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Group Projects - dealing with slackers
In the midst of a semester-long housing studio project with a partner. I knew it would be rough but this is more stressful than I ever imagined - I have a feeling my partner and I won't be friends after this!!
The lack of communication has caused me to seriously consider just doing my own thing. My partner is having some serious issues. Midterm is in 2 weeks and I've seen one sketch from t my partner. Meanwhile, I keep scheduling meetings and showing my work in order to get feedback - my partner always cancels meetings due to not feeling well, sleeping in, catching up on other homework - it's always SOMETHING. I've had two serious conversations with this person letting them know I needed more communication and input but so far NOTHING. This person has started even avoiding discussing studio with me altogether, either changing the subject or leaving the room.
What do you do in this situation? I am ready to just design my own building and say to hell with the partner's (lack of) input. This is so frustrating.
Discuss with your professor about this and your concern because sometimes some students just don't work because they don't have the driving interest. This is why I never like group projects in college because the students are often too interested in partying and goofing off (just got out of high school.... and haven't grown up since 6th grade and relapsed to 3rd grade maturity).
I just figure out how to do it myself and plunk along.
In the architecture courses I have taken at the university, I just work on my own because most of the students in class are 10+ years younger than me and they don't have interest working with students 10 years older than them.
I worked more with students that are my age or older and they feel more comfortable working with together because they aren't shy to age diversity.
In this case, talk with the instructor while in the meantime, brain storm on what you would be looking at doing in the project and begin moving forward. When you inform the instructor of the situation and inform the instructor that you'll be moving forward with the project on your own and do not feel confortable working with this student and move forward. Start putting your ideas down as sketching and work on moving forward. Prepare to put long hours consistently. NO movie time. Got it? DO take rest time but rest lightly and perhaps use rest time to work through some ideas in your head. Fine. Don't slack on your other assignments, either. Take your sketches to lunch and dinner with your mark-up pencil to mark in what you want to change or what not. Have plenty of bumwad with you. Keep a copy of your design intent and vision with you.
Have that argument for why each design decision. Why. How it goes together with the whole design vision. The big picture. How do you want to evoke emotionally, experientially, etc.?
Start working on it to get yourself some leg room and make up time. The next two weeks will be rough but you'll need to put long hours in for the next 4 weeks and taper back a little bit so you can have sleep but still put long hours in. You'll want to justify a good grade for yourself.
No room for partying much. Sad to say but listen to music or something in the background while working and getting yourself in the mode This way, you can get yourself and your mind in the work all the way.
Make sure to communicate problems to the instructor now, if not yesterday. Don't be whiny and blaming, just clear and professional. Focus on what work you've done, and attempts at communication.
You may get told by the prof something along the lines of "tough tacos. This is a team project and part of that is managing to get the work done despite difficulties." (Fair enough, in my book.) If so, do your best in this project, shake it off, and chalk it up as a lesson for future projects. But clear communication with "the client" up front may help manage future problems.
Balkins with some poor advice as usual...
Work it out with your partner, don't go to your professor and tattle.
The whole purpose of group projects is to see how a couple of ego-maniac architecture students can work through a forced collaboration. In some ways it prepares you for the workplace...It also prepares you for the amount of headache and redesign that are inherent in the professional world.
In every group project, a select few (in your case you) usually carry out the bulk of work, your partner is a looser, face it and get the work done, just look at as an opportunity to do a good project, Im sure you professor is already well aware that you are working with a turd...
"In the architecture courses I have taken at the university, I just work on my own because most of the students in class are 10+ years younger than me and they don't have interest working with students 10 years older than them. "
hahahah which school did you go to? I wouldn't want to work with those students who picked group partners based on age anyway rather than ability.
Like many said, approach your professor with your concerns NOW. Don't try and blame your partner, rather tell your prof you're concerned in a professional manner. I've seen group works where it backfired for those who approached their prof and tried to lay all blame on the concerned group member when the truth was in their inabilities to do good work and work as a team. (not implying you aren't capable of good work)
Balkins, shut up. You didn't even go to a real School of Architecture.
Just do the work yourself. Don't wait for someone else to help, because you will be waiting a long time. It may be tough, but life is tough. Professional practice is tough. Just knuckle under and get it done.
^ yeah.. be prepared to do the work yourself, knuckle under and get it done. But also make your professor aware of it
How does one go through years of school and not know how to handle this? It's as if this was the first time the original poster encountered a lazy/incompetent/unreliable/flaky group member in life.
Get the work done and get on with it. You'll be in a better position to discuss this with the instructor if it's clear you're doing more than enough to pull your own weight. Sometimes group projects become a laziness contest - don't let that be your team.
In the long run your grade on this won't matter much, but your relationship to the instructor might - and you'll be better off if this project is good enough to put in your portfolio.
If your partner was your friend you've just learned a good lesson: don't partner with friends. This will be true for the rest of your professional life.
archanonymous,
Yawn... I have been to NAAB accredited architecture program courses from UO so give it a rest.
What has been suggested is move forward with the project with or without the other student because it is too late to waste more time on this other student with only 2 weeks left to a mid-semester presentation and will need to make up a lot lost time which will require being decisive and putting long hours but optimal performance which requires sleep to maintain while managing all the other course work. Remember, studio isn't your only academic course if you are a full-time student.
@bugsmetoo, Actually I never have had a group member who didn't even attempt to pull their own weight, so yes, this is a first for me. Maybe I was lucky?
Everyone, thanks for the input. I've already gone full speed ahead and made the decisions I needed to. We have a pinup today and I have almost everything ready. I am not worried about getting the work done myself at all - I just wish I didn't have to drag dead weight around with me.
paintitblack,
GREAT !!!!
Move forward and get what you need to get done and keep plugging along. Put the long hours you need to get the assignments done.
Don't worry about the dead weight.
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