'Tis the season for group projects. At least one person thus far has told you, "You have to learn to work well with others," but has anyone ever told your past, present and future group members this little piece of advice? I think not. Here are 11 thoughts everyone undergoes while working on a group project.
1. The Assigned Group
You think to yourself: "Hey, this may be a potentially awesome group. We're going to do awesome things and get an awesome grade." Reality: Don't get too ahead of yourself.
2. The Initial Contact
Trying to contact your group always seems impossible. "Hello, is anyone there? Can anyone meet on said date? No? Okay, what about this day? Well, how about next week? So, Sunday at 10
p.m.?" GREAT.
3. The First Meeting
No one actually shows up on time. 10 p.m. turns into 10:15 and 10:15 into 10:30. Finally, everyone is seated and situated and someone asks, "So, how do we want to split up the work?" Everyone is secretly thinking of the easiest job, but who will volunteer for it first? In the end, everyone ends up with the task that they wanted the least. A Google doc is made in order to look at everyone's work as it is completed and edit it if need be. This way you can see who is actually doing their work.
4. Planning for the Last Meeting
As everyone is packing up their things to leave, you try to figure out a date to meet once more before the project is due. The conversation goes like this: "When is everyone free? The day before it's due? Okay, see you then."
5. After the Meeting
You walk away completely and utterly annoyed from what felt like the longest meeting of your life. Then, you think about the task you got stuck with and irritation overcomes you.
6. The Work
The week comes in which all the work for the project must be completed. Of course, to no surprise, you receive a text from that one person in your group asking, "Wait, what am I supposed to do?" and all you want to reply is, "Are you serious?"
7. Loss of Communication
A couple of days before the last meeting date, your group manages to lose communication from that ONE person. The person who has managed to contribute absolutely nothing to the project. This person has gone MIA. For some reason, communication between your team members is always lost, which results in the biggest of all issues.
8. Odd Ball Out
This lack-of-communication usually leaves one odd person out or sometimes they're just that person, for lack of better words, who is plain ol' lazy.
9. Talk It Out
You talk it over with your other team members. You all complain about the project itself and then move on to complain about the person who hasn't contributed a thing to the Google doc. One of your group members says they are going to complain to the professor about this team member and you all encourage this thought.
10. The End Result That Never Ever Happens
The whole "professor talk" usually never ends up happening, but you're happy knowing that your group feels the same way. (If you are one out of the million people who has absolutely no problem complaining to the professor, then props to you. Stand your ground!) That MIA group member finally crawls out of the hole that they've been hiding in and manages to complete their work, but not before you and your team members super proofread their part (i.e. do the work for them).
11. Going Your Separate Ways
The long awaited day finally arrives: turning in the project. You sigh in relief and scream good riddance!
...And then the cycle starts all over again.
