The Stress Case – Trait: Anxious
Everyone knows someone that gets way too stressed over the littlest things and college courses pump that stress up to 100. Mix this with copious amounts of caffeine and you have yourself “The Stress Case.”
This person will constantly message the group chat about the project and want constant updates on everyone’s progress, usually followed up by some statement like “Remember our final grade depends on this.”
Of course, they still wait until the last possible moment to do their work and they can easily be a mental drain for other members of the group if not managed properly.
The Average Guy – Trait: Average
This is the typical college student who just does what they need to do, but doesn’t have any characteristics that stand out from the rest when it comes to the group project.
While this is the case, this makes them a reliable member of the group that has a balance of each archetype’s best strengths (barring “The Slacker” of course) while having none of the weaknesses that might hinder said archetypes. They could be described as the glue that holds the group together if times get tough.
The Lurker – Trait: Silent
The day for the group to meet in person to discuss the project is here and while you’ve done your part, there is one person that hasn’t said anything since groups were assigned. You thought you would have another slacker again and be forced to relive the last project.
However, to your relief, you see that everyone looks ready and the one that hasn’t responded was on top of things. This person is what’s known as “The Lurker”, a new character archetype introduced in the age of apps like Discord.
The Lurker is characterized by the fact that this person just reads whatever is going on, but doesn’t respond for a number of reasons like being shy. These are people that never intend to worry anyone with their silence but end up doing so anyway.
The Slacker – Trait: Unaware
You pull out your phone and do your daily check on the progress of the dead week project and one of your members sends a text that sends a shock to your system. “Wait, I was supposed to work on a group project?” As the chat fills with hastily written messages about how much they gotta make up. The person that prompts this panic is “The Slacker.”
The Slacker is characterized by either a complete lack of awareness at what they need to contribute or intentionally coasting off others, so they just spend their time doing whatever because they know they’ll get a good grade. Thankfully in our modern age, professors have become aware of people like them and give the option for everyone in the group to be graded individually.
The Overachiever – Trait: Too Helpful
You are sitting in your computer lair and think that you should get started on the group project. You see that the thing you were going to work on was already completed, but as you look further into what else you could work on next, most or even all of the project is already done. This is the work of “The Overachiever.”
Defined by a willingness to be helpful wherever they can to a stunning degree, they can unintentionally leave almost no work for others in the group and make everyone feel bad for them in the process. Of course, they just say it is no big deal and don’t hold any sort of resentment toward other group members. At the very least, they’re one of the better archetypes.
