Everyone has to encounter group projects at some point in their academic career. They can either be your best friend or your worst nightmare. They can even bring on just as much stress to students as finals week. Because it’s pretty much unpredictable how the results turn out. Here are the dos and don’ts if you want to guarantee a successful group project and a good grade.
DO: Make sure you put yourself into a group where you know you and your members can be reliable.
Because otherwise, it could end up in trouble.
DON’T: Take an absence on a day if you know your teacher or professor will be assigning groups.
You might find yourself being landed in a group you might not be looking forward to.
DO: Try and take a chance to work in a group.
Chances are, you’re going to work with coworkers once you get a job, so better to learn teamwork now.
DON’T: Be completely antisocial.
Communication is key, no matter how unsatisfied you are with the people you work with.
DO: Separate tasks between the members equally.
It’s easy, it’s efficient, and it can probably lead to the work getting done more quickly. More heads are better than one anyway.
DON’T: Deposit all the work on one group member.
We all got things going on. Most likely that one group member does too. Do your part, or else you probably won’t find people who would want to work with you on the next project.
DO: Have an understanding of what the topics are about and know what’s going on.
Because if you don’t, you’re stuck.
DON’T: Rely on your teammates to try and explain things to you.
Sure, they’ll do it out of kindness and politeness. But, inside, they’re most likely irritated cause they’ve got to focus on their part.
DO: Set up a group message for your team to get in contact.
The mobile app GroupMe has always worked wonders if you’d rather not have your iMessages blown up. By now, mostly everyone has it downloaded on their phone.
DON’T: Be totally a ghost.
Don’t ignore messages from people. They’re relying on you and you’re part of the group message for a reason. Don’t make them have to bust their chops just to contact you.
DO: Spend some time to see when your schedules match up.
More than likely, you’ll find a space in a schedule that matches at least one or all of the members. Whatever many is good enough. Spread out your time wisely.
DON’T: Stand up your group members.
It’s one thing to say an emergency came up that you can’t possibly get out of. It’s another to just not show up without any prior mention. Your teammates will probably be more sympathetic if you send them a message, saying you can’t meet because you’re stuck with a problem, another project or homework needs your serious attention or you have a family emergency, and if you throw in a sincere apology. If you don’t contact them at all beforehand and you’re caught out at the mall with your friends or at a party when you promised you would be working on your group project...they probably won’t have as much mercy.