For my first module in my Msc Marketing course at Trinity College, we were assigned a group project. Every day we have been playing a marketing game simulation online against the other groups in our class. The beginning of the game was a little rocky for us. Within the first two days we dropped to 14th place, which was second to last. We were all so disappointed since we had been putting so much time into our work. After a couple more days and no improvement, we went to our professor for a bit of guidance. She told us to keep doing what we were doing, but look closer into the meaning of our strategy in the game. She ultimately said that the groups who are in last place usually get the most out of the project, because they end up working the hardest to understand the concepts of our course and applying it to the activities. Sure enough, she was exactly right. My group was so unsatisfied with our position in the class and extremely motivated to get a better score in the game, that we worked so hard to understand the material and fix our mistakes before the final round. After studying the material, discussing new ideas within the group, and applying it to the game, we completely altering our strategy in the simulation. We ended up coming in 2nd place! More importantly we learned so much throughout the experience.
Not only were we able to understand the course material, but it also taught us a lot about ourselves. Just like basketball, there are times when huge losses can completely alter a team. The team can either allow the loss to pull them down, or they can use it to improve and work harder to reach their goals. I am thankful that my group was able to motivate each other to learn from our mistakes and grow as scholars.
