Group projects are unfortunately something that we have to endure while in school. University takes it to a whole new level, as you have to find a way to contact complete strangers who you’ve probably never seen before. There are a fair amount of group projects, and whenever it seems to get slightly better, I realize why I will always hate group projects. Here are some of the reasons why group project should not be a thing.
Having to work with strangers
With hundreds of people in your class, the odds of you having a friend in your groups are minimal, especially when the groups are chosen for you. This means having to work with personalities that don’t particularly bring out your best side.
It is impossible to meet up
Everyone has different class schedules, extracurriculars, and work schedules, which means that finding a time to meet up seems to be only possible late at night or not at all.
That person who doesn’t talk
There is always that person who doesn’t reply to their messages or comes to meetings and doesn’t contribute. This means having to pick up the slack for one extra person (or multiple).
Constant disappointment
Some people have much lower standards of what is considered quality work, and their best work just doesn’t cut it. Then there are those who just never come to meetings prepared and constantly miss deadlines, which makes you have to pick up the slack for even more people to get the assignment done.
Work overload
With having to do the work for the entire group, you find yourself with an assignment that is way too time-consuming. In combination with your other classes, you might find yourself having to pull an all-nighter.
Peer evaluations
Peer evaluations are where you can unleash all your savage thoughts towards your group members so the TA really knows who did the work. But when you find yourself getting a poor peer evaluation, you just question if people were even working on the same project as you.
How to Deal With Group Projects:
Complain to your friends
The number of times where I came back from a group meeting and just complained to my roommates, and I felt 1000x better. Sometimes you just gotta yell it out to feel better.
Persistence
If someone happens not to be doing the work, just keep nudging them to do work and maybe they will start taking their role more seriously.
Give members advice
If someone happens to be submitting poor quality of work, give them some advice to help them improve, because they may not even realize that they aren’t doing a good job.
Talk to your TA
When things are just going horribly wrong, talking to your TA doesn’t hurt. Just let them know about the situation.
It’s not forever
Remember that once the assignment is over, you’ll (hopefully) never have to work with your group members ever again.
Group projects are rarely a pleasant experience, but after every project, you always come out a stronger person.