Do you like or dislike group projects?

Hi everyone

Ok so since we are all working on a group project this semester I thought I would share my ideas on the topic.  Well, let me first start off with I really dislike group projects.  They seem to be difficult because not only do you have to work together to get a good grade but you must find time in each other’s schedules to meet.  Half the battle is picking a date or times to gather everyone.  This can be challenging because we are college students and we all have different schedules.  Think about how much it stinks to miss your one and only program on television one night just to meet with your group!  I ask to watch one show a week (for me..it is Grey’s Anatomy) and I don’t enjoy having to miss it. 

                Another reason I do not particularly care for group projects is that there always seems to be one person who is so much more committed to doing a lot of work while others stand around and watch.  This is not fair for one person to have to stay up late finishing up a paper while the other students involved can go to sleep and not have a worry in their mind.  Think about a time you were assigned to work in a group of people you did not know.  You always have the worry that this person isn’t going to lift a finger or even worse be overly committed to the project and make you look like you have not contributed. 

                These are only some of my worries I have when I need to work on a project with someone.  However, there are a few pros that go along with working in a group.  I know I met my best friend in 8^th grade because we were paired together to do a project together.  Being paired with people you do not know is not necessarily a bad thing, I mean, you get to meet new people and that is a bonus.  Another reason some people like group projects is because the work can be split up evenly so neither one of the students in the group needs to as hard.  This is very time consuming to alter a plan on who is doing what but in the long run it may conclude worth it. 

                Lastly, I would like to point out that the project we are working on in class I am actually enjoying.  I feel that Professor Morris has tackled the anxiety of us feeling we may be doing all the work while others sit and watch.  I like that we need to state our contributions we made to create the group at the end of the projects.  This most defiantly allowed me to feel like we will be forced to all do the same amount of work and that our grades may all be different from one another’s. 

                All and all I have mixed opinions on working in groups however, I must say this project has gotten me to branch out and think of new ideas on how to bring awareness to tackling theft on campus.  I think that this Comp class is very different than other classes on campus.  Instead of watching a movie and being told to write a paper on it, instead, we are being forced to really tackle a local issue.  This allows us all to think “out of the box” and soon enough our creativity levels will rise.