FOR:
Jolie Oakman — Contributor 

Group projects can be as controversial as pineapple on pizza. For me, while I have had my fair share of lousy groups where I wanted to shake the person and ended up doing the entire assignment, I still enjoy group projects. 

Shocker, I know. 

A lot of the time, I even end up doing the majority of the work on my own. One time, I didn’t think that my partner in this group project would do their share, so I did it on a different document just in case. 

Although a bad group project can feel like I am getting my eyebrows waxed, the right group project with the right people can almost feel like magic. 

I love being able to learn and add input; the project becomes better than it would have been had I just done it on my own.

Some of my favorite and most enjoyable assignments were group projects. I love how in group projects you can collaborate and use the different strengths and weaknesses to one’s own advantage. 

For example, I recently had a group project where we were doing a mock interview in my business class. I am really good at thinking on my feet, and I was the person being interviewed. In this particular project, we had assigned everyone positions that they would good at, which made the project run smoothly.

Over the course of my college experience, I have had various group assignments, and through them, I have been able to connect and be friends with some of my partners. I am generally pretty quiet, and for me, being forced to talk and have a conversation with the students around me is nice because I have to talk and collaborate with them. 

I even had a history group assignment where we ended up studying together. I also appreciate it when I am not the only one suffering. When you are in a group project, you can suffer together, and hey, if the professor is really bad, you can even trauma bond.

I can understand why some people don’t like group projects. They can be an odd test of restraint, but without group projects, I feel like I would miss out on the fulfillment of going to college.

AGAINST:
John Heibeck — Contributor

Group projects have rarely been anything more than a nightmare for me. In concept they serve to get students to collaborate. In practice, they only slow down the process of completing a project and add problems one doesn’t have to worry about in solo work.

To start with, group work is a scheduling nightmare. Scheduling anything in college is already tough, with juggling classes, extracurriculars, time to study, other projects, and potentially work.

Now imagine having to factor in other people’s schedules. Granted, this really isn’t a problem if everyone’s schedules are similar. However, with different schedules, meeting becomes a major hassle, sometimes harder than the project itself.

For some other projects, this isn’t a problem. For example, a group PowerPoint can be done even if everyone involved is working remotely.

However, if everyone’s doing their own piece separately, what was the point of the group work in the first place?

This leads to my second problem with group projects: it tends to be a slog. Every decision must be run by the group, which makes even the simplest tasks take far longer.

Brainstorming also takes longer because everyone has to find a single vision for the project, communicate it effectively, and keep consistent communication going throughout. I understand that this works for some students, but for someone like me, who works best in isolation, it’s something I just can’t handle.

Finally, we move on to my final issue with group work: volatility. There is no way to know beforehand if the people you’re working with will be good partners, even if you know them already.

Maybe you’ll get lucky and find a group with similar schedules, great communication skills, and a good work ethic. Just as likely, you’ll get people who can’t work with your schedule, go radio silent for weeks on end, or (worst of all), force you to pick up their slack when they don’t get anything done.

This type of chaos is what truly elevates group work from tedious to absolutely nightmarish. Projects in college already have the potential to be a hurdle on their own. The last element they need added is random chance.

In summation, group work does nothing more than slow down and inconvenience students who are simply trying to get their work done. The unpredictability, slow progress, and general annoyance of the process is something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.