Guide to Getting an A in a Group Project by Diego

Guide to Getting an A in a Group Project by Diego - December 2017 Scholarship Essay

My ultimate strategy is to initially get to know one another because with proper verbal communication, groups will make sure all aspects of the school project are understood and covered. In each one of the groups I was split into during my undergraduate degree, it was my natural inclination to break the ice and introduce myself to the members in my group. After casual conversation, although not all the time, you can kind of get a hint of the level of effort each member of the group will contribute.
As soon as the professor explains the school project, one member of the team must be an over-achiever and get the project started that same day. By starting the project the day it’s announced, it’s a great way to input your ideas when your mind is recently exposed to the prompt. The person who started the project should appoint sections of the project to be done by the other members of the group. For example, one member of the group can do the introduction, another can do the body paragraphs, while others work on the conclusion and any data or graphs that need to be analyzed.
Each member of the group must have each other’s contact information, that way communication can be made always, and not just when in the classroom. Opening a Google Doc would be a good idea to share a platform in where all of the members of the group can input their information for their corresponding assigned sections. This platform is automatically saved with every character typed, and allows you to see what the other members of the group are adding on to the document as well. The advantage about Google Doc is that it can be accessed on one’s phone, as well as on one’s computer. This makes it very convenient to work on the school project, no matter where one is, thus less room for procrastination.
Once all parts of the school project are done, then all members of the group should give it a final review, correcting any grammatical errors, vocabulary choosing, and general content flow. The over-achiever of the group would do an additional edit because it’s in one’s nature to take control and go above and beyond the minimum. I say this because I have always been the over-achiever in each one of the school projects I’ve worked on, and it’s instinctive to do a final edit and pick up the slack where other members of the group may have left off.
The last step to the ultimate strategy for success on a school project would be to finish a few days early so the group can present it to the professor and ask for his/her input. Based off the comments the professor may have, then the group can do the final touches on the project. By pre-exposing the project to the professor, it shows that the group is enthusiastic about the project and willing to present it at its best form. From my experience, professors like it when you show them your project which can later favor you when it comes to grading it.