I Survived Group Projects—But Barely

No one tells you how much of school is just surviving the people around you. Not the big, obvious bullies—just the endless, slow-drip irritation of being trapped in a room with people who never shut up, who tap their pens, who think every group project is their one shot at being a dictator or a stand-up comic. I used to think it was just me, that I was too sensitive. But then you spend enough hours pretending not to hear the gum-smacking, the off-topic jokes, the way someone’s foot is always in your space, and it starts to eat at you. I tried everything—earbuds, moving seats, even telling people (nicely, at first). Sometimes it worked. Mostly, it didn’t. The worst part is how much energy it takes just to keep your cool, to not snap and become the problem yourself. By the end of every semester, I’m not even mad anymore. Just tired. Tired of managing other people’s noise, tired of pretending it doesn’t get to me. I wish I could say it taught me patience or something, but honestly? It just made me want to be alone. #CampusConfessions #AcademicFatigue #GroupProjectHell #Education