DocInsanity that is so true! One of my supervisors is very down to earth and told me that he didn't know why one of the methods used in my field was common practice. When he's asked other academics about why they used that method they just said that they did it because everyone else had.

You make a really good point, and the more I find out about the lofty, knowledgeable world of academia, the more I realise that everyone is just fumbling around like the rest of us (ok maybe not fumbling, but I hope you get my drift)!

D

....
3. Doubting your findings and being unsure of the theory of the discipline: I think this very much goes hand in hand with both of the previous points. It's hard to say from here if these are valid doubts that you have or just a result of the other concerns. Again, I think a second opinion or some other eyes on the situation would help you with this.

I hope that all makes sense to you and I really hope you can find the answers you need. I can't count how many times I've nearly thrown in the towel, and if it weren't for my sheer stubbornness and the support I've got at home, I probably wouldn't have got this far. (I'm going to be submitting soon). But I am enjoying my PhD experience more now than ever and I really feel like I can make it.I hope you can decide what's right for you. Good luck and please feel free to DM if you need anything else.

Take care, G

Hi Leylani

Ok, don't panic! There are a few things going on here and I have experienced most (I think all) of them in the time I've been doing my phd. I don't know if it's common to go through these stages as part of the phd, but I certainly did and I don't think we're the only ones.

1. Have you ever heard of the Imposter Syndrome? I have it and I didn't think it was typical until a very well-respected and successful Professor friend of mine told me that she experiences it too. In fact, it's surprisingly common among academics, especially females (I'm not sure if you are female, but Leylani suggests to me that you are! Apologies if not). Here's a link talking about it in academia:
https://chroniclevitae.com/news/412-faking-it-women-academia-and-impostor-syndrome

So be reassured that the feeling of being a fake/fraud/not worthy is common and not necessarily down to your situation.

2. Doubting your supervisor is a bigger issue and something that I'm currently struggling with. I'm lucky though because I've got a second supervisor who I do trust to be up to date and on the case with things, but I still have my doubts once in a while. I used to have a different supervisor who was an absolute demon and told me everything I did was wrong (pretty much). Now that they're being nice to me and saying everything is great, I'm really doubting their abilities. But I guess I've just got to trust in them. I do think that perhaps you could do with a second person who you could voice your concerns to. It really helps me to know that there are two of them and surely they can't both be completely wrong!

..... see next post

Hi Aisling

This is not something I've ever really thought about before either. I don't know if it depends on your field, but all of the sociolinguistics conferences I've been too have been quite small and friendly, everyone pretty much knows each other and so it's never even crossed my mind. I guess it could potentially happen, though :(

For me, I think life is too short to overly stress about something like that. (touch wood, of course!)
=D

Thanks, Tulip! =D

It is good being this close to submission, but it's equal parts exciting and terrifying! And the last chapter is still not done :( I'm hoping to get it sent off this week though and then I can get to working on a full draft - eek!

Good luck with your Lit review today. I'll be thinking of you all!
G

Me too, Tulip. Welcome Simmon :)

Thanks for the great answer, awsoci. I'm in the same boat as you RLD and I'm worried too. I'm hoping i can get some publications out after I submit. I'm in the social sciences and all of my peers seem to have publications under their belt. I just hope I can catch up at some point :(

Hi Athena. Presentations are all about the hook/message. Think about what and who the presentation is for. What you want to get out of it and/or what you want your audience to get out of it. You only have 10 minutes so you can't cover everything. With such a short amount of time, you really have to cut out anything that is non essential - do you really need to introduce yourself for example? It may be better to just get stuck in!

It's pretty hard to give you a more specific answer without knowing more about the situation, but focus on who your audience is and what you want to achieve and that should help.

Good luck. you can always message me if you have any more questions. G

Don't worry about that, TheEngineer. I hadn't finished a chapter until last December and now I'm working on my last one and due to submit 1 July! Everyone's path to and through a phd is different, but we all end up in the same place. Try not to look at what everyone else is saying and doing (I find this incredibly hard btw). you'll get there in your own sweet time =D

Can I join in?! =D

As Grumpy knows, I have to submit by 1 July and am struggling with getting my last chapter done and dusted. It's weird how this one seems harder than the others. I think it's cos there's lots of repeating, summarising etc. And I just want to be done already!

Sounds like we're all working over Easter. I'm hoping to have Sunday off too. Hope you guys have a great, productive weekend. I'm looking forward to hearing how we all get on.

I'm here =D and will be all weekend (except hopefully, perhaps Sunday). Submission is looming large and have an awful lot to do.

Nice to know that there are others out there. Thanks for the post, Grumpy!x

You're more than welcome. Good luck and please do get in touch if you would like to. I'd love to hear how it goes. G

Hmmmm yeah, it does sound like you could do with a bit more feedback than you're currently getting. Is she your sole/main supervisor? Can you speak to her directly about your concerns? Perhaps word a polite email expressing your thoughts and worries, especially if she's had issues with your writing before. Who is your personal tutor? It might be an idea to speak to them about it too. It's always good to get multiple opinions and also let others know that perhaps you're not getting the supervisory attention you need, just in case anything happens.

You'll probably be fine, but I know I would be worried about this and want to do something. It's better to be proactive now and see what can be done. Good luck and you can always message me if you'd like to. G

That's good to hear, TreeofLife!