I’m a first year PhD student, 5 months into my PhD and I feel as if I have done nothing.

I need technicians and post-docs to teach me techniques before I can begin my experiments but I keep being told they’re too busy to help me. Every week I ask and I get the same the response; this has been occurring for 3 months now.

I’m not part of any lecturers 'group’. When I mention this to the other students they lose all interest in helping me, even with very small things like the inner-workings of the labs; I feel like an intruder. I do not even have any bench space in the labs and I have to work alone in the unused teaching labs.

I have to give a presentation to the whole department. I'm so worried that the lecturers are going to rip me apart for having no data.

I spend everyday in the library by myself reading. I do not have an office or a desk as I have been told there is no room for me.

I feel that, as I don’t have a supervisor in my department, I get no assistance at all. It’s like I’ve been completely abandoned. I also feel like I should be able to solve all these problems myself but I’m too stupid to do so.

Every Monday I feel so depressed because I’m going to spend another week not making progress. I’m anxious that my supervisors will be annoyed by my lack of progress and get rid of me.

I have spoken to my supervisors, numerous times. They are understanding and tell me that they will sort everything out but nothing ever changes.

I really want to just quit but my third supervisor resigned at the beginning of my PhD. This delayed my project by 3 months and caused a great deal of stress to my other supervisors.

Sorry for my long post. I am being whiny and childish but I find the whole situation upsetting.