a man relaxing on a chair while putting his feet on the desk, wearing colorful socks

Group projects are fun in theory, at least until the deadline comes around and nothing is done yet. Generally, university students never fail to find ways to procrastinate and escape their tasks.
Here are some of the excuses you can find among students to dawdle over their work:

1- Beauty/Fashion Emergency:

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This is the girly girl’s excuse to skip her tasks.  She’s always in the middle of a beauty/fashion “EMERGENCY.”  Be careful if her nails break while carrying the heavy shopping bags; she might not show up for a week. “I had to go to the coiffeur for a manicure and pedicure. It’s  important guys, I was dying!” Just brace yourself and try to hold in your anger.

2- “Set el Beit” Style:

Multitasking meme - a kid is doing many things at the same time
Every group has a Miss/Mr Busy, whose schedule is always full and can’t find free time between work, sports and family duties. “I had a practice after class, then I went to work and came home late after going grocery shopping.” You can always tease them by asking: “w ezai el beit wel madam wel 3eyal?

3- I’m flirty and I know it!

study meme - Ryan Gosling in glasses
Here is how it goes, the most popular or flirty boy in college usually joins a girls group and vice versa. Don’t be overwhelmed! It’s an evil plan! They will probably bewitch you with their charm, putting you under a spell to do their tasks. Their seductive attitude and irresistible smile pays off for them.

4-  “Ana el Mokh w Ento el 3adalat”

I put the pro in procrastination meme - a boy sleeping on couch
Do you know that smart kid who only comes up with good ideas for the project and then disappears? The one who never helps in executing the plan and never accept any extra tasks? We call him the “smart lazy one.” This person never works, he simply suggests ideas, and relaxes.

5- “Adfa3 Kam w Nkhalas el Leila Di!”

Leonardo DiCaprio in The Great Gatsby movie, holding the glass up
This is the group’s “Mr. Rich” who buys his peace of mind by paying for everything needed for the project, starting from small sketches to expensive software and programs. He just pays; that’s his task.

And if the whole group failed to finish the project before the deadline, here are some of the lame excuses given to the instructor:

6- The Electricity Cut Excuse:

ned stark brace yourselves the outages are coming got meme

“Asl el nour ata3 fel beit, fa ro7na l ahmed, ata3 fel nos tani, nzelna café wel generator kan bayez.”
This is the most used yet most persuasive excuse during the past couple of years. Having an electricity cut daily for almost 3-4 hours was the best getaway.

7- Blame it on Te-Data:

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If the group needs extra time and can’t get the project done before deadline, it’s TE-Data’s problem. “How do you expect us to work fast while the page uploads in 10 minutes, ya met3alemeen ya btoo3 el madares?”- “It’s unfair!”

8- Yalla N7awar:

missing homework excuses meme

“Asl kan fi farah bent okht 3amet sahbet mommy and we had to baby sit ebn 3am okht bent 3am papy..etc”
If you’re a good “me7awaraty” and have powerful negotiation skills, then you will probably find it easy to come up with weird confusing excuses. Just keep on babbling until your instructor gets lost and simply agrees with you on all the nonsense you’re saying to make you shut your mouth.

However, usually, there is a “project hero” in every group at the end of the day. Shout out to the hard workers out there who have saved so many other students from failure! Maybe you don’t show up until the last minute, but we know we can count on you to pull it through.