Sometimes we might lose our mind!

Post-secondary studies offer a lot. It can help us learn about our career path, improve our resumes and help us navigate who we are and what we might want to dedicate our lives to. But, post-secondary education also, sometimes, makes us do uncomfortable and dreadful things—group projects.

At some point or another, you will work in a group with your classmates. This can be a totally great experience, but it only takes that one bad experience to absolutely ruin the whole concept. And all our professors say the same—“You’ll have to work with people you don’t work well with your whole life.” Honestly, this has never made it any more enjoyable, but there are a few ways to make it through to the end!

Create a group chat

The first step to success is having a portal of communication between all of you. I’d suggest making a group chat on a platform that’s accessible—WhatsApp is probably the most convenient. This avoids all the “I didn’t see your email,” or “I haven’t been able to reach them.” But most importantly, it’ll be the most accessible and easiest way for everyone to touch base with one another when you’re not in class.  

I’d steer away from social media apps too, I think it’s easier for messages to be neglected and, sometimes, it can get messy!

Make a plan

The second step to success is making a plan. As a group, make sure to go over the project expectations and divide and assign everyone’s role. It doesn’t hurt to have a discussion on what you’re expecting out of the project so you’re all working toward the same goal.

I highly suggest you make deadlines within the time period you have to complete the project—as small stepping stones to ensure everything is being completed. But, coordinating group calls can be hard, especially with everyone’s different schedules. 

The Howbout app is a great way to easily share your calendar with your group members to avoid all the back and forth of figuring out a day that works for everyone! Meeting up with your group is a great way for everyone to share their progress and any difficulties you might be encountering. At the end of the day, you are a group, so one’s success is everyone’s success. You want to make sure you’re balancing your independent tasks, but also supporting one another to succeed as a team. 

Learn to pivot

Group projects truly do teach you one thing—how to pivot. You might encounter a group member who hasn’t been communicating on their progress or their work might not be what you are all expecting. Well, it’s important to step back and ask yourself how you can support them and your group as a whole. Perhaps reach out to your group members personally and ask if there’s anything you can do to support them or if they need some extra time. It’s not necessarily about babysitting someone, but they might have a hard time reaching out or asking for help. 

It’s important to remain humble and realize that you may also have qualities that don’t align with others’ work ethics or learning methods. We are all so focused on what we need, how we learn or what we want that it can be easy to forget that others are also experiencing similar needs and wants. Communication is key and, without it, you get nowhere!

As much as we hate them, group projects do help us build teamwork and collaborative skills, which are crucial post-graduation. Working with others is hard, especially with people who you might not know, but it’s key to stay humble, communicate and support each other!

Feature image by Scott Graham via Unsplash.

Everyone has a role in a group project, but what’s yours? Check out the seven kinds of students in every group project!

Follow us on YouTube, Instagram and TikTok for all things student life.