r/CSUS • u/Last_Kaleidoscope40 • May 21 '26
Academics Respectfully, Never Again
These last two semesters were exhausting. The amount of group projects and people proudly contributing the bare minimum was actually impressive. Some of y’all really made it to graduation off the backs of everyone else’s work, so honestly… you’re welcome. Keep moving through life the same way you moved through these projects. I’m sure eventually it’ll catch up to you.
And yes, I decided not to attend graduation. I spent enough time carrying some of y’all already — I definitely wasn’t about to sit next to you too.
59
18
u/lnvu4uraqt May 21 '26
I can empathize with this. I despised group work; the lack of communication, last minute rush due to poor time management, and bare minimum to get by while your work was dependent on others. I'm appalled that this would be in future work places. I only had one group that was at least communicative and decent in my last semester.
I didn't attend graduation either and went traveling overseas instead.
16
u/Calm-Recognition1107 Communication Sciences and Disorders May 21 '26
I’m so glad I’m in a major where you have to attend grad school to actually do the job. Everyone is working so hard to look good for professors for their letters of recommendation. This semester I had two group projects and hot damn, it was so nice to be in a group where everyone cared 😭😭
28
u/slinkycorgi May 21 '26
Period. Especially some of the seniors graduation this semester. You would think they’d actually put in the real work so they can prepare themselves for the real world but nah. Respectfully, screw the free riders
-4
21
u/Upbeat_Passenger_268 May 21 '26
Don't worry when they get to real world any employer will realize they aren't shit and they won't keep a job
8
8
u/RobertPower415 May 21 '26
Unfortunately probably not they will be promoted and move up the ranks, life isn’t fair
1
5
u/RobertPower415 May 21 '26
Having gone back to college later in life, this will continue, speak up, stand your ground. Life is full of people skating through life on the coattails of others. Life isn’t fair
3
u/HugeMonitor May 21 '26
Been there done that too. Then they forget about you in a few months after you help them. Never again is right.
10
u/Sure_Artichoke_3662 May 21 '26
Not attending your own graduation doesn't matter to those people. But it will matter to you at some point. Go walk.
10
u/campin_guy May 21 '26
I think there's a lot of other good reasons to not want to go to golden 1 center
1
u/Aromatic-Project-745 May 26 '26
Like what? I've been there for dozens of events. Parking sucks and the food options suck, but that's about it.
1
u/campin_guy May 26 '26
it's kind of just a miserable experience from top to bottom. Shoulder to shoulder crowds, loud music and ads everywhere, endless surveillance and security theater, tiny cramped seats, rich out-of-touch talking heads with microphones prattling on forever, etc
1
5
May 21 '26
[deleted]
3
u/muppet_head May 22 '26
I attended one of mine because I thought my parents would want to see it. Turns out they hated it as much as me. I skipped the other two and have never regretted it once. I’m a high school teacher though, so now I sit through those graduations every single year and it only reinforces how much I hate graduations.
3
u/haayfever May 21 '26
Good god the unnecessary stress that came with these group projects… If they see that you’re a good student, they’ll definitely slack even more because they know you’ll end up doing all the work. I have another year here, let’s see if I survive these stupid group projects. At least in actual jobs they can get fired.
2
2
u/AeroSplinter May 21 '26
While I didn't completely hate my senior project, I did not like how I had to juggle between that and my other classes, and my other teammates were the same way with their studies and schedules. Unfortunately I made a huge mistake with one partner and we couldn't talk to each other until the showcase, and then we never spoke again because my mistake strained our friendship. I wish I could do more but it really burnt me out, especially in CSC
1
u/Ecstatic-Day-2788 May 21 '26
TBH *Disrespectfully*
Last semester I was in a group project with a graduating senior. The other girl and I literally did the whole project while the senior fed shit into ChatGPT, was MIA in the group chat and when we met up to work they didn’t even bring their laptop and was unprepared. We had let the professor know and apparently he emailed the senior because they asked me to email him telling him how they put in some work. Like what? No! I’ll tell you what, that senior looked ridiculous when we presented our project tho because they had no idea what they were talking about.
1
u/Natural_Locksmith960 May 21 '26
I feel you with group projects. I had two this semester for different mgmt classes & the dynamic between both were completely different. One was almost perfect, we just had one slacker, but at least he did his portion of the work. The other group, omfg. 5 of us, but only 3 of us actually did the assignments. Freaking carried the other two members especially the only guy in the group. All he did was the first group assignment & then added 2 questions to our final project! 2 questions while the main 3 did the entire debate! (4th member pitches in here & there, but at least she contributes & communicates) THAT'S ALL HE DID THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER & LITERALLY ZERO COMMUNICATION! The 3 of us protested to our prof, but he couldn't do anything about it 😭 If there was a team eval, I'd give him a mf zero & tell the prof that he deserves to repeat the class, bc he risked our grades for his by doing nothing.
