5 Types of People You’ll Meet in a Group Project
Pretty safe to say no one likes group assignments. Well, guess what? They’re still a thing in college, still just as annoying, and you’ll encounter the same types of people. In the event you were homeschooled, managed to avoid the horror of group projects in high school, or you’ve simply blocked the experience from your memory, here’s a refresher on the five people you are bound to meet in a group project.
1. The Do It All
There will always be one person who wants to do everything themselves because they think it will get done sooner, that it will get them a higher grade, or they just want the entire assignment to be over with so they don’t have to deal with the group. This person will not make any effort to ask for feedback from the rest of the group and will not notice if someone disappears for a while. At least it makes everyone else’s job easy.
2. The Do Nothing
This is self-explanatory and should hit home for a lot of students. The do-nothing person is just that - they want nothing to do with the project. They act like they’re paying attention and want to help, but they just want to let the do-it-all get the project done. They’re all for letting someone take over and earn the A.
3. The Quiet One
This person is shy and tends to keep to themselves. They chime in when directly asked a question, but stay out of the way otherwise. The quiet students are smart and want to help, but they’re too shy to bring forth their ideas in fear of rejection or no one listening. These students tend to go unnoticed in a group and feel more comfortable either by themselves or in a small group with friends.
4. The Obnoxious One
The obnoxious group member is the one that can’t be serious. They spend as much class time as they can playing around with their buddy in some other group. They throw ideas out every now and then, but their hearts aren’t in it. They just want to make it look like they’re participating for the sake of their grade.
5. The Diplomat
This person embraces the group project in its truest form. They try to make sure everyone has their say, everyone participates equally, and that every decision is made democratically. In an effort to make the experience what they’re sure the professor intended, the diplomat can cause delays because they’re waiting for everyone to weigh in and want the process to be “fair.” The diplomat is the arch-nemesis of both the do-it-all and the do-nothing.