Become a Master Socialite

University Life includes a fun new feature—social groups. Much like building a skill, you can progress in Influence in each of the three social groups: Jocks, Nerds, and Rebels. However, Influence is not a skill, and it does not appear on the Skills panel. Instead whip out your smart phone and Check Social Groups. An app appears on your phone with screens for each social group. Here you can see what level you have progressed to with each group, learn what you need to do to improve your Influence with that group, and see related stats for that group. Social groups are not only a lot of fun, they also provide some cool rewards and unlocks. For example, by reaching level 10 of Influence in a social group unlocks a dream job related to that group.

Let’s take a look at each of the social groups and learn what it takes to develop Influence for each, as well as what you can unlock.

Jocks

While this social group is called Jocks, it isn’t just about sports. Instead, it is more of a social group that really likes to socialize—or in other words—PARTY!

Improve Your Jock Influence
Play collegiate sports in the stadium
Tell stories or jokes to other Jocks
Play Ping Pong
Master Juice Pong
Go Bowling
Put a perfect spin on the flying disc
Attend a Bonfire Party
Gossip about roommates to Jocks
Practice your pick up lines on available Jocks
Attend Parties
Chat, Gossip, and Goof Around with other Jocks
Compliment Jocks
Socialize with prominent Jocks
Host a Bonfire Party
Throw a Juice Kegger Party
Complete Jock Opportunities
Perform the School Cheer
Use smart phone to take a photo with a friend
Take a self-portrait with the smart phone
Do Keg Stands

Nerds

Nerds are more than just the Science club. They are Sims who like technology, value intelligence, and enjoy reading comic books and playing video games.

Improve Your Nerd Influence
Ask other Nerds about their degree
Tell stories or jokes to other Nerds
Show other Sims gross videos from your phone
Play video games
Solve equations on the white board
Do scientific research
Work on the Group Science Project
Use the Brain Enhancing Machine
Throw things into Bonfires
Play arcade machines
Chat and Gossip with other Nerds
Compliment other Nerds
Socialize with prominent Nerds
Complete Opportunities for Nerds
Gossip about roommates to Nerds
Practice your pick-up lines on unsuspecting Nerds
Boast about gamer skillz
Enthuse about comic books
Do battle in trivia challenges
Berate ignorance when it rears its ugly head

Rebels

Rebels want to change the world and make it better—or at least complain about the problems around them. They are not afraid to speak out. Rebels enjoy protesting or engaging in spreading street art around the community.

Improve Your Rebel Influence
Organize Protests
Tell stories or jokes to other Rebels
Speak your heart with an impassioned speech
Rile the crowd at a rowdy protest
Push social boundaries by daring other Sims
Add special herbs to food recipes
Get Drinks from the Barista Bar
Burn herbs in a fireplace
Step up to a podium and complain about the world
Hand out protest flyers
Gossip and goof around with other Rebels
Compliment other Rebels
Socialize with prominent Rebels
Complete Opportunities for Rebels
Gossip about roommates to Rebels
Practice your pick-up lines on available Rebels
Use a Megaphone to rant about anything
Use a Megaphone to proclaim your love
Dumpster dive
Leave tags or murals on the world

Parties and Other Jock Activities

 
Parties may start out slow, so interact with the guests and objects such as the bonfire to get the party raging.

The Jocks social group enjoys having and attending parties. As you meet Sims at the university and in the town, they will invite you to parties that they are throwing. In fact, there is usually a party every night somewhere in town. Not only do students throw parties, some of your professors also like to have parties and invite their students. It is always a good idea to go to your professor’s parties and participate because you can actually get extra credit by attending. When another Sim is throwing a party, you will receive an invitation. You can choose to either accept or decline the invitation. Then as the time for the party approaches, you receive a reminder.
While attending parties is fun, it is even better to host a party yourself. Just take out your smart phone and use it to organize a party. You can throw a house party, birthday party, juice kegger, bonfire party, or destination party. Using your smart phone, select the type of party, the time, the dress code, and the Sims you would like to invite. Make sure you have everything you need at the party location before it starts, such as food, furniture, or other objects. Then once guests start arriving, make sure they are all having a good time. Socialize with them and keep the party lively.
 

Bowling is another activity that Jocks enjoy.

In addition to parties, Jocks like to socialize and play sports or games. Try playing collegiate sports, ping pong or juice pong, bowling, and talking to other Jocks to build up your Influence with the Jocks. The more interactions you have with Jocks, the more Jock acquaintances and friends you make, and the greater your Influence. Even playing with the kicky sack or the flying disc builds up your Influence.

Protesting and Other Rebel Activities

A rowdy protest isn’t a success unless you have several fights.

Rebels can enjoy a good party. However, they much prefer a protest. Protests are fairly easy to organize. Start off by announcing a protest at a podium. The Roasted Toasted Beans Coffee Shop and the lecture hall in the Student Union can both be used for this purpose. You then have to decide what you are protesting, what type of protest you are having, and the time and location for the protest. There are three types of protests: standard protect, rowdy protest, and hunger strike, and more than 30 different topics to protest. Once the protest has been announced, you need to get to work. If you want people to come, interact with other Sims and hand them flyers about the protest. Then get to the site of the protest before it officially begins. A podium appears at the site at the start. Interact with the podium to give an impassioned speech, rile the crowd, or lead a chant. If it is a rowdy protest, you can even choose to get into a fight with another Sim. Keep interacting during the entire protest so that it will be a success.

By dumpster diving, you can find some good items and increase your Influence with the Rebels. However, you will need to take a shower afterward.

Protests can be thrilling. However, you can also gain Influence with the Rebels in other ways. Go dumpster diving to find furniture or other items you can take home with you. Other ways to move up with the Rebels is to use herbs (eat them, add them to food or drinks, burn them, etc.), dare other Sims to do things, get a drink from the Barista, use a megaphone, and create street art all over the town.

Geeking Out with the Nerds

Take a trip to Keith’s Komics to get your Nerd on.

Nerds like to get out and attend parties just like the other social groups. However, they gain Influence with their social group through a number of different actions. Luckily, most of these interactions can take place at the comic book store. Talk about comics, read comic books, play video games, use computers, play arcade machines—all of these things increase your level of Influence with the Nerd social group. In addition, while at a bonfire party, try throwing a test tube into the fire to see the results.

Science experiments also are fun for Nerds.

If you are working on a degree in Science and Medicine or Technology, then your studies help increase your Influence among the Nerd social group. Use the Brain Enhancing Machine or do the Group Science Project and you not only help get better grades, you also increase your Influence and Science skill. Finally, socially interact with Nerds and other Sims to brag about your gamer skillz or issue trivia challenges for even more Influence.

Social Trait

When you reach level 8 in Influence for one of the social groups, you unlock a Social Trait. This sixth trait can be any trait you want. If you later reach level 8 for a second social group, you gain the ability to change your Social Trait; however, you do not get a new trait slot. This sixth trait makes it worthwhile to work on improving Influence with the social groups.
 
If you have earned a lot of Lifetime Happiness points, you can spend them on increasing your Influence with one of the social groups. It is relatively cheap at only 2,000 points for a good boost. This can be a good way to get a head start on a social group or to max it out after you have been working at it for a while.

Ready to learn more? Get the complete, official eGuide to The Sims 3: University Life.