For better or for worse, group projects are a part of life as a student. Sometimes having multiple brains tackling a project can produce great work, and sometimes the experience of working with a group feels like a test of how well you can hide frustration and anger. Sometimes just dealing with difficult teammates is half the battle, let alone a difficult assignment. Hopefully, all students can find solace in understanding that dealing with group projects is a collective struggle that can be both rewarding and disappointing. What follows is basically the Hero’s Journey Archetype of experiencing group projects.
1. Dread. You flip through the syllabus and your heart sinks to see that there is a major group project assignment coming up worth 20% of your grade. You then look around the classroom forming the ultimate group project dream team in your head and noting the people who are good at math or using iMovie who you definitely need on your team.
2. Optimism. The moment has come to get to work and your group is assembled. You feel optimisitc and motivated. You and your team are going to nail this project and you will definitely have the best project in the class.
3. Collective procrastination. The Google docs have been shared and the Group Me has been made, but no work is getting done. No one wants to be “that person” to whip everyone into shape and get the ball rolling. Everyone is busy doing their own thing and deep down we’re all hoping that someone else will step up and make us all schedule that first meeting.
4. Isolation. The project gets started and you realize that it has quickly consumed your life. You are spending more time than you would have ever expected with some random people in your class. Your spot in the basement of the library becomes all too comfortable and you forget about all the other work that still exists.
5. The late night. With every good group project comes the late night. No one is quite sure how you ended up with so much work to do, but it happened.
6. The psychotic lapse. This goes hand in hand with the late night. Everyone is over tired, but past the point of just being tired so everyone is just a little loopy. The whole situation just becomes comical and the most random comments sound like the funniest jokes. You may even find yourself laughing and crying about videos of puppies on Facebook.
7. Sass stage. This is the stage that can make or break friendships. The sassy backhanded comments, eye rolls, and exasperated sighs start coming out. Everyone has spent way too much time together and you all just want to be done.
8. Hopelessness. At this point the high of being overtired has worn off and you’re just exhausted. You are unsure if you are going to be able to get this done. Your team is lacking will to continue and you all just want this project to be over.
9. The second wind. Finally, someone has a great and idea and someone steps up to rally the troops. You are going to finish this project and it’s going to be great. Your optimism is restored and there is a rush of productivity.
10. Contentment. You don’t care about the grade as much. You worked really hard and you made it through many bumps in the road to get you to the final product. All of the times that group member was late and all the times you had to correct the formatting in the Google Doc is forgotten and you can move on.