What grinds my gears: group work

Group work in university is painful, especially in the first and second years. There are many reasons why people think group work is essential. Many believe it teaches you communication, responsibility, collaboration, and teamwork. Personally, group projects have taught me none of the above, only to trust no one.

I'm not sure why, but I am an idiot magnet, I tend to get every immature squealing girl, and every jock that should be in physical education, and every person who can’t talk either publically, or in our small isolated group. In the end, I always seem to wind up doing all or most of the work. The other group members end up sitting around collecting marks - I am a nice person so I don’t charge them with plagiarism.

The reality is that most just don’t know have enough education or experience to contribute in any meaningful way. As my friend Shawn always says “everyone f*cks up their first year”. As a result a few end up carrying the majority. A bad grade is often the result of trying to meet the goals of communication, et. Al.  The only real apparent way to a good grade is to carry all or most of the weight on one’s own back.