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—Daniel A., Portland State University, Oregon

Let me start with a confession: I was not the world’s best group project member. In fact, I was pretty bad. Why? Because I was focused on the “project” and not the “group,” which means I bulldozed over the humans I had to work with to get that A. Little did I know that I had missed the opportunity to develop important people skills that I am still working on.

Hopefully, some of your group members will be more experienced with, and enthusiastic about, group work than I was. You might be worried if you’re working with a mix of older, younger, more experienced, and less experienced students, but there’s no reason to be. In fact, there are some real benefits to having a mix of ages and experience levels in a group environment. Here are some:

• Students returning to college after time away typically spent time in the job market, and that means they’ve had more time to refine their collaborative skills. Use this to your advantage by asking for their real-world tips on group work. Their experiences can help shape your approach.
• Older students typically know their strengths and weaknesses because they’ve had more time to figure them out. They will likely know where they’ll be most helpful. Just ask.
• Many nontraditional students are juggling full-time work, careers, families, and care-giving with their student life. While that may make them busier, it also makes them more likely to seriously focus on their tasks and want to get the most from the experience.

You might run into a few problems here and there with scheduling, especially if some of your group mates have more responsibilities than others. Here are a few ideas for working through schedule conflicts:

Use your first meeting to establish how many times you’ll need to meet and how long those meetings will be. Then get them on everyone’s calendar.

Be clear about what work can be done remotely. You don’t need to go over every single detail of people’s tasks in person. In fact, a lot of the work can likely be completed independently so you can use the meeting time to review and get on the same page. Clarify what work each of you can do remotely and how you’ll check in when you’re not face-to-face.

Set communication expectations. Exchange contact info, make a group text or chat, or start an email chain to send updates and check in. This can reduce the time needed to meet in person and can make your meetings more efficient.

Use collaborative technology in place of meeting times if scheduling gets hectic. A shared Google Doc or presentation gives everyone the chance to see progress and provide feedback, no matter where they are or what time of day it is.

Once you’ve figured out how to make it work for everyone, figure out how the project is going to work overall. Here are a few more tips:

• Determine individuals’ preferences. Your first meeting should establish who prefers to do what task. Your group members know their strengths and weaknesses, and they should use that knowledge to choose tasks that play to their strengths. Here’s where that experience comes in handy.
• Assign tasks and deadlines…but be flexible. Life will get in the way and humans will do human things—such as not deliver on their task—so be prepared that even if you have a clear plan in place for completing the project, there will need to be adjustments. It’s part of the process!
• Be honest. Ask for group members’ honesty as they work on their tasks. A member can’t deliver what was promised? That member needs to let the group know immediately. Make an agreement that honesty will be encouraged and supported.
• Get it done without malice. Many times, I have been the one who came in at the end and took care of the incomplete tasks, and many times, I had a bad attitude about it. I encourage you to keep focused on the completion of the project and do what is needed without getting angry at group members who didn’t do what they promised. This is a good lesson in meeting “real world” deadlines and working with people effectively.

“How do I go about choosing a major or minor?”—Taylor V.*, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador

*Name changed

Choosing a major can be a joyous occasion (Hey, I found my life’s calling!) or it can be anxiety-producing (What if I change my mind? What if I realize I don’t like it?) or somewhere in between. I remember alternately experiencing highs and lows after I decided to major in English literature. While I loved my classes and the work, I didn’t love answering the question “And what are you going to do with that?”

What intrigues you?

• Another way to ask this is “What classes interest you?”
• The answer to this question can help you determine what major may sustain your interest over the long haul of completing a degree. To figure this out, scan your university’s course descriptions in majors you’re considering.
• Do the class descriptions excite you? Make you curious to learn more? Seem like fun or worthwhile?
• Be sure to look at all levels of classes, not just the ones you are eligible to take.

What bores you?

• Or you may ask yourself, what topics would be excruciating for you to study?
• Finding what you don’t like is just as important as discovering what you do like. No offense to anyone reading this, but I would have never felt excited in a music or a math class. And while I do like the process of learning, the thought of cutting something open and observing it in a science class did not excite me as a college student. Scanning descriptions of courses can start you on the road to narrowing down your choices.

What’s your overall goal?

• Do you want to step into an entry-level job after graduation, or do you want to go directly to a graduate program.
• The answer to that question—even if you’re not 100 percent sure now—may affect your decision on a major. For example, if you’re eying a job as a speech pathologist after college, you may want to do a little research to determine what majors are most likely to get into speech pathology graduate programs. Or if you want to go to law school, do some research on the majors of the top law students. (Hint: It may not be political science.)
• You can use the same research steps if you want to go straight into the workforce. There are some industries in which a specific major is required, and there are others in which there is no preference for a specific major.

What are the requirements for this major?

• Once you determine a few possible majors (or maybe you have found THE ONE), talk to an advisor about the requirements for completing the major. Taking certain courses in a certain sequence may be required, but there may be others: Grade point average, internships, clinical work, or field requirements are just some of the “extras” that could be necessary for you to achieve before you can walk across the stage. Are you willing and able to complete those requirements?

[vc_column_text]Of course, after you’ve answered these questions—and done a little research—talk to everyone you can find. Ask advisors, career counselors, faculty, upper-class students, and employers about how they made their own decisions and what advice they would give you. You will find that choosing a major or minor that suits your interests and long-term plans is a little bit science (doing the research) and a little bit of an art (staying true to yourself).[/vc_column_text]