Surviving Group Projects

by: Tiffany Smock


Being a college student, it's inevitable that at some point in our academic career we will have to do a group project. If you're like me, hearing you have to do a group project is like a weight has been added to your back. I've never had a pleasant experience when working with groups. A hard-worker by nature, most, if not all of the work, was pushed on to me and I just accepted it and completed the project on my own because I cared about my grade. It was unfortunate because then my group members would take credit for all the hard work that I, not they, had done. I'm sure that many of you can relate to my story and feel the same way I do about them.

But my fourth year at college, bound for the job market within a year, I was ready to make a change. This semester I personally have several group projects spread out among my classes. This can be intimidating and hard to schedule meeting times; an equation for disaster. I, however, would not have it. My grades are very important to me and I was determined to not have another bad group experience again. And I can honestly say that this semester has not been as bad and, dare I say, the best one so far with group projects.

Something I learned that really helped me out was to take charge. Don't be afraid to be the person that stands up as the leader of the group. You'll be able to help keep the group focused, on task and ensure that the project gets done in a timely manner. No one likes to be the leader, because all of the work/negative comments usually fall on their shoulders, but don't let that scare you. I used to be afraid to take on the leadership role, but have slowly changed it to be the exact opposite. By taking charge of the group, I established my place as a hard-worker and someone who wanted a good grade on the project and would help others if they needed it. Sometimes you have to delegate tasks to your group to make the project run smoother.

Normally there's a long list of things that one can do to improve certain aspects of college life, but in my personal experience I've found that in group projects being in a leadership role is one of the most effective ways to turn the experience into a good one.

So next time you're in a group project don't be afraid to speak up about being the leader. And even if you're not a leader you are just as important as the other members so please say what's on your mind. A group works best when everyone is communicating with one another. Good luck to you all on your future group projects this semester!