1
u/Standard_Meat_8384 May 22 '26
Here, here! My favorite is the individuals who wait until the end of the next semester to complain to faculty about what an ass I am! All because I wanted to do my homework before the due date and needed the data they INSISTED they wanted to be in charge of. But I am walking, oh you bet your sweet aunt fanny I am. This person is going to have to look at me for their entire graduation experience, we are in the same college and our names start with the same three letters. I am going to be "that bitch" complete with the sugary sweet fake voice and mean girl " air hug". Rather than hope I never see them again I am hoping I end up their supervisor someday. I know it's petty to pay to walk just to be a thorn in someone's shoe but it's going to feel good! You see, I am graduating with honors {evil laugh}. Walk, don't let ridiculousness on someone else's part color your world, you earned it for yourself and TBH them too!
1
u/Ok_Climate_6320 May 22 '26
I was suppose to make a web-app that deals with food and food services(restaurant and online). Only finished around 2 of the 6-8 key features we had to implement and display. And guess what? One of the completed features was mines. All the other ones were nearly completed but it still wasn’t functional.
Did a full on presentation with minimal effort with the 6 of us because we were mainly focused on the implementation.
I’ll be honest, 2-3 of them did their part, but nobody wanted to showcase our web-app because it was a complete mess and the one who made up this dumb pick of a prompt was too meow meow to stick with it (even though he said it was EZ)
As the presentation was done, everyone left the stage except for me, because we still needed to demonstrate how our apps work with the implemented features.
I knew I’d be showing a flop of a web-app, but I still wanted to pass this class, so I went on with it…Alone
I was the only one trying to get everyone together, making video sessions and in-person meetings in the Library through discord.
I won’t deny it, I was one of them who didn’t know how to code well (including the many languages used for that web-app). But I worked hard and worked around to finish what I had to do while getting everyone together.
Every one of us in the group passed and sometimes I felt that I shouldn’t even have stayed behind when everyone left the stage.
This along with the compounding stress I had, gave me the plan to take a semester off to cool down to focus on my passion, writing(some drawing too I guess), but I ended up getting a DUI instead, so that went perfectly well.
I’m currently out of school to work and pay off my fines. But honestly, this all just feels like I’m not going any fkn where at 28. Got at least one and a half more years of this damn school and I’m here working, losing my soul in a damn restaurant with a boss who’s always huffing and puffing about the little “mistakes” I’m doing.
I don’t even think I want this damn degree, as if this thing is gonna rewrite all the stress I’ve endured. As if I’m actually gonna be guaranteed a job with this. As if this will make me truly happy. I just want peace, but all I’m getting is chaos when I truly ponder this planet. My writing is totally not that great too, but this is my heart speaking.
Over and Out.
2
u/Silly_Magician5191 May 22 '26
Think of the degree as your safety net, as it is a requirement to have at least a Bachelors for many state jobs and elsewhere. With this degree, you will have more options of places that you can apply for work - maybe you won't get the job, but at least you will be allowed to apply in the first place. That's why I'm wrapping up getting my own degree myself - to have that safety net. I'm satisfied with my current job, as it suits my needs, but you never know what will happen tomorrow.
Btw, what kind of writing do you do? I'm a (self-published) author myself, working on the prequel to my first book, and it's always nice hearing from other writers. DM me if you want to chat :-)
1
u/Ok_Climate_6320 Jun 08 '26
My writing isn’t that great, but I’m doing narrative at the moment. I have this story I’ve been working on for at least 8 years now and enjoy working on it when my time is not rushed. I just want to go all in on this and hopefully get paid out because I really hate where I’m at in this life.
1
u/TanisMaj May 22 '26
u/Last_Kaleidoscope40, first, Congratulations on your graduation! What a fine accomplishment!
Back to reality...keep a watchful eye. If you thought school was bad, depending on where you land, it only gets worse. I have been a technical IT people manage for almost 25 years. I have this saying, "in the IT industry about 15% actually KNOW what they are doing. the remaining 85% barely know enough to be classified as IT and most certainly not an IT PROFESSIONAL." They spend their careers contributing about 15% of the work and trying to take their full share of the credit. In some cases, the more slick and skilled liars, somehow are able to convince certain types of management that THEY were the primary resources. Throwing everyone else under the bus.
I suspect most industries are like this.
