nadira berman

how to survive group projects

as if normal school projects weren’t stressful enough, group projects bring another whole set of conflicts and challenges. it’s hard to work with random classmates who probably have a variety of different work ethics – some contributing more than others… but follow the tips below and the somewhat painful process should get a little easier!
 

get started early

1

tempting… but you have to realize that the due date is going to come around at some point. and it’s not like when you procrastinate on a project you’re doing alone. it’s going to be a lot harder to cram all the work into one night if you’re trying to call one of your group mates and they don’t respond for hours. unfortunately, you can’t depend on people. and just think how nice it will be when you’re finished early. you can just sit back and relax.

2

lol, more like focus on other homework.

assign tasks

it will put your mind at ease if you know exactly what you have to get done. if everyone does their part, you’ll be finished before you know it!

plus, you wouldn’t what the same task to be done twice because of lack of communication. don’t do an unnecessary amount of work.

assigning jobs will help to get rid of the classic problem of one person doing more or less work than all the others. this way, you can divide the work in the fairest way possible.
 

don’t be afraid to be honest

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maybe not that honest… but don’t sit there silently if you really object to the direction the project is going in!

instead, start with a compliment, then, give constructive criticism. mention the aspects of their idea that you like, but explain a few ways that you believe it could be made better.

like earlier, lack of communication can lead to later conflict when you burst into a rage in two weeks because you think your group totally messed up the whole assignment.
 

schedule work time

we are more connected than ever nowadays. there are so many ways you can communicate with your group. you could have a group text, a facebook message, a skype session… the possibilities are endless. take advantage of those things!

but i find it’s also very important to schedule in-person work time. sometimes certain ideas can be hard to communicate through a screen. and sometimes it’s easier to understand what someone is trying to convey when you see them face-to-face.

 

author

  • nadira berman

    as a summer marketing intern, nadira is excited to help high schoolers prepare for the sat and act. as a freshman at the university of pennsylvania, she is considering studying economics. in her free time, she reports for the school newspaper and styles photo shoots for the school’s fashion magazine. besides fashion and journalism, her passions include bagels, smoothies and netflix.

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