Choosing to remain anonymous for this series of articles in order to share how I really, REALLY feel.
Being a Bentley student means being forced to work in an infinite number of group projects over the years. We gain from this a greater understanding of communication, responsibility, collaboration and teamwork… and also a working knowledge that some people are just nuts. From what I’ve gathered, the make-up of every group project at Bentley goes something like this.
The Ghost
They are there on the first day of classes when teams are assigned and make it to the first group meeting. Then, class after class, they don’t show up, don’t respond to group emails, and basically cease to exist. Finally, just when you remove their name from the title slide of the PowerPoint they appear again, with their full part all ready to go, acting like nothing happened. Life goes on as normal for about two more weeks and then POOF, they pull a full on Keyser Soze and are gone forever. You hear the rumors about where they went… The company he started went public, she moved back to Spain to be with her fiancée, or most likely they straight up hopped on the crazy train and are gone for good. Do yourself a favor and just ask the professor if they dropped the class or if you need to send a search crew to look for them.
The Creep
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to make new friends and if you happen to click with some members of your 420 group that’s awesome. BUT, if I spent 4 hours with a group member talking about literally nothing but Excel tables, I’ll be a little perplexed if I get a text saying we should share a cab to Skell later. I’ve talked to many a girl who is now wary about giving out her phone number to a group member (usually necessary to complete a project) after having to repeatedly make excuses to not go to the party at their frat Friday night. Worst part? Peer evals. You need to remain somewhat on the creep’s good graces because this person has a temporary power over your GPA. So unfair I know, but as soon as the class is over so are any obligations you had to this dude.
[pagebreak]
The Deceiver
Perhaps the most dangerous person to ever have in a group project. This is the guy that seems to be the natural leader from the very beginning. He basically acts like an expert on whatever your project may be (Oh I interned for that company, yeah my uncle was Steve Jobs’ mailman, my best friends dog was in a commercial for Pepsi so yeah I have a definite in…). He dishes out parts, and of course takes on the lengthiest, most crucial part for himself. Everything seems legit and you are psyched… Until the first paper is due and he shows up with absolutely nothing. The deceiver will have a very believable excuse for why their part wasn’t done, but week after week it happens again, or at the very least the work is subpar. The worst part is after failing each time, their claims get even bigger trying to make up for the last one. Try to spot this one early or you likely won’t make it out with a grade higher than a C.
The Jennifer Lawrence
Once in a while you will have a girl in your group who is so cool it’s not even fair. Why are her clothes so stylish? Why is her hair always perfect? And you’re pretty sure that boyfriend she’s always talking about plays for the Red Sox. The worst part is that you want to hate her but you can’t… She’s super nice and always does her share of the work. There is no real downside to having the Jennifer Lawrence on your team minus the fact that you may inadvertently turn into the creep trying to hang out with her…
[pagebreak]
The Throwback
This is the thought process for when you see this former group member: Oh look, it’s Jeff from my GB112 group freshman year. Wow we worked on that final project for like five days straight, I can’t believe that was three years ago. I wonder if he is still doing well on the cross country team and- OH CRAP CRAP, HE’S COMING THIS WAY. Do I say hi?? Oh my god I bet he doesn’t remember who I am, but what if he does and then I look like a total jerk for not saying hi?? I better just say hi, what’s the worst that can happen? Oh wait, crap no, he’s not looking, QUICK! Pretend to text someone, look like it’s really important…..
The Former Friend
It’s a great feeling when you take a class with some of your friends knowing that you will get to pick groups for a project and you already have your team ready to go. Unfortunately, this can backfire in a major way. You find out your kind of quiet, funny friend turns into a total dictator when it comes to group projects. You swear to the rest of your group that she’s actually really cool, while starting to lose your cool yourself with the strict deadlines they impose and threats to drop members from the team. Eventually though, the class ends and they go back to being their normal sweet self…But you make a mental note to never take a class with them ever again.