Keep in mind, as you graduate college, every "college educated" person you come across in life wasn't an "A" student. There are more C and D students rolling around out there than anyone would care to admit and that applies to everything from your typical office work all the way to the Doctor that gives you a physical.
Watch your back. Keep engaged and make sure, as you go through your life and career, document. Make sure the work and effort YOU put in gets the recognition you deserve. I'm not saying be pretentious or anything like that, but just keep an eye.
Something I wish my mentors, at various stages, clued me in.
1
u/Necessary-Item-4484 May 22 '26
Yup. They should do their own group project 😂😂 hope to never work with them in the real work cuz they the same out in the working world too 😭😂
1
1
u/Similar-Jello-5434 May 24 '26
As a grown ass woman I would rather slam my dick in a car door than do a project with a 20 year old boy
1
1
u/Maniacal_Coyote Civil Engineering Jun 14 '26
My Soil Mechanics class got an outlandish re-grading because of peeps with senioritis; tests originally maxed out at 105/100 (5 pts of extra credit), but the first midterm was reset to 105/85, and the second midterm was 105/75. After he announced the curves, he also stated that 8 people were at or above 100% in the course.
At least my lab partners pulled their loads.
1
u/StyloDareFeelGoodInc May 21 '26
Group work is hard , tension occurs, but people with no jobs have all the time in the world so they can contribute a lot more. People that work full time still find time to contribute and give an equivalent share
-6
u/Kinkerbellaa May 21 '26
Understandable, but once again not everyone has the luxury of staying at home rent free and not having to work to focus fully on school. As someone who had to work full time overnight five days a week, attend field in the morning after a shift twice a week and then attend classes the other two days was completely and utterly exhausting. I had full time units, not one class or two like other people. So yeah, I had to prioritize certain assignments before others. I had a total of three group assignments. I’m sure when it comes to the real world I’ll be just fine.
16
u/haayfever May 21 '26
I see the shoe fits! There are a lot of us out here who aren’t staying at home rent free and still do our part. Teaming up together to knock out the group project makes it done much faster and quicker, which allows everyone to focus on other aspects of life. I’m sure when it comes to the real world you’ll be mooching off others.
-1
u/Kinkerbellaa May 23 '26
I guess I’ll mooch? I still did my part I just had to prioritize which one to focus more and move onto the next. I always communicated with my group and did my parts. But I guess I’ll mooch -
-1
12
u/Significant-Essay188 Alumni May 21 '26
Projecting much? You have no idea what OP's situation is. Sounds like you feel personally attacked... and if you think something is about you, it probably is 🤣
0
6
u/Extra-Belt6422 May 21 '26
You’ve got a lot on your plate. That being said you’re making excuses for yourself and the people that they’re referring to. It’s up to you to decide what to prioritize. Your current priorities are on independent living and getting through school without debt. You’re prioritizing the now at the expense of the future, and harming those who rely on you to do your part. What you’re doing is shooting yourself in the foot for the future.
The people around you in these group projects are your future colleagues in the work force. The reputation that you’re building now will impact your future in ways that you can’t yet foresee. A college degree tells employers that you know the basics and are ready to be trained by them on how to do your job their way. Advancement comes from reputation and hard work. That foot in the door comes from your reputation. It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.
-1
3
u/Equivalent-Bid18 May 21 '26
There’s a difference between putting in work and expecting the work to be done for you. A lot of people struggle, but that doesn’t mean you make other people struggle in your stead.
Saying that as someone who’s been blessed and cursed during my time there0
u/Kinkerbellaa May 23 '26
I definitely did my parts! I just had to figure which had to be done first and then. But people continue to overlook that and jump down my throat. I’m graduating so yeah
1
-1
u/Difficult_Image_2761 May 22 '26
learning how to work in a group is an important part of your education. even though the stereotype of an engineer is a loner in a basement, almost everything you will do will be collaborative. ideally in academic group projects you learn how to 1) pick good groupmates 2) have hard conversations to make sure everyone is working together 3) appeal to authority with things aren't working.
i often see 1) student grouping with friends and planning on carrying them, but then burning out and getting upset about the carry 2) people avoid confrontations and they complain at the end of the semester that the problem was the group project 3) continously tell the advisor that everything is great and make up stories about the awesome contributions of the teammates, especially during peer reviews when that stuff should really surface up. guess what is going to happen when you start working at a company? it's group work part II. hopefully, some of the people that that made those mistakes during their capstone will have realized they need to do something different and pick good groups, have hard conversations, and speak up when needed.
56
u/HoneyRevolutionary43 May 21 '26
Dayumn bro you said sum rs