What are we here for?
Group work and all its drama
What’s up guyyyy?
How many group works have you done this semester?
Be honest 😭
I’ve been a member of more groups than I can count and at this point, group work is not academic activity. It’s a social experiment. A survival test. A test of patience. A test of whether you and your friends will still greet each other next week.
And somehow, every single group has the same types of people.
Let’s find out.
1. The Silent Members
These ones join the group chat and immediately go ghost.
They don’t react.
They don’t respond.
They don’t contribute.
But they are always “seen”.
When you finally tag them directly, they reply with:
“Sorry, just seeing this.”
Just seeing what? The assignment that was sent three days ago?
They’ll appear on submission day asking,
“So what are we doing?”
We don’t know. Because you were spiritually absent😒.
2. The “I’ll Just Send Money” Members
These ones don’t want stress. They want peace.
They won’t research.
They won’t design slides.
They won’t type anything.
But they will confidently say,
“How much are we contributing?”
They believe every academic problem can be solved with ₦1,500.
Presentation tomorrow?
“I’ll send my part money.”
Sir. Ma.
This is not a party contribution.
3. The Sacrificial Lambs (a.k.a. The Presenters)
These are the brave souls who always end up standing in front of the class.
They didn’t volunteer.
They were volunteered.
Somehow, every group meeting ends with:
“You speak well, you can present.”
Now they’re in front of 200 students explaining slides they didn’t even design.
If the lecturer asks a question outside the script?
It’s over.💀
We must respect them. They carry the group’s academic reputation on their back.
4. The “What’s Going On?” Members
These ones attend every meeting.
Physically.
But mentally? Buffering😭
You explain the topic.
They nod.
You explain again.
They nod harder.
Then they ask,
“So what exactly are we doing?”
Even on presentation day, they whisper,
“Wait, what’s our topic again?”
Nobody knows how they passed the course prerequisite in the first place.
5. The Almighty Group Leader
Every group has that one person who did not apply for leadership, but leadership found them.
They:
create the group chat
divide the topics
remind everyone of deadlines
beg people to submit their part
combine everything
edit everything
and still present
They are tired.
They didn’t ask for this responsibility. They just wanted to pass the course peacefully.
By the end of the project, they’re questioning their life choices.
6. The Last-Minute Redeemer
This one disappears for 90% of the project.
Then suddenly, at 2:13am before submission,
“I’ve done something small.”
Small indeed.
Now the group leader must fix it in silence.
Why Does Group Work Actually Feel Personal?
The problem with group work is not just the work.
It’s that effort becomes visible.
Participation is obvious.
And imbalance becomes irritating.
You start noticing who shows up.
Who avoids responsibility.
Who carries others.
And sometimes, friendships don’t survive that discovery.
Group work is supposed to teach collaboration.
Instead, it teaches: patience, delegation, silent anger, and how to professionally say “please send your part” 10 times.
But somehow, we survive.
And next semester, we’ll do it again.
Because fortunately or unfortunately, school is more character development than learning.
Did I leave out any category? Let me know in the comments!
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Catch up with previous publications on What’s Up by 10.8.8 Africa.
Until next gist,
Gbemi from 10.8.8 Africa✨
I never volunteer, I'm always volunteered 🤧