Group projects are the actual worst and if come tomorrow I never work with a group on an assignment again it wouldn't be too soon.
I understand the purpose of a group project and why professors find them so important. Group projects teach us how to collaborate with other people and show us that we won't always get along with the people we work with, but I still hate them.
If everyone did their part maybe I wouldn't, but how often does that happen?
Most of the time you're stuck in a group with people you don't know, which isn't all bad, except for the fact that you don't know their worth ethic.
I get it, that's part of the challenge, but it's just so frustrating!
I am graded off of the work I alone produce, so why am I being forced to do the majority of the work (because that's what always happens) on a project that someone else is getting the credit for?
Oh, and when someone in your group says they "love group projects" you know you're about to be in for it.
Because no one "loves group projects" unless you're somehow blessed by the group project God to be put in a group with a bunch of your friends who work equally as hard as you do.
When someone says they "love group projects" that usually just means they love being able to sit back and relax while the rest of the group struggles to compensate for their lack of contribution.
But, the absolute worst thing to do in a group project, which is conveniently what happens most of the time. is procrastinate.
When you procrastinate your own assignment you can usually manage to pull it together at the last minute, but when a whole group procrastinates it's near impossible to present a good quality project.
Group projects are also worth a lot of points because so many people are contributing, or supposed to be, but there's always that one person who gets stuck with doing most of the work because they're the only one who cares about their grade.
Overall, group projects are messy and stressful, but an evil we all have to face at one time or another.
Give this article a re-read the next time you're annoyed with your group members and want someone to sympathize with you because trust me, I can.
