======= Date Modified 13 May 2012 13:17:59 =======
Hi everyone,

I've had a few (4) rough months in my PhD (i am now over half way through my second year) with very little data and things working. I finally have some results but the final result is a lack of motivation and a severe lack of confidence...

I am know quite firm in the belief that my supervisor is wondering why she took me on (i am a crier) and i am faced with a meeting with my other supervisor tomorrow. He is a lot more aggressive and even my primary supervisor has said he will give me a hard time. I am sitting trying to come up with something i can present to him and things i can discuss to keep the meeting moving on but i am scared i am just going to come out of it a broken student and wanting to quit...

any suggestions about preparing for this meeting or upping my confidence in general?

Thanks in advance,
Splendins xxx

Hi Splendins,

I'm sorry to hear that things aren't going to well your end. I think it's easy to lose track of the phd journey sometimes. At the end of the day, 3 years is a long time and things are bound to go wrong in that time regardless of how much planning has been made so try not to let this put you down.

I know it's easier said than done but the journey is full of ups and downs and the horrible times are bound to affect us at some level. I can safely say that many of us have had our problems during the phd, have doubted ourselves, felt like quitting, etc. It's all part of the journey and it's allright! It may not feel this way now, but things will move on, and will get better.

It's hard to find the motivation to do things when you don't feel able yourself but taking small steps can help. It doesn't really matter how small these steps are when things are not that great as any step forward is a step in the right direction! So keep it up! (personally I found the one goal thread helpful)

As for your supervision, I'd probably be looking into providing an update of what things have happened. I appreciate that you have very little data and things haven't been working but could this be an opportunity for you to discuss what's not working, what you've tried and perhaps get some advice and/or discuss some ideas of how to move forward?

Also, whenever things weren't going that great with my work, I'd readjust my Gantt chart and discuss it at supervision to make sure phd was still on track overall as well.

Hope this helps.

Let us know how it goes.

Skig

Thanks Skig,

this is really helpful and sometimes it's just nice to be reminded that other people have the same problems and have soldiered through. I am going to spend the rest of the afternoon reading and having a good plan, i know i've tried my hardest, i just need to prove it to them!

xxx