Group projects are the worst in general, but for perfectionists, they are nightmares. The thing about perfectionists is that we like to be in control – it's not because we like to have control over other people, but that we need to be in control so we can make sure that nothing goes wrong. So splitting up the control among two or more other group members is what makes group projects so anxiety-inducing for perfectionists. Here are some more specific reasons why.

1. Relying on people you don't know is always a dangerous game:

Usually, perfectionists are okay with handing the control over to someone they know and trust. The problem with group projects is that professors often pick your group members for you, therefore putting you with total strangers. You don't know anything about their skills or work ethic. Counting on those people feels like gambling to perfectionists – and we don't like risks.

2. There's always that one person who does literally nothing:

Because you don't really know these people's work ethics, you don't know which one of them has the worst work ethic in the history of work ethics. It isn't until after you delegate roles that you discover exactly who is the laziest. If you're a perfectionist, you're going to end up doing that person's work for them, because you don't want to suffer for someone else's mistake.

3. Your professor only grades the final product, not your individual performance:

Sometimes, professors know that there's always the one person who doesn't do anything, and they choose to grade each person's individual performance because of that. But either not all professors realize that, or they just want you to learn to work in groups efficiently and ignore the fact that groups are never 100 percent efficient. Because of this, perfectionists are that much more worried about the final product – whether it be a presentation, report, or art piece – and will do anything to guarantee a good grade.

4. You can't just do the whole project yourself:

Even though most professors don't grade each individual performance, they still want to see that the group is working together. So if your group members aren't doing their part, and you try to make up for it by doing it yourself, you look bad. All your professor sees is someone who isn't letting other group members contribute.

5. Getting all of you together is like trying to herd cattle:

Have you ever found yourself acting as the little cow-herding dog, trying to set up meetings with your group? As college students, we all have busy schedules between classes and work. It's a miracle to get all of you together, in one place, at the same time, for even an hour.

6. You don't want to risk seeming like a control freak:

Perfectionists can be control freaks, but that doesn't mean that we want to be. We can't help worrying over the final product as if it's our own child. We know that it's weird and kind of uncool to worry so much about an assignment, so we try to hold back from bossing our group members around.

7. Even if you don't care, you do care:

You can say that you don't care about what grade you'll get, that this class doesn't matter to you, or that you don't want anything to do with the people in your group. You can say those things all you want, but you know that you still care about the outcome of your project. And you know this because you'll still have trouble sleeping the night before the project is due.

To any perfectionists in the midst of group projects out there: everything is going to be okay. If someone isn't pulling their own weight, let them. The responsibility to make up for their missing work does not fall on your shoulders. If a particular due date is looming over you like a dark cloud on a sunny day, brush it off. There are at least two other people who share the responsibility of making that due date. You're not in this alone, no matter how lonely you may feel.

Remember: the semester is almost over! You will make it to the end. Take care of yourself and don't let any group projects affect you too deeply. Your grades are not more important than your mental health.