities
There are two different ways to join an after-school activity. The first requires you checking your mobile phone at the bottom left-hand corner of your screen, and selecting the business app. The business app resembles a suitcase and is yellow.
Once selected, you'll be given a full list of all of the after-school activities. If you'd rather use a computer than your phone, you can also use the High School tab via a laptop/PC, which will also allow you to pick your activities.
The second way is to directly join an activity after school. To do this you must stay on campus after classes end, and head to the lockers. There you'll see representatives of the after-school activities, and talking to them will allow you to know more about your club and will allow you to join.
Once you've joined an after-school activity, you'll have specific requirements you need to meet in order to be allowed to stay in the club and succeed. Some clubs will also give you certain items to help, such as a cheerleading mat for the Cheerleaders team and a football for the Football team.
How to use Social Bunny in The Sims 4
Another feature that's been added alongside The Sims 4 High School Years is a new app called Social Bunny. This app is a bit of a mixture between Facebook and Twitter, allowing you to post statuses and slide into people's DMs if you so choose. In other words, it's an extremely cursed app. But it has its uses, particularly if you're looking to get closer and deepen your relationships with Sims.
How to access and use Social Bunny
Social Bunny is available via your Phone at the bottom left corner of the screen. Once you click on your phone you will see nine different apps. Click the second one, a pink app with a picture of a bunny and love heart on it. This is Social Bunny.
Once on Social Bunny, you'll see three different headings. These are Feed, Friends, and Messages. Above these headings are other features, such as New Post and Tag Sim. We've explained what all of these mean, and their function below.
- Feed - This is where all of the social media activity happens. All of your friends (who you can add to your Friend list in the Friends section) posts are featured on the Feed section.
- Friends - You can add other Sims you've met to your Contact aka Friends List. Here you'll be able to message them directly, as well as remove them from your list if they prove to be too much of a hassle.
- Messages - This will show you both messages that you receive and send. You can also create new messages with the New Messages tab.
- New Post - When using this feature, Sims must have had something eventful happen to them, otherwise they won't be able to post. For Teens this could mean travelling home from school, having a crush on someone, doing homework, and more.
- Tag Sim - When tagging a Sim, this message goes directly to your Feed but is about a specific Sim. This can increase or decrease your relationship, depending on what sort of message you send.
How to gain followers on Social Bunny
Because Social Bunny isn't like Simstagram, you'll have to gain followers only by using that app. But how? It's actually much easier than it looks, but as always, it depends on how much you use the Social Bunny app.
The first step is posting a lot. This can be hard if your Sim hasn't done anything worth posting about, so get out there and make some memories! Once done, post, post and post!
The second and final stop is crucial: meet loads of people, add them to your contacts and tag them. These will go directlty to your feed, and will help others get to know you more, and as such, will increase your follower count.
How to use Trendi and ThrifTea in The Sims 4 High School Years
Yet another app that can be used on your phone is pink app with glasses on called Trendi. Clicking on it will give you several options, such as buying clothes, checking followers, and a brief explanation on what Trendi is. But let us give you the too long, didn't read version: Trendi is a fashion app that lets you buy and sell clothes.
As for ThrifTea, that is the physical store that is only available in Copperdale. It's essentially a thrift store where you can physically try on outfits, buy them, and talk to the owner of the store to see which fashion trends is in right now.
Fashion trends are huge and can be a make or break in popularity depending on what clothes you're wearing, but thankfully you can check what's trending via your phone. You don't want to stand out in a bad way, now do you? What trend is in right now - and what isn't - will be shown on the top right hand corner of your screen.
That said, in order to start your own Trend, you need to create an outfit - either in Thriftea or in Trendi - and hype it up. Once hyped, you may even see other Sims that you've never met before trying out your style.
Sims are also able to gift other Sims their Trendi purchases if they don't like what they've purchased online. And if they'd rather just get their money back, they can also sell on the outfit.
Puberty and body changes in The Sims 4 High School Years explained
Puberty, we've all been through it and now with High School Years, our Sims are going to go through it too. That is, unless you decide to go into the Pack Settings in Game Options and disable those Acne and Body Changes... But where's the fun in that?
Body changes and acne were already sort of included in The Sims 4 DLC Parenthood, however this time around these changes happen in a way that's much more natural. For example, your teen may go to sleep one night, and wake up the next day with their acne completely out of control. Thankfully, it's actually pretty easy to get rid of both pesky acne and unwanted body hair.
For your Sims acne, apply a facial cleanser and wash your face every day and eventually the acne will go away. As for your body hair, click on a shower or bath tub, and choose the option to trim your body hair or get rid of it completely, depending on your preference.
Can you create your own high school in The Sims 4?
The Sims 4 High School Years expansion comes with its own school, situated in the world of Copperdale. This is the only school included in the game, and while it works fine as a template, it can feel rather empty. So, can you make your own high school, or improve it?
Yes! Not only can you make some improvements to the school of Copperdale - and its Auditorium - but make your very own school to fit whatever theme you're going for. You'll need a certain amount of desks, chairs, lockers, cafeteria's, etc, but as long as you have the selected number of items for your school, you'll be able to make your high school look however you want it to.
The Sims 4 High School Years Tips and Tricks
Here are a handful of useful tips and tricks that'll make your time in high school one to remember!
- New Social Interactions - You can now have a pillow fight with Sims, or talk to other Sims while sitting on a bed by interacting with any bed in your lot.
- Party Animal Tricks - Sims with the Party Animal trait can perform tricks and chants. You need to click on the Sim and it will come with its own unique option.
- Locker Time - You can choose your own locker by clicking on a locker and claiming it for your own. You can have different locker styles and designs as well, and even can prank other lockers too depending on your mischief level.
- Review Schedule - If you click on your Sim and click on the High School tab, then 'Review Class Schedule', you can see what lessons you have that week and what skill it improves on (e.g writing, logic, music, etc)
- Mess Around - There are several places you can 'Mess Around' added in this expansion pack. The Ferris Wheel, as well as the Cuddle Carts, in Copperdale, as well the new photo booths featured at Prom.
Hope you enjoy high school in The Sims 4!